After acting school he was discovered by Jean Cocteau and appeared in a wartime production of Les parents terribles ("The Terrible Parents"). His first feature film came in 1946 with his role in Les portes de la nuit ("The Doors of the Night"). He later went on to perform in 80 films including The Pianist (1998).
In 1965 he began a second career as a singer, with the help of Simone Signoret and her husband Yves Montand. Reggiani became one of the most acclaimed performers of French "Chanson" ("song") and although he was in his 40s, his bad-boy image made him popular with both young and older listeners. His best known songs include "Les loups sont entres dans Paris" ("The Wolves Have Entered Paris") and "La femme qui est dans mon lit." ("The Woman Who Is In My Bed").
In later life he became a painter and gave a number of exhibitions of his artwork.
Serge Reggiani died of a heart attack at the age of 82, one day after the death of another well known French singer Sacha Distel. He is interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse.
Adèle
Serge Reggiani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De l'aube aux derniers feux du jour.
Parfois le drapeau est en berne
Mais jamais, jamais son amour.
Elle guette un regard, un souffle,
Un pas, un geste, une ombre, un rien
Mais ne croyez pas qu'elle souffre :
Elle l'aime, il vit, tout va bien
Le soir a des parfums lilas
Le sergent de garde répète :
"Non, le lieutenant n'est pas là !"
Mais ce lieutenant, elle l'aime
Du fond de son rêve indigo,
Plus qu'elle, plus que son père même,
Elle s'appelle Adèle Hugo
Et toi, devant la mer profonde,
Toi, poète et proscrit, tu sais
Qu'il existe, hélas, dans ce monde
D'autres exils que Guernesey.
Et toi, le rêveur solitaire,
Tu vois de ton regard géant
Qu'il existe, hélas, sur la Terre
D'autres gouffres que l'océan
Elle a oublié la rancune
Et l'amertume et le devoir.
Elle n'est plus jamais quelqu'une
Que pour parfois, l'apercevoir.
Elle est une petite chose
Qui s'est tout abîmée en lui.
Une lente métamorphose
Fait d'elle un papillon de nuit.
Et toi, devant la mer profonde,
Toi, poète et proscrit, tu sais
Qu'il existe, hélas, dans ce monde
D'autres exils que Guernesey.
Et toi, le vieux prophète triste,
Qui as combattu l'échafaud,
Tu sens bien, hélas, qu'il existe
D'autres morts que celle à la faux
D'autres morts que celle à la faux !
The song Adèle by Serge Reggiani tells the story of a woman who waits outside a barracks from dawn until dusk, hoping to catch a glimpse of the lieutenant she loves. She watches for any sign of him, but never sees him. Despite the fact that the flag sometimes flies at half-mast, indicating that something tragic has happened within the barracks, she remains convinced that her love is alive and well. She is deeply devoted to him, even though he is not present, and the fog that clouds her mind during the day is replaced by the scent of lilacs each night.
The song also speaks to the experiences of others who have suffered their own forms of exile and isolation. The poet and outcast understands all too well that there are many forms of exile beyond the one he has faced on Guernsey. The solitary dreamer, for his part, sees that there are deep chasms to be found on Earth that rival the ocean’s depths. The sad, old prophet, who has faced the executioner’s blade, knows all too well that there are other kinds of death beyond the one that the scythe brings.
Overall, the song Adèle speaks to the enduring power of love, even in the midst of adversity, and the ways in which people can be profoundly affected by their dreams and desires. It also acknowledges the myriad ways in which people can feel isolated and alone, either physically or emotionally.
Line by Line Meaning
Elle attend devant la caserne
Adèle is waiting in front of the barracks
De l'aube aux derniers feux du jour.
From dawn to dusk.
Parfois le drapeau est en berne
Sometimes the flag is at half-mast
Mais jamais, jamais son amour.
But never, never her love.
Elle guette un regard, un souffle,
She waits for a look, a breath,
Un pas, un geste, une ombre, un rien
A step, a gesture, a shadow, a nothing
Mais ne croyez pas qu'elle souffre :
But don't think she suffers:
Elle l'aime, il vit, tout va bien
She loves him, he's alive, everything is fine
Et tout ce brouillard dans sa tête
And all this fog in her head
Le soir a des parfums lilas
In the evening, there are lilac scents
Le sergent de garde répète :
The sergeant on guard repeats:
"Non, le lieutenant n'est pas là !"
"No, the lieutenant isn't here!"
Mais ce lieutenant, elle l'aime
But she loves this lieutenant
Du fond de son rêve indigo,
From the depths of her indigo dream,
Plus qu'elle, plus que son père même,
More than herself, more than her own father,
Elle s'appelle Adèle Hugo
Her name is Adèle Hugo
Et toi, devant la mer profonde,
And you, in front of the deep sea,
Toi, poète et proscrit, tu sais
You, poet and outcast, you know
Qu'il existe, hélas, dans ce monde
That there exist, alas, in this world
D'autres exils que Guernesey.
Other exiles besides Guernsey.
Et toi, le rêveur solitaire,
And you, the solitary dreamer,
Tu vois de ton regard géant
You see with your giant gaze,
Qu'il existe, hélas, sur la Terre
That there exist, alas, on Earth
D'autres gouffres que l'océan
Other abysses than the ocean
Elle a oublié la rancune
She has forgotten resentment
Et l'amertume et le devoir.
And bitterness and duty.
Elle n'est plus jamais quelqu'une
She is no longer just someone
Que pour parfois, l'apercevoir.
Whose only purpose is to catch a glimpse of him sometimes.
Elle est une petite chose
She is a small thing
Qui s'est tout abîmée en lui.
That has been completely destroyed by him.
Une lente métamorphose
A slow metamorphosis
Fait d'elle un papillon de nuit.
Turned her into a moth.
Et toi, le vieux prophète triste,
And you, the old sad prophet,
Qui as combattu l'échafaud,
Who fought against the scaffold,
Tu sens bien, hélas, qu'il existe
You know all too well, alas, that there exist
D'autres morts que celle à la faux
Other deaths than that of the scythe
D'autres morts que celle à la faux !
Other deaths than that of the scythe!
Contributed by Max A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.