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…
Petite annonce
Raphaël Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
type mannequin
cherche un homme viril
30 ans enfants acceptés
explosive colombienne
tempérament de feu
cherche un homme joueur
Superbe slave
35 ans féminine
Dessus comme dessous
Cherche homme sensible et doux
Bel homme grand standing
Bac plus quatre
Grande classe
Cherche femme très ronde
Pour relation à quatre
Si ça nous va
Colonel 57 ans
Sensible et cultivé
Cherche une femelle de 20 ans
Départ ivre pour mers du sud
jeune homme actif passif très musclé
cherche male d'âge mur
Aimant les nouveautés
sublime geisha
splendeur samouraï
Lèvres de Malaisie
Et douceur du corail
Si ça nous va
40 ans dentiste
Superbe raffiné
Humour forcené
Dentition distinguée
Très grand couturier
Très hauts revenus
responsabilité immense
Cherche femme ambitieuse
Pour partager standing
Pour partager standing
jeune homme doucement
Commence à apprendre
Qu'on est seul dans cette vie
Qu'on est seul dans cette vie
The lyrics of Raphael's Petite Annonce are all about personal ads looking for specific types of people. Each verse describes a person looking for someone specific to share their life with. The first line is always a description of the person, and the second line is what they are looking for in a partner. The descriptions and the desired partner traits are very specific and almost caricature-like, highlighting the importance of physical attributes and social status in modern dating.
The tone of the song is sarcastic and darkly humorous. The different people that the lyrics describe seem desperate in their search for love, with some of them willing to compromise on important values like age or common interests. The repetition of the chorus at the end of each verse, "Si ça nous va" (if it suits us), further emphasizes this sense of cynical resignation, suggesting that people have given up on finding true compatibility and instead settle for what they can find.
Overall, Raphael's Petite Annonce is a critique of modern dating culture and our tendency to reduce people to superficial traits and lists of requirements, rather than seeing them as complex individuals with unique personalities and needs.
Line by Line Meaning
Jeune femme sublime
A young and beautiful woman
29 ans type mannequin
At the age of 29, she looks like a model
Cherche un homme viril
Looking for a manly man
30 ans enfants acceptés
Between the ages of 30 and ready to accept kids in her life
Explosive colombienne
An explosive Colombian lady
Tempérament de feu
With a fiery personality
Cherche un homme joueur
Looking for a playful man
Pour un grand voyage à 2
To take a great journey together
Superbe slave
Gorgeous woman from Slavic countries
35 ans féminine
Feminine at the age of 35
Dessus comme dessous
Beautiful inside and out
Cherche homme sensible et doux
Looking for a sensitive and gentle man
Bel homme grand standing
Attractive man with a high social status
Bac plus 4
Holds a university degree (4 years)
Grande classe
Very classy person
Cherche femme très ronde
Looking for a very curvy woman
Pour relation à 4
For a relationship with four people
Si ça nous va
If it suits us
Colonel 57 ans
57-year-old colonel
Sensible et cultivé
Sensitive and cultured man
Cherche une femelle de 20 ans
Looking for a 20-year-old female
Départ ivre pour mers du sud
Departure to the South Seas while being drunk
Jeune homme actif passif très musclé
A very muscular young man who is both active and passive
Cherche mâle d'âge mur
Looking for an older male
Aimant les nouveautés
Who loves new things
Sublime geisha
A sublime geisha
Splendeur samouraï
Spectacular like a samurai
Lèvres de Malaisie
Lips as soft as Malaysian silk
Et douceur du corail
And sweet as coral
40 ans dentiste
A 40-year-old dentist
Superbe raffiné
Beautifully elegant and refined
Humour forcené
With an intense sense of humor
Dentition distinguée
A distinguished set of teeth
Très grand couturier
A very famous fashion designer
Très hauts revenus
High income level
Responsabilité immense
High level of responsibility
Cherche femme ambitieuse
Looking for an ambitious woman
Pour partager standing
To share the same high social status
Jeune homme doucement
A young man who is slowly
Commence à comprendre
Starting to understand
Qu'on est seul dans cette vie
That we are alone in this life
Lyrics © NOUVELLES EDITIONS FRANCAISES
Written by: Raphael HAROCHE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind