In September 2001, Pierre Lapointe participated in the Festival international de la chanson de Granby, where he won three prizes. Lapointe created and presented his own show "Petites chansons laides" in Montreal and Quebec City, and in France -- which were his first songs start to play on radio stations. Critics have been very positive about him and his career.
In 2002, he received financing from the Conseil des arts et lettres du Québec to help him record a first commercial disc, and in the summer of 2003, he signed with Audiogram, which allowed him to produce his first disc, "Pierre Lapointe" (2004). It was an instant success. Pierre Lapointe's second album "La forêt des mal-aimés" (2006) was the #1 album in Canada for the first week after its release (28 000 CDs sold), and lifted Lapointe's eponymous first album to #7 in the charts.
Reine Émilie
Pierre Lapointe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Celui de l?acolyte
Celui qu?on ne voit pas
Celui qu?on ne plaint pas
Celui qui, sur la route,
S?en va, coûte que coûte
Dans la voiture dorée de celui qui paiera
Oh! Madame la Reine,
Sous vos jupons dorés
Vos sous-vêtements laqués?
Est-ce vrai que jamais
Personne n?a pu voir
Si de l?homme ou la femme
Vous avez les attraits? »
On ne sait que faire
Pour voir l?entrejambe d?Émilie
Vous ne seriez pas déçu
Non, vous ne seriez pas déçu
Mais Madame Émilie dégage des odeurs
Qui ravivent les ardeurs
Qui vous montent jusqu?au c?ur
Tellement que, homme ou femme,
Personne n?y résiste
Tout le monde tombe sous le charme de Madame Émilie
On ne sait que faire pour sentir l?entrejambe d?Émilie
Une odeur de cannelle agrémentée de camphre,
Mais Madame Émilie a des millions d?enfants
Qualifiés de mutants, cause d?un sexe atrophié
Et Madame Émilie est très grassement payée
Pour porter la semence de ces tiges humectées
On ne sait que faire pour acheter un enfant d?Émilie
Est-ce un garçon, une fille? Ça,
Nous ne le saurons jamais
Mais la mode se passe
Et l?ambiguïté reste
Et Madame Émilie est déjà démodée
Celle qu?on appelait la Reine devenue moins que rien
Elle s?en ira mourir
En attendant le pire
The song "Reine Émilie" by Pierre Lapointe is a song that explores the concept of ambiguity and identity through the character of Madame Émilie, who is an hermaphrodite - a person with both male and female physical attributes. The song delves into the social stigma and marginalization that Émilie experiences due to her physical form, as well as the fascination that people have for her because of her unique identity.
The first verse talks about the invisibility of the hermaphrodite identity and how it is often overlooked and not given sympathy. The second verse describes the allure and magnetism of Émilie, who is portrayed as having an intoxicating scent that no one can resist. The chorus features the singer pleading with Madame Émilie to reveal her true physical form and the obsession that people have surrounding it. The final verse includes a commentary on the fickleness of society's fascination with Émilie, as she is eventually forgotten and left to die alone.
The overall message of the song seems to be a commentary on societal fascination with the "other", in this case, people with ambiguous genders or identities. While Émilie may be seen as unique and interesting for her physical form, she is ultimately marginalized and forgotten once the novelty wears off, which highlights the problematic nature of society's obsession with difference.
Line by Line Meaning
Mais c?est l?hermaphrodite
This is the hermaphrodite
Celui de l?acolyte
The one belonging to the follower
Celui qu?on ne voit pas
The one we don't see
Celui qu?on ne plaint pas
The one no one pities
Celui qui, sur la route,
The one who, on the road,
S?en va, coûte que coûte
Goes, no matter the cost
Dans la voiture dorée de celui qui paiera
In the golden car of the one who pays
Oh! Madame la Reine,
Oh! Madame the Queen,
Dites-moi : « Qu?avez-vous
Tell me: 'What do you have
Sous vos jupons dorés
Under your golden skirts
Vos sous-vêtements laqués?
Your lacquered underwear?'
Est-ce vrai que jamais
Is it true that never
Personne n?a pu voir
Has anyone been able to see
Si de l?homme ou la femme
If you have the attributes of a man or a woman
Vous avez les attraits? »
?'
On ne sait que faire
We don't know what to do
Pour voir l?entrejambe d?Émilie
To see Émilie's genitals
Vous ne seriez pas déçu
You wouldn't be disappointed
Non, vous ne seriez pas déçu
No, you wouldn't be disappointed
Mais Madame Émilie dégage des odeurs
But Madame Émilie gives off smells
Qui ravivent les ardeurs
That reignite passions
Qui vous montent jusqu?au c?ur
That rise up to your heart
Tellement que, homme ou femme,
So much so that, man or woman,
Personne n?y résiste
No one can resist
Tout le monde tombe sous le charme de Madame Émilie
Everyone falls under Madame Émilie's spell
On ne sait que faire pour sentir l?entrejambe d?Émilie
We don't know what to do to smell Émilie's genitals
Une odeur de cannelle agrémentée de camphre,
A smell of cinnamon with camphor added,
Mais Madame Émilie a des millions d?enfants
But Madame Émilie has millions of children
Qualifiés de mutants, cause d?un sexe atrophié
Called mutants, due to an atrophied sex
Et Madame Émilie est très grassement payée
And Madame Émilie is very well paid
Pour porter la semence de ces tiges humectées
To carry the seed of these moistened rods
On ne sait que faire pour acheter un enfant d?Émilie
We don't know what to do to buy a child of Émilie's
Est-ce un garçon, une fille? Ça,
Is it a boy or a girl? That,
Nous ne le saurons jamais
We'll never know
Mais la mode se passe
But fashion passes
Et l?ambiguïté reste
And ambiguity remains
Et Madame Émilie est déjà démodée
And Madame Émilie is already outdated
Celle qu?on appelait la Reine devenue moins que rien
The one called Queen has become nothing
Elle s?en ira mourir
She will go die
En attendant le pire
Waiting for the worst
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PIERRE LAPOINTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind