Sylvie Vartan (born August 15, 1944 in Iskretz, Bulgaria) is a French pop s… Read Full Bio ↴Sylvie Vartan (born August 15, 1944 in Iskretz, Bulgaria) is a French pop singer and music hall impressario of Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Armenian origin.

Born in Iskretz, Bulgaria, to a Bulgarian-Armenian father and a Hungarian mother, Vartan arrived in France when she was 10. She married the French rocker Johnny Hallyday on April 12, 1965 in Loconville. They have a son, David Hallyday (who is also a singer), born David Michael Benjamin Smet on August 14, 1966. Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan were France's "Golden Couple" of their generation. They divorced on November 4, 1980.

She is currently married to American media mogul Tony Scotti. She is actor Michael Vartan's aunt.

In 2005, Sylvie Vartan was appointed as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal and Child Health in the European Region.

Her European hits include "Panne d'essence" ('Out Of Gas'), "Comme un garçon" ('Like a boy'), "J’ai un problème, je crois bien que je t’aime" ('I have a problem: I really think I love you'), and "La plus belle pour aller danser" ('The most beautiful to go dancing'). She is also rembered for such songs such as "L'amour c'est comme une cigarette" (Love is like a cigarette)

Cette Lettre-Là
Sylvie Vartan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Quand tu liras
Cette lettre-là
Tu comprendras que pour moi c'est fini
Que tu es sorti
A jamais de ma vie

Quand tu liras
Cette lettre-là

Tu m'en voudras tu me détesteras
Et pour une fois
C'est toi qui souffriras

Quand tu liras
Cette lettre-là
Mais surtout
Ne crois pas
Qu'un autre amour viendra
Qui prendra
Ta place
Ne crois pas ça
Ce n'est pas vrai
Je n'aimerai
Que toi

Quand tu liras
Cette lettre-là
Ne souris pas si les mots sont brouillés
C'est que des larmes
Sur ma lettre ont coulé

Quand tu liras
Cette lettre-là
Pourquoi mentir
Je serai près de toi
Et je te dirai cachée entre tes bras
Ne la lis pas
Cette lettre-là

Oh je t'en prie, ne la lis pas
Je t'en supplie, déchire-la...

Overall Meaning

In "Cette Lettre-Là," Sylvie Vartan sings about a breakup. She tells her former lover that he will understand that it's over and that he has left her life forever once he reads her letter. Even though she knows that he will be angry and hate her, she reminds him that this time it is him who will suffer. She also tells him not to believe that someone else will come into her life and take his place, because she will only love him. Vartan explains in the song's chorus that when he reads her letter, he shouldn't smile if the words are blurred because tears have fallen on the paper. She then pleads with him not to read the letter and to tear it up.

The song's lyrics convey the emotional turmoil that people feel after a relationship has ended. Vartan depicts the feelings of sadness and loss that linger after a relationship has ended, as well as the fear of what comes next. The singer in "Cette Lettre-Là" is worried about moving on from her past relationship, but she knows that it's time to do so. She also acknowledges that letting go is painful, but it's necessary for her personal growth.

Line by Line Meaning

Quand tu liras
When you read

Cette lettre-là
This letter

Tu comprendras que pour moi c'est fini
You'll understand that it's over for me

Que tu es sorti
That you're out

A jamais de ma vie
Forever from my life

Tu m'en voudras tu me détesteras
You'll be angry with me, you'll hate me

Et pour une fois
And for once

C'est toi qui souffriras
It's you who will suffer

Mais surtout
But above all

Ne crois pas
Don't believe

Qu'un autre amour viendra
That another love will come