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.
Les petits destins
Serge Reggiani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qui font le monde
Et qui l'ont fait depuis le "Big Bang",
Passagers clandestins
Du fleuve d'ombre
Qui unit la Loire au Yang Tsé Kiang
Tous ces petits destins
Presque anonymes,
Sont-ils dans le bottin
Noir de l'abîme
Moins que Napoléon?
Ils sont l'amour toujours recommencé,
La vie, la sève, la graine et l'eau,
Ils sont les pierres d'un pont insensé,
Les noirs, les blancs, les bons, les salauds!
Ils ont le même cœur, le même sang,
Des Pharisiens jusqu'aux Philistins,
Vive le singe de qui je descends
Et qui me vaut mon petit destin!...
Tous les petits destins,
Ceux qui fourmillent
Dans tous les pays de tous les temps,
Sont mes parents, ma femme et ma famille,
Très dérisoires et très importants.
Tous ces petits destins,
Ces existences,
Milliards d'étoiles d'un même ciel,
Sont dans la grand-chaîne des circonstances
Des chaînons essentiels.
Ils sont l'amour toujours recommencé,
La vie, la sève, la graine et l'eau,
Ils sont les pierres d'un pont insensé,
Les noirs, les blancs, les bons, les salauds!
Ils ont le même cœur, le même sang,
Des Pharisiens jusqu'aux Philistins,
Vive le singe de qui je descends
Et qui me vaut mon petit destin!...
The lyrics to Serge Reggiani's song Les petits destins speak to the idea that it is the small, seemingly insignificant, everyday lives and experiences of human beings that truly make up the world. The song asks us to consider the idea that these small "destinies" are just as important as those of great historical figures like Napoleon. The song takes us on a journey, starting from the beginning of time with the "Big Bang" and moving through various cultures and countries. It suggests that all of these small, individual destinies are interconnected and part of a grand chain of circumstances that are essential to the world.
The song celebrates the idea that all of these destinies, no matter how different or seemingly unimportant, are united by the same basic human experiences of love, life, and the commonalities of the human heart and blood. The song's closing lines affirm the value of the small and seemingly insignificant lives that make up the world, connecting them to the larger chain of human history and evolution. By expressing this idea, the song encourages listeners to appreciate and value the lives and experiences of all people, not just the famous or powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
Tous les petits destins
All the small destinies
Qui font le monde
That create the world
Et qui l'ont fait depuis le 'Big Bang'
And that have been shaping it since the Big Bang
Passagers clandestins
Clandestine passengers
Du fleuve d'ombre
Of the river of shadows
Qui unit la Loire au Yang Tsé Kiang
That connects Loire to Yangtze river
Tous ces petits destins
All these small destinies
Presque anonymes
Almost anonymous
John, Natacha, Rachid ou Léon
John, Natacha, Rachid, or Leon
Sont-ils dans le bottin
Are they in the phone book
Noir de l'abîme
Black of the abyss
Moins que Napoléon?
Less than Napoleon?
Ils sont l'amour toujours recommencé,
They are love always renewed,
La vie, la sève, la graine et l'eau,
Life, sap, seed, and water,
Ils sont les pierres d'un pont insensé,
They are the stones of a senseless bridge,
Les noirs, les blancs, les bons, les salauds!
The black, white, good, and bad!
Ils ont le même cœur, le même sang,
They have the same heart, the same blood,
Des Pharisiens jusqu'aux Philistins,
From the Pharisees to the Philistines,
Vive le singe de qui je descends
Long live the monkey from whom I descend
Et qui me vaut mon petit destin!...
And who gives me my little destiny!...
Tous les petits destins,
All the small destinies,
Ceux qui fourmillent
Those who swarm
Dans tous les pays de tous les temps,
In all countries and all times,
Sont mes parents, ma femme et ma famille,
Are my parents, my wife, and my family,
Très dérisoires et très importants.
Very insignificant and very important.
Tous ces petits destins,
All these small destinies,
Ces existences,
These existences,
Milliards d'étoiles d'un même ciel,
Billions of stars in the same sky,
Sont dans la grand-chaîne des circonstances
Are part of the grand chain of circumstances
Des chaînons essentiels.
Essential links.
Ils sont l'amour toujours recommencé,
They are love always renewed,
La vie, la sève, la graine et l'eau,
Life, sap, seed, and water,
Ils sont les pierres d'un pont insensé,
They are the stones of a senseless bridge,
Les noirs, les blancs, les bons, les salauds!
The black, white, good, and bad!
Ils ont le même cœur, le même sang,
They have the same heart, the same blood,
Des Pharisiens jusqu'aux Philistins,
From the Pharisees to the Philistines,
Vive le singe de qui je descends
Long live the monkey from whom I descend
Et qui me vaut mon petit destin!...
And who gives me my little destiny!...
Contributed by Brooklyn D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.