As a teen, Tété drew his musical inspiration from the pop and rock music of the day. Using the guitar given him by his mother, he assembled small bands with friends and began experimenting with songwriting, composing mainly in English.
In 1998 Tété moved to Paris, playing cafés and busking before forming a successful trio with drummer Alberto Malo and bassist Evy Moon. Thanks to luck and a unique sound the young men were quickly signed to Sony/Epic, releasing their debut record, L'Air de Rien, in 2001.
While working on the record, Tété maintained a busy performing schedule as a solo artist, building a healthy-sized fan base via small Paris clubs and cafés. His polished, infectious live presence was captured on 2003's Par Monts et Vallons, which featured recordings from three different live shows.
A year later Tété's second studio production hit the airwaves with a series of well-liked singles. A la Favuer de l'Automne generated radio hits such as "Emma Stanton" and the title track, "A la Faveur de l'Automne."
Large venue performances and international touring the following summer brought Tété from the underground scene to the mainstream market. His 2006 release Le Sacre des Lemmings et Autres Contes de la Lisiere addressed an array of social themes, his first overtly political project.
Albums to date:
2001 L' Air de Rien
2003 Par Monts et Vallons (Live)
2004 A la Faveur de l'Automne
2004 L' Air de Rien/Par Monts et Vallons
2006 Le Sacre des Lemmings
2007 A La Faveur de l'Automne/Le Sacre des Lemmings
Je L'Appelle De Mes Voeux
Tété Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Est-ce l'usage,
A Montréal?
Affaires de codes
Ou traits de l'âge?
Je l'ignore
Qu'est ce là?
La méthode, l'ouvrage,
L'idéal
D'un roseau déguisé en chêne?
Qu'à cela ne tienne,
Ces lois que j'appelais miennes.
Laissons là les entre-deux
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
Pas d'esclandre
Pas de scandale
A Montréal
On se met en scène
Oh le contraire serait obscène
Peur de se
Faire mal au jeu
On n'étale
Rien
On refrène tant
Qu'à force de sous entendus
Des non-dits, je ne sais plus
Laissons là les entre-deux
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
Laissons là les entre-deux
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
La chose est chère à mes yeux
The lyrics of Tété's song Je L'Appelle De Mes Voeux talk of the uncertainties and the unsaid things that exist within the rules and customs of Montreal. The lyrics open with the question, "Est-ce la mode, Est-ce l'usage, A Montréal?" which translates to "Is it the trend, is it the custom, in Montreal?". The singer is unsure of what is acceptable and what is not in the way of codes and behavior. He goes on to express his confusion about what he has learned, whether it is the right thing or not.
The singer then talks of methods and ideals that he does not fully understand, which he compares to a reed disguised as an oak tree, indicating the fragility of what passes as strength. He then goes on to say that despite this, he still holds on to these same laws that he questions. In the second stanza, the subject shifts to the people of Montreal and the way they present themselves, with emphasis on the importance of putting up a good image. They are constantly conscious of their actions, scared to get hurt in a game, always holding back and not speaking their minds.
The singer concludes by expressing his desire to call out the things that he wants, despite the inhibitions placed by the between-the-lines rules of Montreal. The lyrics paint a picture of people bound by the conventions of society, unable to fully unleash their true emotions, all against a background of uncertainty and unresolved issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Est-ce la mode
Is it fashionable or trendy?
Est-ce l'usage,
Is it customary or common?
A Montréal?
In Montreal?
Affaires de codes
Concerns of rules or standards
Ou traits de l'âge?
Or traits of age?
Je l'ignore
I don't know
Qu'est ce là?
What is this?
La méthode, l'ouvrage,
The method, the work,
L'idéal
The ideal
D'un roseau déguisé en chêne?
Of a reed disguised as an oak tree?
Qu'à cela ne tienne,
Be that as it may,
Ces lois que j'appelais miennes.
These laws that I used to call my own.
Laissons là les entre-deux
Let's leave the in-between
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
I call for it with all my wishes
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
I call for it with all my wishes
Pas d'esclandre
No scandal,
Pas de scandale
No scandal,
A Montréal
In Montreal
On se met en scène
We put ourselves on display
Oh le contraire serait obscène
Oh, the opposite would be obscene.
Peur de se
Afraid of
Faire mal au jeu
Getting hurt in the game
On n'étale
We don't flaunt
Rien
Anything
On refrène tant
We hold back so much
Qu'à force de sous entendus
That from the constant implications
Des non-dits, je ne sais plus
Of unspoken words, I no longer know
La chose est chère à mes yeux
The thing is dear to my heart
Laissons là les entre-deux
Let's leave the in-between
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
I call for it with all my wishes
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
I call for it with all my wishes
Laissons là les entre-deux
Let's leave the in-between
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
I call for it with all my wishes
Je l'appelle de mes vœux
I call for it with all my wishes
Lyrics © SM PUBLISHING FRANCE, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NIANG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind