Stephan Eicher is a Swiss singer-songwriter born 17 August 1960 in Münchenb… Read Full Bio ↴Stephan Eicher is a Swiss singer-songwriter born 17 August 1960 in Münchenbuchsee close to the Swiss capital Bern. He combines French chanson and rock music. Being from a multilingual country Stephan Eicher sings in English, French, Italian, German and Swiss-German. Sometimes he even sings several languages in just one song.

He first started out in 1980 when he formed the band "Grauzone" with his brother. From 1982 on he sang solo and had his breakthrough in Switzerland in 1985 with the album "I tell this night".

In April 2007 he released his newest album: Eldorado. From his website:

"It seems that Stephan Eicher had this album in mind for a long time; almost fifteen years… Since « Carcassonne », when he was already thinking about reinventing himself, after six years of real success (Two people in a room, Combien de temps, Déjeuner en paix, Pas d’ami (comme toi…).

With 2003's generous "Taxi Europa", marked by continental climates, he went in a different direction, around the old continent. “By the end of this long tour, I couldn’t stand the idea of singing out loud. I felt like singing for myself or for someone. As a coincidence, I began to compose new songs in places where I couldn’t make so much noise. In the Camargue, there was a dog barking each time I started to sing. In Brussels, I had almost to whisper melodies to avoid waking up the child sleeping next to me. Progressively, I began to place my voice differently”.

Eldorado was born like that, in hushed silence, in the secret of the nights. And as usual with Stephan, the voice has opened the way. Softened, contained in intimacy, it drove all the instruments choices implicitly. It had to be organic, with grain, matter, in order to give more space to silences, a figurative instrumentation, almost a real original soundtrack which could tell what the voice was concealing."

Des Hauts Des Bas
Stephan Eicher Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La pluie venait du nord
Le vent passait sous ma porte
Je comptais vivre fort
Et qu'le diable m'emporte
J'allais а la fenкtre
Enroulй dans le drap
Je secouais la tкte
J'en йcartais les bras

J'avais des hauts
J'avais des bas
J'avais plus ou moins chaud
Et toute la vie devant moi
J'avais des hauts
J'avais des bas
Je crois qu'j'en voulais trop
J'ai mкme eu c'que j'voulais pas

Je restais enfermй
Ou errais pendant les jours
Trop de chemins s'ouvraient
Trop de questions en retour
J'n'avais pas tuй mon pиre
Mais je ne me souvenais pas
Ce qu'il me disait de faire
Oщ ce qu'il ne disait pas

J'avais des hauts
J'avais des bas
J'avais plus ou moins chaud
Et toute la vie devant moi
J'avais des hauts
J'avais des bas
Je crois qu'j'en voulais trop
J'ai mкme eu c'que j'voulais pas

Chaque jour je m'tenais prкt
Je guettais l'heure et la page
Oщ les eaux s'ouvriraient
Me laisserais un passage
L'espoir me faisait vivre
L'attente me rendait nerveux
Je trouvais dans les livres
De quoi patienter un peu

J'avais des hauts
J'avais des bas
J'avais plus ou moins chaud
Et toute la vie devant moi
J'avais des hauts
J'avais des bas

Je crois qu'j'en voulais trop
J'ai mкme eu c'que j'voulais pas

Overall Meaning

The song tells the story of a person's tumultuous life journey. The lyrics begin with the person speaking about the harsh weather conditions - the rain coming from the north and the wind passing under the door. Despite the unfavorable conditions, the person is determined to live boldly, come what may. He goes to the window, wrapped in a blanket, shaking his head and spreading his arms.

The lyrics then shift to the person's ups and downs in life. He experiences highs and lows and is not always comfortable. He acknowledges that he wanted a lot of things, maybe even more than he could handle, and ended up with things he didn't necessarily want. The person feels trapped and conflicted, unsure of what to do or where to go. He reflects on the fact that he had too many options and too many unanswered questions, and that his choices may have cost him dearly.

The person's experience is relatable to many people who face the uncertainty, confusion, and unpredictability of life. The lyrics are powerful and emotive, conveying a sense of yearning, longing, and regret. The ups and downs of life are universal, and the song captures this idea brilliantly.

Line by Line Meaning

La pluie venait du nord
It was raining from the north

Le vent passait sous ma porte
The wind was passing through my door

Je comptais vivre fort
I was planning to live boldly

Et qu'le diable m'emporte
And may the devil take me

J'allais а la fenкtre
I went to the window

Enroulй dans le drap
Wrapped in a sheet

Je secouais la tкte
I shook my head

J'en йcartais les bras
I spread my arms

J'avais des hauts
I had highs

J'avais des bas
I had lows

J'avais plus ou moins chaud
I was either hot or cold