1) Raphaël Haroche, born on 7 November 1975 in Paris, Île-de-France, France, is a French singer who performs under the name Raphael. His father is Russian and his mother is from Argentina.
He began his public career with the song "Cela Nous Aurait Suffi (Dayenou)", featured on his critically-acclaimed debut album Hôtel de l'Univers in 2001. His first major public hit was "Sur La Route", a duet with French long-time rock legend Jean-Louis Aubert. His second album, La Réalité (2003), was met with successes both critical and commercial, and Raphael has been on the road ever since, playing gigs all over France. After the release of super-hit album Caravane, best-selling French LP of 2005 helped by catchy-yet-thought-provoking tunes such as "Caravane," "Ne Partons Pas Fâchés," "Et dans 150 ans," or "Schengen", he went on to win three 'Victoires de la Musique'.
His current partner is Mélanie Thierry (actress and model).
2) Pianist and composer Phil Raphaël was born in New York in 1930 and an active member of the capital of bop’s music scene during the 1950s, occasionally playing with Charlie Parker and saxophonist John Eardley. The only recorded trace of his activities is a session he did with the legendary trumpet player Red Rodney for the Prestige label in 1951. According to the liner notes, Phil Raphael also played in Tommy Dorsey and Stan Kenton’s big bands – although there is no recorded proof of this – and moved to Las Vegas for a while. It is unknown exactly when he appeared on the Belgian scene, nor when he disappeared from the musical life of Brussels, but he did play at the Pol’s club where his wife worked as a cloakroom assistant during the 1970s. The recording session for ‘Stop, Look, Listen’ took place on 3rd June 1972 and although the character and story of the leader remain a mystery, his Belgian accompanists were well-known figures on the Brussels scene. Drummer Robert Pernet, vibraphone player and percussionist Johnny Perret and double bass player Paul Dubois played and recorded with Toots Thielemans, Bobby Jaspar and many others for thirty years or so. Unfortunately, Paul Dubois, the only surviving member of the rhythm section, who played just this once with the pianist, has no memory of Raphael or of the opera singer Rose Thompson, whose voice lights up the arrangements. However, the real mystery surrounding this album - even more than the circumstances in which it came into existence - is the magical nature of the compositions. Raphael manages to create a unique alchemy on every track, a harmonious blend of very different musical styles: be-bop, opera, free jazz, and rock. Many musicians tried their hand at fusion around that time, but this album is unequalled in its lyrical, poetic chemistry. Stop, look, listen…
Ici tout va bien
Raphaël Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pour tous les hommes, qu'ils vivent heureux,
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Créons des produits à profusion, vendons-leur des milliards de chansons
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Vendons du virtuel,
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Soyons comme des rois,
Soyons heureux,
Nous les enfants du nouveau monde
Il ne nous arrivera rien
Ici tout va bien
Tout va si bien
Tout est si beau
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Ici tout va bien
Tout est si beau
Tout est si plein
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Nous les animaux humains
Soyons comme des rois,
Soyons heureux,
Nous les enfants du nouveau monde
Il ne nous arrivera rien
Ici tout va bien
Tout va si bien
Tout est si beau
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Ici tout va bien
Tout est si beau
Tout est si plein
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Ici tout va bien
Tout est si clair
Tout est si simple
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Ici tout va bien
Tout est si beau
Tout est si plein
Jusqu'ici tout va bien, tout va bien...
The lyrics of Raphael's song "Ici Tout Va Bien" speak of a society that is obsessed with consumerism and materialism, to the point where they are blinded to the reality that surrounds them. The song talks about creating tall skyscrapers, and selling billions of songs, which brings temporary happiness. However, this happiness is short-lived as it is based on virtual realities that are far from the truth. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Jusqu'ici tout va bien," which translates to "So far, so good." This could be interpreted as a way of convincing oneself that everything is fine and ignoring the problems and challenges.
The lyrics also express a desire to be happy, to be kings and queens, and to have everything they want. Raphael sings about creating products in abundance and selling them to people, who then consume them in a never-ending loop. The idea of selling the sky and miles of unsold products is symbolic of how we have commodified even the intangible things in life. The song urges us to be like "rois," or kings, and to be happy regardless of the cost. The repeated refrain of "ici tout va bien" is almost a mantra, a reminder to constantly ignore the problems and difficulties of life and focus on the superficial and fleeting pleasures.
Overall, to interpret the lyrics of "Ici Tout Va Bien," it seems as though Raphael is criticizing the current state of society and our obsession with consumerism and materialism. Despite this, the song does have an upbeat and catchy pop sound, which adds to the irony of the message. The song encourages us to look beyond the surface, to go beyond the confines of our material world, and to find real meaning and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Dressons des antennes, des paraboles et des gratte-ciel
Pour tous les hommes, qu'ils vivent heureux,
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Let's build antennas, satellites and skyscrapers
For all people, so they can live happily
So far, everything is fine
Créons des produits à profusion, vendons-leur des milliards de chansons
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Let's create products in abundance, sell them billions of songs
So far, everything is fine
Vendons du virtuel,
Vendons le ciel des kilomètres d'invendus jusqu'aux portes du soleil
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Let's sell virtual things,
Sell the sky for kilometers of unsold items up to the gates of the sun
So far, everything is fine
Soyons comme des rois,
Soyons heureux,
Nous les enfants du nouveau monde
Il ne nous arrivera rien
Let's be like kings,
Let's be happy,
We are the children of the new world
Nothing will happen to us
Ici tout va bien
Tout va si bien
Tout est si beau
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Here everything is fine
Everything is going so well
Everything is so beautiful
So far, everything is fine
Nous les animaux humains
Soyons comme des rois,
Soyons heureux,
Nous les enfants du nouveau monde
Il ne nous arrivera rien
We, the human animals,
Let's be like kings,
Let's be happy,
We are the children of the new world
Nothing will happen to us
Ici tout va bien
Tout va si bien
Tout est si beau
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Here everything is fine
Everything is going so well
Everything is so beautiful
So far, everything is fine
Ici tout va bien
Tout est si clair
Tout est si simple
Jusqu'ici tout va bien
Here everything is fine
Everything is so clear
Everything is so simple
So far, everything is fine
Ici tout va bien
Tout est si beau
Tout est si plein
Jusqu'ici tout va bien, tout va bien...
Here everything is fine
Everything is so beautiful
Everything is so full
So far, everything is fine, everything is fine...
Contributed by Gabriella Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.