The most iconic song to many French people, and possibly the song that put him on the map, was the huge 70's French hit "Laisse Béton" (the story - told with a great deal of humour - of someone who enters a bar and gets mugged for everything he owns, from his leather jacket, to his jeans, his boots, and ends up in an alley without any clothes on).
Renaud 'came back' in 2002 with a huge hit 'Manhattan-Kaboul' (featuring Belgian singer Axelle Red), comparing the lives of a Puerto Rican in NYC to an Afghan girl in Kabul in 2001. This song catapulted his latest album to the top of the charts and earned him various awards in France. His latest album was published in october 2006 and was called "Rouge sang".
Le Tango Du Cachalot
Renaud Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qu'el patois du Nord y vénot
Ed' l'occupation espagnole
M'tant' qui étot si comm' i faut
Cha li a monté au cerveau
A f'sot mourir l'oncle Anatole
In l'ravisant all' li trouvot
Des airs d'Rudolph Valentino
Et ch'est au biau milieu d'eun' nuit
Qu'in l'réveillant all lui a dit :
Non mais dis-donc, ti té rigoles
Puisque t'as du sang d'hidalgo
Té dos savoir danser l'tango
Apprinds-me cha vite, au boulot
Allons, philomén'
T'es d'jà hors d'haleine
T'es comme eun' baleine
Arrêt' ech' phono
Mets-te cha dins t'tiête
L'tango des fauvettes
Cha fait trop bébête
Avec tes cent vingt kilos
Ah ch'est comme cha
Qu'all i a dit
Fais-me-s'in un qui s'ra pus biau
Cha s'ra l'tango du cachalot
Cha peut, bien sûr, paraître idiot
Mais le lend'main m'n'oncle y parlot
L'français comm' eun' vaque espagnole
Au fond de l'fosse il expliquot
Aux ouvriers, aux golibots
Joignant le geste à la parole
Qué pour bien danser lé tango
Comme on le fait à Bilbao
Faut d'la moless' dins les épaules
Qué pour lé faire comm' y faut
Faut d'la cambrure dans le dos
Dé la soupless' dins les guiboles
Tout in gardant bien le tempo
On sé tien comm' le toréro
Qui va combattre le taureau
Et joue contre joue
Comm' les andalous
Autour des barrous
Cha y allot l'tango
Oui mais les molettes
Les v'là qui s'arrêtent
Y avot pus d'gaillettes
Dins tout l'fosse in dansot
In s'y attindot
Che fut la guerre
Dins les bureaux z'avott' pas quère
L'air du tango du cachalot
Cha fait du foin sur le carreau
Et les amindes cha quéyot
Z'ont rinvoyé l'onc' Anatole
Dins les cités cha murmurot
Qu'in arprindot pas le boulot
Si on rindot pas leu idole
Dins les arrièr' sall' ed' bistrot
El syndicat s'réunichot
Contre les libertés qu'in viole
Veyant l'tournur' que cha a pris
Tout d'in cop m'n'onc' i leu z'a dit
Laissez tomber, j'monte eun' école
I vont tertous l'avoir dins l'dos
Pour mi avoir el' dernier mot
J'vas donner des cours ed' tango
Pour vir' Philomène
Les salle' y'étott' pleines
Payant à l'quizaine
I v'not l'populo
Les vieux vous diront
Qu'dins tous les corons
Les bandonéons
F'sott' danser l'tango
In raconte cor
Dins les veillées
Ch't"un gars du Nord
Qui a inventé
L'fameux tango du cachalot
The song "Le Tango Du Cachalot" by French singer Renaud is a tribute to his eccentric Spanish uncle Anatole, who was obsessed with the tango. The lyrics describe how Uncle Anatole became enamored with the dance after hearing it on the radio and adopted a Spanish persona, complete with a new accent and flamboyant style. Renaud recounts how Uncle Anatole encouraged him to learn the tango - which he believed could only be done properly with a certain posture and suppleness - and even started a school to teach others. The song pokes fun at the idea that the tango is only for the slim and graceful, pointing out that even a "whale" (cachalot) - like Uncle Anatole - can dance it.
On a deeper level, the song can be read as a commentary on the politics and social tensions in France in the 1980s, when the song was released. The reference to "l'occupation espagnole" could be interpreted as a nod to the influx of Spanish immigrants to France at the time, and the line "qué pour lé faire comm' y faut, faut d'la cambrure dans le dos" (to do it right, you need to arch your back) could be seen as a metaphor for the need to adapt to a new cultural identity in order to fit in. The song ends on a nostalgic note, with Renaud recalling how the tango was once a unifying force in the mining communities of northern France, where it was danced by young and old alike.
Line by Line Meaning
D'pus qu'all a su par la radio
After she heard on the radio
Qu'el patois du Nord y vénot
That the Northern dialect was there
Ed' l'occupation espagnole
And during the Spanish occupation
M'tant' qui étot si comm' i faut
My aunt who was proper and correct
Cha li a monté au cerveau
It got to her head
A f'sot mourir l'oncle Anatole
She made my uncle Anatole die
In l'ravisant all' li trouvot
When she looked at him again
Des airs d'Rudolph Valentino
She saw Rudolph Valentino's shadow
All en dev'not complèt'ment folle
She became completely crazy
Et ch'est au biau milieu d'eun' nuit
And it was in the middle of the night
Qu'in l'réveillant all lui a dit :
When she woke him up, she said to him:
Non mais dis-donc, ti té rigoles
Hey, are you kidding?
Puisque t'as du sang d'hidalgo
Since you have noble blood
Té dos savoir danser l'tango
You should know how to dance the Tango
Apprinds-me cha vite, au boulot
Teach me quickly, let's get started
Allons, philomén'
Come on, Philomene
T'es d'jà hors d'haleine
You're already out of breath
T'es comme eun' baleine
You're like a whale
Arrêt' ech' phono
Stop the phonograph
Mets-te cha dins t'tiête
Put it in your head
L'tango des fauvettes
The Tango of the warblers
Cha fait trop bébête
It's too silly
Avec tes cent vingt kilos
With your 260 pounds
Ah ch'est comme cha
Oh, that's how it is
Qu'all i a dit
That's what he said
Fais-me-s'in un qui s'ra pus biau
Make me a better one
Cha s'ra l'tango du cachalot
It will be the Tango of the sperm whale
Cha peut, bien sûr, paraître idiot
It may, of course, seem foolish
Mais le lend'main m'n'oncle y parlot
But the next day, my uncle spoke about it
L'français comm' eun' vaque espagnole
Speaking French like a Spanish cow
Au fond de l'fosse il expliquot
Explaining at the bottom of the pit
Aux ouvriers, aux golibots
To the workers, to the rubes
Joignant le geste à la parole
Matching actions with his words
Qué pour bien danser lé tango
That to dance the Tango well
Comme on le fait à Bilbao
Like they do in Bilbao
Faut d'la moless' dins les épaules
You need softness in your shoulders
Qué pour lé faire comm' y faut
That to do it right
Faut d'la cambrure dans le dos
You need a curve in your back
Dé la soupless' dins les guiboles
Flexibility in your legs
Tout in gardant bien le tempo
While keeping the tempo
On sé tien comm' le toréro
You hold yourself like the bullfighter
Qui va combattre le taureau
Who is going to fight the bull
Et joue contre joue
And cheek to cheek
Comm' les andalous
Like the Andalusians
Autour des barrous
Around the barrels
Cha y allot l'tango
That's how the Tango went
Oui mais les molettes
Yes, but the gears
Les v'là qui s'arrêtent
They stopped moving
Y avot pus d'gaillettes
There were no more coal
Dins tout l'fosse in dansot
They danced in the pit
In s'y attindot
They waited for it
Che fut la guerre
It was a mess
Dins les bureaux z'avott' pas quère
In the offices, they didn't have much
L'air du tango du cachalot
The air of the Tango of the sperm whale
Cha fait du foin sur le carreau
It caused a commotion on the floor
Et les amindes cha quéyot
And the almonds fell
Z'ont rinvoyé l'onc' Anatole
They sent uncle Anatole back
Dins les cités cha murmurot
They whispered in the neighborhoods
Qu'in arprindot pas le boulot
That if they didn't learn the job
Si on rindot pas leu idole
If they didn't please their idol
Dins les arrièr' sall' ed' bistrot
In the back rooms of bistros
El syndicat s'réunichot
The union was gathering
Contre les libertés qu'in viole
Against the freedoms that were violated
Veyant l'tournur' que cha a pris
Seeing the turn that it took
Tout d'in cop m'n'onc' i leu z'a dit
All of a sudden, my uncle said to them
Laissez tomber, j'monte eun' école
Forget it, I will start a school
I vont tertous l'avoir dins l'dos
They will all be in trouble
Pour mi avoir el' dernier mot
So I can have the last word
J'vas donner des cours ed' tango
I'm going to give Tango lessons
Pour vir' Philomène
To see Philomene
Les salle' y'étott' pleines
The halls were full
Payant à l'quizaine
Paying every two weeks
I v'not l'populo
The working people came
Les vieux vous diront
The old folks will tell you
Qu'dins tous les corons
That in all the mines
Les bandonéons
The accordion players
F'sott' danser l'tango
Made them dance the Tango
In raconte cor
It's still told
Dins les veillées
In the storytelling
Ch't'un gars du Nord
It's a guy from the North
Qui a inventé
Who invented
L'fameux tango du cachalot
The famous Tango of the sperm whale
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Edmond Taniere, Roland Saint
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind