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.
T'as pas la couleur
Pierre Perret Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Si, pour notre bonheur
Tu revenais sur Terre
Pour y faire le chanteur
Égrener tes ballades
Tes savoureux huitains
Tu ne donnerais plus souvent l'aubade
À la radio le matin
Les trois-quarts des stations
Cultivent l'indifférence
Pour la bonne chanson
Et même la mieux écrite
Qui n'a pas leur tampon
N'ira jamais sur leur playlist
En français, t'es marron
Ils diraient
T'as pas la couleur, t'as pas la couleur
Pour ma radio branchée
T'es plus sur le marché
T'as pas la couleur, t'as pas la couleur
Toute ta prosodie
Ne vaut plus un radis
Mon très cher Georges
Si tu es là-haut, vois-tu
Dans les rues qu'on s'égorge
Mais qu'on ne chante plus
Pas plus que sur les ondes
Les télés en gros plan
Où des braves gens confondent
Les flatulences et le talent
Georges, cher Georges
Aujourd'hui ta Margot
Malgré sa jolie gorge
Risquerait l'embargo
Dans ces stations services
Toutes en prêt à chanter
Le brillant cuistre de service
T'aurait vite écarté
Il dirait
T'as pas la couleur, t'as pas la couleur
Pour ma radio branchée
T'es plus sur le marché
Bref, mon cher Georges
L'Auvergnat n'est pas seul
Victime de ces coupe-gorge
Où l'on sert du tilleul
Cette charmante overdose
De bluettes insipides
L'auditeur à qui on l'impose
Est-il aussi stupide?
Tu ne montras pas ta
Réelle consternation
Aux crétins qui interdirent ta
Mauvaise réputation
Colosse aux pieds d'argile
Verlaine et La Boétie
Ont subi les mêmes imbéciles
Et leur impéritie
T'as pas la couleur, t'as pas la couleur
Que ces mots de malheur
Ont fait verser de pleurs
Que de peuplades
De tribus et d'ethnies
Connurent bastonnades
Brimades et dénis
Le délit de sale gueule
Le syndrome du foncé
La vie entière jusqu'au linceul
On leur a ressassé
T'as pas la couleur, t'as pas la couleur
Eh oui, même aujourd'hui
C'est c' que partout l'on dit
T'as pas la couleur, t'as pas la couleur
Georges, comme tu le disais
Les cons s'arrêtent jamais
The song "T'as pas la couleur" by Pierre Perret is an ode to Georges Brassens and his music. The lyrics speak to the idea that if Brassens were alive today and tried to make music, he would not be successful due to the music industry's narrow-mindedness and preference for commercialized, bland music. The song highlights the cultural and racial biases within the music industry and society in general. The first verse begins with the singer acknowledging that if Georges were alive today, he would not be played on the radio because most stations only play commercially viable music. The singer laments that even the best-written songs won't be played unless they fit into the pre-determined playlist of the radio station. The chorus highlights that the reason Brassens' music wouldn't be played is that he does not fit the mold of what is considered "marketable." He doesn't have the right "color" or the right look, and as a result, his music is not deemed worthy of airplay.
The second verse is an observational commentary on the state of the world today, where people aren't singing in the streets, and even on the radio and television, people are still not listening to real talent. The second chorus reiterates the idea that if Brassens were to make music today, he would not be successful, even though this is not due to his lack of talent but rather his lack of "color." The final verse is a commentary on the societal prejudices that exist beyond the music industry, where individuals are oppressed without merit because of the color of their skin or ethnicity. The song concludes with the mantra that despite progress in so many areas, being excluded due to one's "color" still occurs too often.
Overall, "T'as pas la couleur" is a commentary on societal prejudices and the exclusivity that exists in many industries, including the music industry. The song is a celebration of Georges Brassens and speaks to the timeless quality of his music while also drawing attention to the unfortunate reality that his music would not be as widely celebrated today due to the narrow-mindedness of the industry.
Line by Line Meaning
Georges, mon grand frère
The singer addresses his late brother Georges
Si, pour notre bonheur
If Georges were to come back from the afterlife
Tu revenais sur Terre
And sing his songs again
Pour y faire le chanteur
He wouldn't be as successful as before
Égrener tes ballades
Singing his heartfelt songs
Tes savoureux huitains
With their clever rhymes
Tu ne donnerais plus souvent l'aubade
But he wouldn't be heard on the radio that often
À la radio le matin
Because most stations don't play good songs
Car par malchance
Due to unfortunate circumstances
Les trois-quarts des stations
Three quarters of the radio stations
Cultivent l'indifférence
Are indifferent to good music
Pour la bonne chanson
Even if it's a well-written song
Et même la mieux écrite
If it doesn't fit their style
Qui n'a pas leur tampon
It won't make it onto their playlist
N'ira jamais sur leur playlist
No matter how good it is
En français, t'es marron
In French, you're out of luck
Ils diraient
They would say
T'as pas la couleur, t'as pas la couleur
You don't fit our image
Pour ma radio branchée
For our trendy radio station
T'es plus sur le marché
You're not popular anymore
Toute ta prosodie
Your style of singing
Ne vaut plus un radis
Isn't worth anything anymore
Mon très cher Georges
The singer expresses affection towards his brother
Si tu es là-haut, vois-tu
If you're up there, can you see?
Dans les rues qu'on s'égorge
The streets where violence breeds
Mais qu'on ne chante plus
But no one sings about it anymore
Pas plus que sur les ondes
Not even on the airwaves
Les télés en gros plan
TVs in close-up
Où des braves gens confondent
Where people can't tell
Les flatulences et le talent
Flatulence and real talent apart
Georges, cher Georges
The singer addresses his brother again
Aujourd'hui ta Margot
Even Georges' wife Margot
Malgré sa jolie gorge
Despite her lovely voice
Risquerait l'embargo
Wouldn't be played on the radio
Dans ces stations services
In these stations that just play anything
Toutes en prêt à chanter
Just ready to sing anything
Le brillant cuistre de service
The annoying DJ in charge
T'aurait vite écarté
Would have quickly ignored Georges
Bref, mon cher Georges
To sum it up, dear Georges
L'Auvergnat n'est pas seul
Georges is not the only victim
Victime de ces coupe-gorge
Of these cutthroats
Où l'on sert du tilleul
Where they serve lime tea
Cette charmante overdose
This charming overdose
De bluettes insipides
Of tasteless love songs
L'auditeur à qui on l'impose
The listener who's forced to hear it
Est-il aussi stupide?
Is he just as dumb?
Tu ne montras pas ta
You never showed your
Réelle consternation
Real dismay
Aux crétins qui interdirent ta
To the idiots who banned your
Mauvaise réputation
Bad reputation
Colosse aux pieds d'argile
Giant with feet of clay
Verlaine et La Boétie
Verlaine and La Boétie
Ont subi les mêmes imbéciles
Suffered from the same morons
Et leur impéritie
And their incompetence
Que de peuplades
Throughout history
De tribus et d'ethnies
Of tribes and ethnic groups
Connurent bastonnades
Faced brutality
Brimades et dénis
Bullying and denial
Le délit de sale gueule
The crime of having the wrong face
Le syndrome du foncé
The dark-skinned syndrome
La vie entière jusqu'au linceul
All their lives, even in death
On leur a ressassé
They were told
Eh oui, même aujourd'hui
Even today, sadly
C'est c' que partout l'on dit
That's what everyone is saying
Que ces mots de malheur
These words of sorrow
Ont fait verser de pleurs
Make us cry
Georges, comme tu le disais
Just like you used to say, Georges
Les cons s'arrêtent jamais
Idiots never stop being idiots
Lyrics © SONGS OF PEER
Written by: PIERRE PERRET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind