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".
Monsieur Cannibale
Sacha Distel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
CHASSER LES PAPILLONS D'AFRIQUE
LES CANNIBALES EN LE TRAITANT D'ESPION
L'ARRETERENT SANS FACONS DE SUITE
IL ESSAYA DE LEUR PARLER ANGLAIS
ESPAGNOL, PORTUGUAIS, CHINOIS
MAIS EN VOYANT LEUR MACHOIRES QUI S'OUVRAIENT
IL SE MIT A HURLER D'EFFROI
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...JE N'VEUX PAS MOURIR...
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...LAISSEZ-MOI PARTIR...
IL LEUR MONTRA SON BRIQUET, SON STYLO
SA MONTR' ET LES PHOTOS D'SA FEMME
IL LEUR CHANTA UN GRAND AIR DE “GOUNOD”
DES CHANSONS D'ADAMO...QUE DALLE...
IL LEUR FIT VOIR DES JOURNAUX DE PARIS
PERSONNE NE REAGIT NON PLUS
DESESPERE, IL SORTIT DES REVUES
REMPLIES DE FILL'S TOUT'S NUES ET DIT...
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...JE N'VEUX PAS MOURIR...
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...LAISSEZ-MOI PARTIR...
QUAND LE GRAND CHEF APERCUT CES REVUES
QU'IL VIT TOUT'S CES FILL'S NUES, IL RIT
MAIS DANS SA TETE UNE IDEE SAUGRENUE
UNE IDEE FARFELUE SURGIT
DANS UNE CASE OU ETAIT SON HAREM
IL ENTRAINA LUI-MEME LE GARS
QUI EN VOYANT LES FEMM'S SE RUER SUR LUI
AVEC TANT D'APPETIT, HURLA
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...JE N'VEUX PAS MOURIR...
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...LAISSEZ-MOI PARTIR...
PENDANT HUIT JOURS IL RESTA ENFERME
ET DUT SE PARTAGER EN VAIN
ET COMM' DEJA IL N'ETAIT PAS BIEN GROS
IL PERDIT VINGT KILOS AU MOINS
QUAND ARRIVA L'INSTANT OU LE GRAND CHEF
LUI FIT COMPRENDRE PAR GESTES...ALLEZ
PRENDS TON CAMION ET RETOURNE CHEZ TOI
LE PAUVR' HOMME S'ECRIA...JAMAIS
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...JE N'VEUX PLUS PARTIR...
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...J'AIME MIEUX MOURIR...
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...JE N’VEUX PLUS PARTIR...
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...J'AIME MIEUX MOURIR...
The lyrics of Sacha Distel's "Monsieur Cannibale" tell the story of a man who finds himself in a terrifying situation. As he is driving through Africa, he is stopped by a group of cannibals, who accuse him of being a spy. Despite his attempts to communicate with them in various languages, they show no mercy and lock him up. The man is desperate to escape and repeatedly pleads for his life, but as time passes, he realizes that it may be impossible.
In an effort to save himself, he shows the cannibals a lighter, a pen, and photos of his wife, but to no avail. He even sings them songs in hopes of winning them over, but they remain unmoved. It is only when he shows them pornographic magazines that the cannibals become distracted and allow him to leave. However, the experience has traumatized the man to the point where he no longer wishes to live.
The lyrics of "Monsieur Cannibale" touch on themes of fear, desperation, and cultural misunderstanding. The man's inability to communicate with the cannibals ultimately leads to his captivity, and it is only by resorting to desperate measures that he is able to escape. The song highlights the importance of understanding different cultures and the dangers of relying solely on one's own language and customs.
Line by Line Meaning
EN LE VOYANT SORTIR DE SON CAMION
As he stepped out of his truck
CHASSER LES PAPILLONS D'AFRIQUE
Chasing African butterflies
LES CANNIBALES EN LE TRAITANT D'ESPION
Cannibals accusing him of being a spy
L'ARRETERENT SANS FACONS DE SUITE
Arrested him immediately without hesitation
IL ESSAYA DE LEUR PARLER ANGLAIS
He tried to speak to them in English
ESPAGNOL, PORTUGUAIS, CHINOIS
Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese
MAIS EN VOYANT LEUR MACHOIRES QUI S'OUVRAIENT
But seeing their mouths opening wide
IL SE MIT A HURLER D'EFFROI
He started screaming in terror
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...JE N'VEUX PAS MOURIR...
Mr. Cannibal...I don't want to die...
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...LAISSEZ-MOI PARTIR...
Mr. Cannibal...let me go...
IL LEUR MONTRA SON BRIQUET, SON STYLO
He showed them his lighter, his pen
SA MONTR' ET LES PHOTOS D'SA FEMME
His watch and photos of his wife
IL LEUR CHANTA UN GRAND AIR DE “GOUNOD”
He sang a great aria by Gounod
DES CHANSONS D'ADAMO...QUE DALLE...
Songs by Adamo...nothing happened...
IL LEUR FIT VOIR DES JOURNAUX DE PARIS
He showed them newspapers from Paris
PERSONNE NE REAGIT NON PLUS
No one reacted either
DESESPERE, IL SORTIT DES REVUES
Desperate, he took out magazines
REMPLIES DE FILL'S TOUT'S NUES ET DIT...
Filled with completely naked girls and said...
QUAND LE GRAND CHEF APERCUT CES REVUES
When the chief saw these magazines
QU'IL VIT TOUT'S CES FILL'S NUES, IL RIT
And saw all these naked girls, he laughed
MAIS DANS SA TETE UNE IDEE SAUGRENUE
But in his head a foolish idea
UNE IDEE FARFELUE SURGIT
A crazy idea surfaced
DANS UNE CASE OU ETAIT SON HAREM
In a room where his harem was
IL ENTRAINA LUI-MEME LE GARS
He himself led the man
QUI EN VOYANT LES FEMM'S SE RUER SUR LUI
Who, seeing the women rush towards him
AVEC TANT D'APPETIT, HURLA
With so much hunger, screamed
PENDANT HUIT JOURS IL RESTA ENFERME
For eight days he remained locked up
ET DUT SE PARTAGER EN VAIN
And had to share himself in vain
ET COMM' DEJA IL N'ETAIT PAS BIEN GROS
And as he was already not very big
IL PERDIT VINGT KILOS AU MOINS
He lost at least twenty kilograms
QUAND ARRIVA L'INSTANT OU LE GRAND CHEF
When the moment came when the chief
LUI FIT COMPRENDRE PAR GESTES...ALLEZ
Made him understand by gestures...go
PRENDS TON CAMION ET RETOURNE CHEZ TOI
Take your truck and go back home
LE PAUVR' HOMME S'ECRIA...JAMAIS
The poor man shouted...never
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...JE N'VEUX PLUS PARTIR...
Mr. Cannibal...I don't want to leave anymore...
MONSIEUR CANNIBALE...J'AIME MIEUX MOURIR...
Mr. Cannibal...I would rather die...
Lyrics © PROSADIS
Written by: GERARD GUSTIN, Maurice TEZE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@drberto2582
Thanasis Veggos made this song famous in Greece and it still known from the famous scene at the Piraeus port from his movie called "Thou-Vou visible agent 000" (satyrical to the first 007 movie of thath era).
@SachaDistelOfficiel
+Doctor Berto Thank you for this reminder :)
@turtleboy9904
Dr B true!!!!
@user-fr7ev5wh3i
I've seen this movie when I was a kid and until today in the age of 50 I've seen it a hundred times. Classical. Movie and song.
@stelioskefalonitis2111
👏👏👏
@nick-spin9115
Και να μη το ξέραμε το καταλάβαμε από τα 10 εις την δέκατη σχόλια για τον Βέγγο 😂😂
@Ulver27
This song, wherever it may be posted, it will always be haunted by Greeks.
Wonderful song, as wonderful as Thanasis Veggos was. Peace to everyone.
@giorgoskountourgiannis8230
Θ. Β
@jaxxh6529
this is or was played during an atraction where you spin in pots verry fast. in the efteling in the netherlands but after critical responding for some reasons, it was gone.
@Termmon
點個讚讓我知道不只有我是因為六嘆來聽這個的