He spent a long part of his childhood in the café which his parents owned, where he learned work jargon and slang. At the age of 14 he signed up to the conservatoire de musique de Toulouse and to a dramatic arts institute. In the mean time, he set up his first band of 4 musicians in his own name, with whom he played at events throughout the region. In 1957, he was snapped up by Eddie Barclay who signed him on. It was in the studio of Barclay where he met his future wife, Simone Mazaltarim.
In 1958 Perret carried on touring round Parisian cabaret bars and crossed France and Africa as a part of the American group, The Platters. In Novemeber that year, a pleurisy forced him to take two years off in a sanatorium.
A master of the subtleties of the French language and French slang (he even rewrote some of Jean de La Fontaine's fables), his songs are often cheeky (for example Le zizi (The willy)) , asking questions in a seemingly naive child's tone, but has written more serious political songs, such as La bête est revenue, La petite kurde, Vert de Colère ou Lily.
C'est au mois d'Août
Pierre Perret Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Evita
The Actress Hasn't Learned The Lines (You'd Like T
(Aristocrats:)
Thus all fairy stories end
Only an actress would pretend
Affairs of state are her latest play
Eight shows a week, two matinees
When will the chorus girl ever learn?
My how the worm begins to turn
When will the chorus girl ever learn?
(Eva:)
The chorus girl hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear
She won't go scrambling over the backs of the poor to be accepted
By making donations just large enough to the correct charity
She won't be president of your wonderful societies of philanthropy
Even if you asked her to be
As you should have asked her to be
The actress hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear
She won't join your clubs, she won't dance in your halls
She won't help the hungry once a month at your tombolas
She'll simply take control as you disappear
(Che:)
Forgive my intrusion, but fine as those sentiments sound
Little has changed for us peasants down here on the ground
I hate to sound childish, ungrateful, I don't like to moan
But do you now represent anyone's cause but your own?
(Eva:)
Everything done will be justified by my foundation
Pierre Perret's song C'est au mois d'août is a beautiful story about life, love, and the pursuit of a dream. It tells the story of a chorus girl and an actress who are constantly struggling to find their place in the world. The song captures the essence of the elite society, which is portrayed as aristocrats, and their attitudes towards the less privileged people underneath them. The aristocrats view affairs of state as their latest play, while the chorus girl and actress feel like outsiders, unsure of their place in society.
The lyrics present a stark contrast between the aristocrats' view of charity and the chorus girl's and actress's view of it. The aristocrats feel that by making donations just large enough to the correct charity, they have done their part to help the less privileged. However, the chorus girl and actress see charity as more than just a convenient project to win public admiration. They believe in taking control of the situation and using their resources to bring about real change.
The chorus girl and actress are at the mercy of the society that they belong to, but they refuse to succumb to its rules. They won't join clubs, dance in halls, or help at tombolas once a month, as the aristocrats do. Instead, they will create their path, take control, and make a difference in the world. The song highlights the struggle of those who refuse to conform to society's norms and choose to follow their own path.
Line by Line Meaning
Madonna
Addressing a powerful and influential woman
Evita
Referring to the character played by Madonna in the movie
The Actress Hasn't Learned The Lines (You'd Like To Hear)
The actress is not conforming to the expectations of the aristocrats
(Aristocrats:) Thus all fairy stories end
The aristocrats believe that fairy tales have a predictable ending
Only an actress would pretend
Only someone acting would behave this way
Affairs of state are her latest play
The actress is political in her behavior
Eight shows a week, two matinees
She is completely committed to her role
My how the worm begins to turn
The aristocrats are questioning their own power
When will the chorus girl ever learn?
When will the lower class learn their place?
The chorus girl hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear
The lower class woman won't conform to the aristocrats' expectations
She won't go scrambling over the backs of the poor to be accepted
She won't exploit others to climb the social ladder
By making donations just large enough to the correct charity
She won't use philanthropy as a means to an end
She won't be president of your wonderful societies of philanthropy
She won't seek to join or lead charity organizations
Even if you asked her to be
Even if the aristocrats asked her to conform, she wouldn't do it
The actress hasn't learned the lines you'd like to hear
The actress is not beholden to the aristocrats' expectations
She won't join your clubs, she won't dance in your halls
She won't participate in the social events of the aristocracy
She won't help the hungry once a month at your tombolas
She won't perform charity work to impress the aristocrats
She'll simply take control as you disappear
She will assert her own power as the aristocrats lose theirs
(Che:) Forgive my intrusion, but fine as those sentiments sound
Che is acknowledging the aristocrats' idealistic view
Little has changed for us peasants down here on the ground
The lower class has not benefited from the aristocrats' progress
I hate to sound childish, ungrateful, I don't like to moan
Che feels awkward bringing up this issue
But do you now represent anyone's cause but your own?
Can the aristocrats truly claim to serve the people?
Everything done will be justified by my foundation
Eva believes that all her actions will be vindicated by her charitable work
Contributed by Matthew C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
derisionman
Que du bonheur et de la bonne humeur à HOT dose !
Kan
Je me souviens. J'adorais. Super d'avoir retrouvé cette superbe chanson.
Christopher
Le mois pour moi le moi qui me fait rêver . Tres belle chanssonette à chanter Merci pierre😚
Paul Mommens
amusant et agréable
Albert Odillon
Encore une chanson de vacances qui me rappelle l'été
Paul Mommens
Nous sommes le 11 octobre 2021 et l'été est fini. C'est un autre été qui commence, l'été indien de Joe DASSIN et octobre de Francis CABREL. C'est l'automne, calme, doux, agréable. J'aimerais écouter cette chanson de Pierre PERRET après le 20 novembre, jusque passé NOEL, début janvier. Voir l'été en hiver. Pourquoi ne pas passer des Réveillons des 24 et 31 décembre avec ce genre de chansons, de même que Petit Bikini de DALIDA, Il tape sur des bambous de Philippe LAVIL, les rythmes antillais de la Compagnie Créole, quelques chansons de CARLOS, tout ce qui sent bon les vacances d'été et le plaisir quand dehors, il fait si froid, Adieu Petit Papa NOEL de Tino ROSSI, Douce Nuit, Mon Beau Sapin, Jingle Bells et autres SEMPITERNELS chants de NOEL. Si des internautes venus d'Alsace et de Lorraine, du Grand Est et de Franche-Comté me lisent, mes idées ne vont sans doute pas leur plaire, dans des régions où NOEL est la première préoccupation ou priorité. Hé oui, chaque région a sa personnalité. Cependant, ce genre de chanson restera à tout moment de l'année, le plaisir de beaucoup de gens.
Paul Mommens
MICHEL FUGAIN BEAU ROMAN BELLE HISTOIRE ET JOE DASSIN LA BANDE A JOJO.
NJ Voyance
Merci à vous 🙏💖
marie hone
Bon été 2017 , c'est enfin le mois d'août . ♥
Flo becot
il faisait beau, on chantait faux, mon pote Marcel était tout fier de sa 2 ch ... Extra !!