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…
Qu'on est bien dans ce monde
Raphaël Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et un ciel grand ouvert
J'ai mes raisons
Mon coin de terre
Mes antennes bien dressées
Qui surveillent l'atmosphère
Je crois au bonheur dès qu'il fait clair
Mais moi je vois plus que ça
Qu'on est bien dans ce monde
Qu'on est bien dans ses mains
Même si l'on tombe
Qu'on ne sente rien
Pourvu qu'on n'sente rien
Qu'on est bien dans ce monde
Qu'on est bien dans ses mains
Même si l'on tombe
Qu'on ne sente rien
Pourvu que l'on n'sente rien
Les néons de la ville
Sur les murs les slogans
Le jour est fragile
La nuit descend
Ici tout est possible
Ici c'est le présent
Si tout est possible
Alors on a le temps
Mais nous on veut plus que ça
Qu'on est bien dans ce monde
Qu'on est bien dans ses mains
Même si l'on tombe
Qu'on ne sente rien
Pourvu que l'on n'sente rien
Ça ressemble à la vie
Mais il n'y a rien d'humain
L'homme est parti
La nuit revient
On entend les sirènes
On les entend au loin
Et sous le ciment
Il n'y a plus rien
Mais nous on vaut juste ça
Qu'on est bien dans ce monde
Qu'on est bien dans ses mains
Même si l'on tombe
Qu'on ne sente rien
Pourvu que l'on n'sente rien
In Raphael's song "Qu'on Est Bien Dans Ce Monde," the singer expresses his contentment with the simple things in life: "J'ai une petite maison / Et un ciel grand ouvert" (I have a small house and an open sky). He cherishes his "coin de terre" (piece of land) and the ability to perceive the world through his "antennes bien dressées" (well-tuned antennas). He believes in happiness when things are clear, but he sees more than that.
Line by Line Meaning
J'ai une petite maison
I have a small house
Et un ciel grand ouvert
And an open sky
J'ai mes raisons
I have my reasons
Mon coin de terre
My piece of land
Mes antennes bien dressées
My antennae up high
Qui surveillent l'atmosphère
That watch over the atmosphere
Je crois au bonheur dès qu'il fait clair
I believe in happiness when it's clear
Mais moi je vois plus que ça
But I see more than that
Les néons de la ville
The neon lights of the city
Sur les murs les slogans
On the walls the slogans
Le jour est fragile
The day is fragile
La nuit descend
The night falls
Ici tout est possible
Here, everything is possible
Ici c'est le présent
Here, it's the present
Si tout est possible
If everything is possible
Alors on a le temps
Then we have the time
Mais nous on veut plus que ça
But we want more than that
Ça ressemble à la vie
It looks like life
Mais il n'y a rien d'humain
But there's nothing human about it
L'homme est parti
Man has left
La nuit revient
The night returns
On entend les sirènes
We hear the sirens
On les entend au loin
We hear them from afar
Et sous le ciment
And under the concrete
Il n'y a plus rien
There's nothing left
Mais nous on vaut juste ça
But we're only worth that
Qu'on est bien dans ce monde
How good we feel in this world
Qu'on est bien dans ses mains
How good we feel in its hands
Même si l'on tombe
Even if we fall
Qu'on ne sente rien
That we don't feel anything
Pourvu qu'on n'sente rien
As long as we don't feel anything
Contributed by Jonathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.