At age 16, Distel became a professional jazz guitarist. Over his career he worked alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Tony Bennett and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the late 1950s after establishing himself as a French crooner.
Sacha Distel had a much publicized relationship with actress Brigitte Bardot but in 1963 he married skier Francine Bréaud. He reputedly broke off the relationship with Bardot after discovering her with another man.
In the 1960s, he composed 'La Belle Vie', a tune that made its way across the Atlantic as 'The Good Life', and most famously performed by Tony Bennett. French lyrics were added in the 1970s and it became Distel's signature tune. During the 1960s, he had his own variety show on French television.
During the 1970s, he became popular outside France, and once hosted the Miss World contest in London. In this decade, he spent more time in the UK than in France. Considered a Gallic heart throb in Britain he was a regular on British TV
Distel remained reasonably popular in France in the 1980s and 1990s, including a new show named after his song 'La Belle Vie'.
In 2001, Distel had a part as lawyer Billy Flynn in the London production of the musical Chicago. He did have an ambition to make a musical about the life of Maurice Chevalier, but this remained unfulfilled at the time of his death.
Sacha Distel died on 22 July 2004 near St Tropez,after a long battle with cancer.
His name was used in Peter Sarstedt's song "Where Do You Go To My Lovely".
Bon Vent Ma Jolie
Sacha Distel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Elle a dit : Merci, merci mon ami
Ils s'étaient promis, promis pour la vie
Ils se sont perdus, perdus dans la nuit
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon vent, bonne route
Elle a dit : Mais oui, mais oui, c'est gentil
Et le cœur battant, battant la déroute
Ils avaient navigué longtemps dans la tempête
Avant de fatiguer la voile et les haubans
Ils ont dû larguer les lampions de la fête
Avant de se narguer sur le gaillard d'avant
Elle a dit : Bon vent, bon vent capitaine
Il a dit : Bon temps, bon temps commandant
Elle a dit : Bon temps, bon vent, bonne aubaine
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon temps comme avant
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon vent ma jolie
Elle a dit : Merci, merci mon ami
On s'était promis, promis pour la vie
Et l'on s'est perdus, perdus dans la nuit
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon vent, bonne chance
Elle a dit : Mais oui, mais oui, c'est gentil
Ils se sont souri, souri sans vaillance
Ils sont repartis, partis pour l'ennui
Ils avaient partagé le pain sec et l'eau claire
Avant de naufrager, du bonheur plein les mains
Le cœur ravagé, mais l'art et la manière
De renaître étranger au détour du chemin
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon vent, Dieu de te garde
Elle a dit : Merci, merci mon amour
Ils s'étaient promis, promis par mégarde
Ils se sont repris, repris pour toujours
The song "Bon Vent Ma Jolie" by Sacha Distel tells the story of a couple who had promised each other forever but got lost in the night. The man says "Bon vent, bon vent ma jolie" which translates to "Good wind, good wind my pretty" and the woman thanks him for the kind wish before they both set off in different directions. The lyrics suggest that they have been through tough times together and had to let go of their happiness before they sailed away.
The couple had sailed through storms before getting tired of the boat's sail and ropes. They had to give up their celebrations before teasing each other on the deck. They both wished each other good luck, but deep down, they both knew it was false hope. They had shared simple things like bread and water before they sank in the sea of happiness. Despite this, they still end up smiling at each other but without the same enthusiasm they had at the beginning of their journey. They had made a promise by mistake, and now they were taking each other again but forever.
Overall, "Bon Vent Ma Jolie" is a message for people to be careful with the promises they make. This song suggests that promises do not always work out, and even though it hurts, it's okay to take another chance in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon vent ma jolie
He said: Goodbye, goodbye my pretty
Elle a dit : Merci, merci mon ami
She said: Thank you, thank you my friend
Ils s'étaient promis, promis pour la vie
They had promised, promised for life
Ils se sont perdus, perdus dans la nuit
They got lost, lost in the night
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon vent, bonne route
He said: Goodbye, goodbye, safe travels
Elle a dit : Mais oui, mais oui, c'est gentil
She said: Yes, yes, that's kind
Et le cœur battant, battant la déroute
And the heart beating, beating with despair
Ils sont repartis, partis pour l'ennui
They left again, leaving for boredom
Ils avaient navigué longtemps dans la tempête
They had sailed for a long time in the storm
Avant de fatiguer la voile et les haubans
Before the sail and rigging got tired
Ils ont dû larguer les lampions de la fête
They had to let go of the celebration lights
Avant de se narguer sur le gaillard d'avant
Before mocking each other on the front deck
Elle a dit : Bon vent, bon vent capitaine
She said: Goodbye, goodbye captain
Il a dit : Bon temps, bon temps commandant
He said: Good weather, good weather commander
Elle a dit : Bon temps, bon vent, bonne aubaine
She said: Good weather, goodbye, good luck
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon temps comme avant
He said: Goodbye, good weather like before
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon vent ma jolie
He said: Goodbye, goodbye my pretty
Elle a dit : Merci, merci mon ami
She said: Thank you, thank you my friend
On s'était promis, promis pour la vie
We had promised, promised for life
Et l'on s'est perdus, perdus dans la nuit
And we got lost, lost in the night
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon vent, bonne chance
He said: Goodbye, goodbye, good luck
Elle a dit : Mais oui, mais oui, c'est gentil
She said: Yes, yes, that's kind
Ils se sont souri, souri sans vaillance
They smiled at each other, with no strength
Ils sont repartis, partis pour l'ennui
They left again, leaving for boredom
Ils avaient partagé le pain sec et l'eau claire
They had shared the dry bread and clear water
Avant de naufrager, du bonheur plein les mains
Before sinking, with happiness in their hands
Le cœur ravagé, mais l'art et la manière
The heart devastated, but the skill and the way
De renaître étranger au détour du chemin
To be reborn a stranger, around the bend of the road
Il a dit : Bon vent, bon vent, Dieu de te garde
He said: Goodbye, goodbye, may God keep you safe
Elle a dit : Merci, merci mon amour
She said: Thank you, thank you my love
Ils s'étaient promis, promis par mégarde
They had promised, promised by mistake
Ils se sont repris, repris pour toujours
They regained each other, forever
Contributed by Emma S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.