Singer, songwriter, born in Pointe-aux-Trembles (Montreal) 27 Mar 1952. He … Read Full Bio ↴Singer, songwriter, born in Pointe-aux-Trembles (Montreal) 27 Mar 1952. He began his career with his twin sister Marie-Claire Séguin. From the outset they adopted a personal style derived from folk music and modern song, and at first sang under the name Les Nochers and then formed the duo Marie et Richard (1967-8) which was named discovery of the year for 1968 at the Patriote. With other musicians, they founded the group La Nouvelle frontière (1969-71), which recorded two LPs for Gamma. Subsequently they performed until 1977 as Les Séguin, recording four LPs, and then began to pursue independent careers.

In 1977, besides participating at the Ontario Festival, Richard Séguin made a tour of Switzerland, France, and Quebec. The next year he collaborated with Serge Fiori of the group Harmonium on the LP Deux cents nuits à l'heure (CBS PFS-90456), which sold 100,000 copies and won three Félix Awards at the first ADISQ gala in 1979. His first solo album was followed by a tour in Quebec and in New-Brunswick. His 'Chanson pour durer' won three awards at the Spa Festival in 1981. That year, Séguin also won the second prize for the 'jeune chanson' at the Festival mondial de la chanson française held in Antibes, Côte d'Azur. He then sang in some 40 Quebec cities and at Montreal's Spectrum.

Of folk inspiration initially, Richard Séguin's style slowly evolved toward rock without renouncing its sources, however. His is the legacy of the 1960s. As stated by Micheline Lortie in the magazine Wow, 'those who consider him converted granola have not understood anything; in truth, for many years, Séguin has pursued simple folk-rock, with guitar touches, vocal harmonies on a human scale, and a preoccupation with others who are not success crazy' (August 1989). His album Double vie, inspired by a greater emphasis on rock, marked a new stage in his career. It was listed on the Radio activité chart for more than 50 weeks and won the Félix award for best rock album of 1986, when Séguin was crowned best songwriter. Journée d'Amérique won the Félix Award for best rock album of 1988 and the public's award at the Festival d'été international de Québec 1989. The record was followed by four videoclips and became a gold record. Séguin took part, in Sénégal, in the program 'D'accord-Dakar,' as part of the Sommet de la francophonie (1988). His song 'Ici comme ailleurs' won the CBC competition 'Notre chanson' in 1989. Séguin then performed at the Francofolies in La Rochelle and in the Botaniques in Brussels.

Author: Christian Rioux

Ici comme ailleurs
Richard Séguin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La ville ressemble
A ces villes sans âme
Le long des autoroutes
Ici comme ailleurs
Les visages recherchent
Des promesses de bonheur
Et quand vient la nuit
Et quand vient la pluie

Sur la route des heures
Les désirs, les délires
Et les désillusions
Ont des couleurs de feu
Au milieu des néons

Les coeurs sont brisés
Mais faut pas en parler
Malgré les années
La mémoire des larmes
Parmi le vacarme
La fumée des bouteilles
Des amoureux fragiles
Se disent à l'oreille
Mon amour mon amour

Ici comme ailleurs
J'ai besoin de toi
Ici comme ailleurs
J'ai besoin de toi

La ville ressemble
A ces villes sans âme
Le long des autoroutes
Ici comme ailleurs
Les visages recherchent
La tendresse des mots
Et quand vient la nuit
Et quand vient la pluie
Sur la route des heures
Ils sont maigres ou bien riches
Des anges ou des bêtes
Ils sont prêts à mentir
Pour un peu de chaleur

Et les coeurs brisés
Ceux qui ont tout donné
Epuisé la pudeur
Qui cachait la douleur
Dévorés par le feu
Ils ont dans leurs yeux
Ce désir d'éternité
Quand ils murmurent
Mon amour mon amour

Refrain

La ville ressemble
A ces villes sans âme
Le long des autoroutes
Ici comme ailleurs
J'ai toujours en moi

La douceur de tes yeux
Mon amour mon amour mon amour

Overall Meaning

In "Ici comme ailleurs" (Here and Everywhere), Richard Séguin paints a vivid picture of the soulless cities that have become ubiquitous alongside highways. Everywhere, people search for promises of happiness, but after time passes, they find their desires and illusions have taken on the flame-like colors of the neon signs that light the streets. In the midst of all this, hearts are broken but never talked about, and those who remember their tears despite the years feel a desire for eternity. Those who have given everything and have been devoured by the flame turn to their lover for solace, whispering "mon amour" (my love).

In different parts of the song, Séguin brings up the theme of seeking tenderness in language. People crave the warmth of intimacy and the assurance of being loved only the way that the person's lover says they love them. Still, others are willing to be deceitful for a little comfort.

Séguin's lyrics capture the loneliness that emerges from living in an uncaring waste of concrete. In the end, all that is left is the pervasive ache for love and the sense that life is slipping away.

Line by Line Meaning

La ville ressemble
The city looks like

A ces villes sans âme
To those soulless cities

Le long des autoroutes
Along the highways

Ici comme ailleurs
Here as elsewhere

Les visages recherchent
Faces are searching

Des promesses de bonheur
For promises of happiness

Et quand vient la nuit
And when night falls

Et quand vient la pluie
And when the rain comes

Sur la route des heures
On the road of hours

Les désirs, les délires
Desires, delusions

Et les désillusions
And disillusionments