Bachelet spent part of his childhood in Calais and developed a lifelong appreciation of the North of France, which inspired his hit song "Les corons" (1982).
His other hit songs include "Elle est d'ailleurs" (1980), "Écris-moi" (1982), "Marionnettiste" (1985), "En l'an 2001" (1985) and "Vingt ans" (1987). He also composed music for movies, for example Emmanuelle (1974), Les Bronzés font du ski (1975) and the British-made Sex with the Stars (1980). Robert Fripp won an out-of-court settlement over the use of music in Emmanuelle based on King Crimson's "Larks' Tongues in Aspic". His songs from the film Emmanuelle called Emmanuelle In The Mirror and Theme From Emmanuelle were sampled in the Lily Rose Cooper single Littlest Things.
He would return to score further Emmanuelle films, such as Emmanuelle V and Emmanuelle 7. He also did the score for Story of O, another huge success for him and the French film Un crime au paradis.
His signature tune, "Les corons", released in 1982, is notably used as the supporter's anthem for the Lens football club.
Bachelet bore a physical and vocal resemblance to Jacques Brel, and had a similar onstage demeanor. Bachelet held Brel's work in high respect, and his last release while alive was a cover of Brel songs.
Bachelet died of lung cancer in 2005.
Ne me quitte pas
Pierre Bachelet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oublier le temps des malentendus et le temps perdu à savoir comment
Oublier ces heures qui tuaient parfois
À coups de pourquoi le cœur du bonheur
Ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas
Moi je t'offrirai des perles de pluie venues de pays où il ne pleut pas
Je creuserai la terre jusqu'après ma mort
Je ferai un domaine où l'amour sera roi
Où l'amour sera loi, où tu seras reine
Ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas, je t'inventerai des mots insensés que tu comprendras
Je te parlerai de ces amants-là qui ont vu deux fois leurs cœurs s'embraser
Je te raconterai l'histoire de ce roi mort de n'avoir pas pu te rencontrer
Ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas
On a vu souvent rejaillir le feu de l'ancien volcan qu'on croyait trop vieux
Il est paraît-il, des terres brûlées donnant plus de blé qu'un meilleur avril
Et quand vient le soir pour qu'un ciel flamboie
Le rouge et le noir ne s'épousent-ils pas ?
Ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas, je n'vais plus pleurer
Je n'vais plus parler, je me cacherai là
A te regarder, danser et sourire et à t'écouter chanter et puis rire
Laisse-moi devenir l'ombre de ton ombre
L'ombre de ta main, l'ombre de ton chien
Mais ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas.
The lyrics to Pierre Bachelet's Ne me quitte pas talk about the fear of being abandoned and the desire to hold on to love. Bachelet pleads with his lover not to leave him and asks them to forget the misunderstandings and wasted time that passed between them. He invokes the imagery of rain pearls from non-rainy lands and promises to dig the earth for the rest of his life to cover his lover in gold and light. He adds that he will create a world where love reigns and where his lover will be the queen. Bachelet promises to invent senseless words that his lover will understand and to tell them the story of lovers who had their hearts set ablaze twice. Additionally, he talks about an old volcano that still erupts and burnt lands that still yield more wheat than the best of Aprils. Finally, he states that he will stop sobbing and talking, hide in the shadows and watch his lover dance and smile, listen to them laugh, and become the shadow of their shadow, the shadow of their hand, and the shadow of their dog.
Line by Line Meaning
Ne me quitte pas, il faut oublier, tout peut s'oublier qui s'enfuit déjà
Don't leave me, we must forget, everything that's already gone can be forgotten
Oublier le temps des malentendus et le temps perdu à savoir comment
Forget the time of misunderstandings and the time wasted trying to figure things out
Oublier ces heures qui tuaient parfois, À coups de pourquoi le cœur du bonheur
Forget those hours that sometimes killed the heart of happiness with constant questioning
Ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas
Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me
Moi je t'offrirai des perles de pluie venues de pays où il ne pleut pas
I will offer you pearls of rain from countries where it doesn't rain
Je creuserai la terre jusqu'après ma mort, Pour couvrir ton corps d'or et de lumière
I'll dig the earth until after my death, to cover your body with gold and light
Je ferai un domaine où l'amour sera roi, Où l'amour sera loi, où tu seras reine
I will create a domain where love will be king, where love will be law, where you will be queen
Ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas
Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me
Ne me quitte pas, je t'inventerai des mots insensés que tu comprendras
Don't leave me, I will invent senseless words that you will understand
Je te parlerai de ces amants-là qui ont vu deux fois leurs cœurs s'embraser
I will talk to you about those lovers who saw their hearts ignite twice
Je te raconterai l'histoire de ce roi mort de n'avoir pas pu te rencontrer
I will tell you the story of that king who died for not being able to meet you
Ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas
Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me
On a vu souvent rejaillir le feu de l'ancien volcan qu'on croyait trop vieux
We have often seen the fire of the old volcano that we thought was too old emerge again
Il est paraît-il, des terres brûlées donnant plus de blé qu'un meilleur avril
It is said that scorched lands give more wheat than a good April
Et quand vient le soir pour qu'un ciel flamboie, Le rouge et le noir ne s'épousent-ils pas ?
And when the evening comes so that the sky shines, don't the red and the black marry each other?
Ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas
Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me
Ne me quitte pas, je n'vais plus pleurer, Je n'vais plus parler, je me cacherai là
Don't leave me, I will not cry anymore, I will not speak anymore, I will hide there
A te regarder, danser et sourire et à t'écouter chanter et puis rire
Watching you dance and smile, and listening to you sing and laugh
Laisse-moi devenir l'ombre de ton ombre, L'ombre de ta main, l'ombre de ton chien
Let me become the shadow of your shadow, the shadow of your hand, the shadow of your dog
Mais ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas, ne me quitte pas
But don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind