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.
Le déjeuner de soleil
Serge Reggiani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De la boulangerie
Et puis l'épicerie
Où un monsieur frileux
Comptait ses caramels
Ensuite la ruelle
Tournait en escalier
À défaut de cahier
On écrivait au mur
Chacun son aventure
J'aimais une mineure
J'avais dix ans tassés
Le cœur est effacé
Mais la flèche demeure
Mon enfance était là
C'était une merveille
Mais ce n'était déjà
Qu'un déjeuner de soleil
Il y avait certains principes
Un vélo pour trois types
Mais jamais plus de sept
Pour une cigarette
Quand le fils du bistro
Apportait du vermouth
On était toujours trop
Moi, j'étais bon au foot
Marco n' boxait pas mal
Mais le roi du lance-pierre
C'était quand même Albert
Et puis quand y avait bal À la salle des fêtes
Il mettait sa casquette
Mon enfance était là
C'était une merveille
Mais ce n'était déjà
Qu'un déjeuner de soleil
Assis sur le trottoir
Quand t'arrivais à l'heure
Tu pouvais voir le soir
La marchande de couleur
Quand elle enlevait ses bagues
Elle laissait la lumière
J' raconte pas des blagues
Monté sur les épaules
D'une espèce de grand drôle
J'ai même vu sa guêpière
Ses jambes jusqu'aux chevilles
C'était un vingt-trois juin
Ça m'a coûté trois billes
Mais je n' regrette rien
Il y avait la porte bleue
De la boulangerie
Et puis l'épicerie
Où un monsieur frileux
Comptait ses caramels
Ensuite la ruelle
Tournait en escalier
Marc est mort à la guerre
Pas de nouvelles d'Albert
On n'amassait pas mousse
Mais on vivait en douce
Les heures sont passées
Le cœur est effacé
Mais la flèche demeure
Mon enfance était là
Déjeuner de soleil {x2}
Mais c'était une merveille
Une merveille
In Serge Reggiani's song Le déjeuner de soleil, he paints a nostalgic picture of his childhood memories in a small village neighbourhood. The blue door of the bakery and the local grocery store are mentioned as well as the street, which spirals up like stairs. Interestingly, the locals used to write their stories on the walls of the buildings in the absence of a notebook. The singer reveals that he had a crush on a minor when he was just ten years old, but even though the name of his crush was erased from his heart, the memory of her remains. The main theme of the song is the singer's reminiscences of his formative years in a place where he experienced camaraderie, urban tales, and joyous moments.
Furthermore, the song reveals the moral values that the singer and his peers in the village adored. A bicycle was shared by three of them, and only a maximum of seven cigarettes at a time was permitted; this shows prudence, responsibility, and humility. During their leisure time, they would often engage in games like football or boxing, and the best slingshot player was called Albert. The singer also reminisces the excitement of the annual ball hosted in the village's function hall. They would dance and wear their best clothes and have a great time. The song's lyrics reveal how the joyful memories of childhood can remain with someone even though they're far removed from that time and place.
Line by Line Meaning
Il y avait la porte bleue
De la boulangerie
Et puis l'épicerie
Où un monsieur frileux
Comptait ses caramels
Ensuite la ruelle
Tournait en escalier
There was the blue door of the bakery and then the grocery store where a cold man counted his caramels. Then the alley turned into a stairway.
À défaut de cahier
On écrivait au mur
Chacun son aventure
J'aimais une mineure
J'avais dix ans tassés
Le cœur est effacé
Mais la flèche demeure
In the absence of a notebook, we wrote on the wall, each sharing their own story. I loved a minor and was exactly ten years old. Though the heart has faded away, the arrow still remains.
Mon enfance était là
C'était une merveille
Mais ce n'était déjà
Qu'un déjeuner de soleil
My childhood was there, a marvelous experience. But it was already just a midday sun meal.
Il y avait certains principes
Un vélo pour trois types
Mais jamais plus de sept
Pour une cigarette
Quand le fils du bistro
Apportait du vermouth
On était toujours trop
There were certain rules like one bike for three people and no more than seven for a cigarette. When the bar owner's son brought vermouth, we were always too many.
Moi, j'étais bon au foot
Marco n' boxait pas mal
Mais le roi du lance-pierre
C'était quand même Albert
Et puis quand y avait bal
À la salle des fêtes
Il mettait sa casquette
I was good at soccer, Marco was a decent boxer, but the king of slingshots was still Albert. And when there was a ball at the party hall, he put on his hat.
Assis sur le trottoir
Quand t'arrivais à l'heure
Tu pouvais voir le soir
La marchande de couleur
Quand elle enlevait ses bagues
Elle laissait la lumière
J' raconte pas des blagues
Sitting on the sidewalk, if you arrived on time, you could see the color merchant at night. When she took off her rings, she left the light on. I'm not kidding.
Monté sur les épaules
D'une espèce de grand drôle
J'ai même vu sa guêpière
Ses jambes jusqu'aux chevilles
C'était un vingt-trois juin
Ça m'a coûté trois billes
Mais je n' regrette rien
Riding on the shoulders of a funny giant, I even saw his garter belt and her legs down to her ankles. It was the twenty-third of June, which cost me three marbles, but I don't regret a thing.
Marc est mort à la guerre
Pas de nouvelles d'Albert
On n'amassait pas mousse
Mais on vivait en douce
Les heures sont passées
Le cœur est effacé
Mais la flèche demeure
Marc died in the war, and there's been no word from Albert. We didn't make a fuss, but we lived quietly. The hours have passed, and although the heart may have faded, the arrow still remains.
Mon enfance était là
Déjeuner de soleil{x2}
Mais c'était une merveille
Une merveille
My childhood was there, just a midday sun meal, but what a marvelous experience it was.
Contributed by Josiah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.