She was discovered on the TV show L'École des fans in 1980. She recorded her first single La Magie des surprises-parties in 1985. Although it was not a hit, it paved the way for the song with which she would become internationally famous - "Joe le taxi" in 1987, while she was still only 14 years old. It was #1 in France for 11 weeks and, unusually for a song sung in French, was released in the United Kingdom the following year, where it reached #3. It was taken from her first album M&J (it stands for Marilyn & John) which, although it gained a number 13 placing in France, drew little attention in the UK and did not chart.
In 1992, now 19 and working in the United States with rock musician Lenny Kravitz, who was her boyfriend for a while, Paradis began work on a new album sung in English, in which she had become fluent. Written and produced by Kravitz, the album, titled Vanessa Paradis, topped the French chart and briefly made the UK listings (number 45). One of the singles from it was Be My Baby, which made number 5 in France and gave her another Top 10 UK hit (number 6). She has since appeared in several films, most famously "Noce Blanche", for which she won the 1990 César Award for Most Promising Actress; 1999's La fille sur le pont (aka Girl on the Bridge), which became an arthouse box office hit in the United States; and 2004's Mon Ange.
Paradis currently released a new album (Divinidylle). There are three versions (regular, limited edition, and the Christmas edition). She started the Divinidylle tour in October. Some concerts were filmed and the DVD/CD of the tour was just recently released. Her latest film DVD release is La Clef. Also, Vanessa recently won two Les Victoires de la Musique awards for her new album Divinidylle. Some of her next projects include a greatest hits cd which includes the commercial jingle "I love Paris in the Springtime" as well as the movies "The Midwife Crisis" and "Un monstre à Paris April" which will be released in 2010.
Vanessa Paradis has been in a relationship with American actor Johnny Depp since 1998. They have a daughter, Lily-Rose Melody Depp (born 27 May 1999), and a son, John Christopher "Jack" Depp III (born 9 April 2002[3]).
L'Au-Delà
Vanessa Paradis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sur mon chemin de croix, la route était tordue
Ne me demandez pas comment c'est arrivé
Je ne m'en souviens pas, le temps s'est arrêté
Je n'ai pas vu la nuit descendre à petits pas
Et dans mon insomnie, je ne comprenais pas
Je voyais de partout des étoiles qui filaient
Elles m'ont mené à vous, m'en voilà désolée
Ne me demandez pas pourquoi je suis comme ça
Si le dieu qui m'a faite s'est moqué de moi
Ne me demandez pas comment ça s'est passé
Quand j'ai perdu la tête, le temps s'est arrêté
J'ai fouillé dans le ciel et toute la journée
Recherché les ficelles de son immensité
J'ai vu danser la peur, perdue dans la tourmente
Elle avait la couleur d'une mort triste et lente
Triste et lente
C'est beau l'au-delà Je reste là
C'est beau l'au-delà Je reste là
Ne me demandez pas pourquoi je suis comme ça
Si le dieu qui m'a faite s'est moqué de moi
Ne me demandez pas comment ça s'est passé
Quand j'ai perdu la tête, le temps s'est arrêté
In Vanessa Paradis's song "L'Au-Delà," the singer is contemplating the mysterious and inexplicable events that brought her to her current state. She rejects the idea of anyone asking her why she is the way she is, or how she got there, because she can't remember the details. The singer is feeling lost, as if she wandered down a twisted road and didn't know how to find her way back. She saw the stars moving but couldn't understand why. She thought she was dreaming, or perhaps going insane. But somehow, these stars led her to where she is now, even though she's sorry to be here.
The second verse continues the questioning and uncertainty, with the singer pondering the idea that perhaps God played a cruel joke on her when he created her. She's still searching for answers, looking for the secrets of the vast sky. She sees the colors of sadness in the storms she watches raging around her, and it overwhelms her with a sense of loss and sadness.
Through it all, though, there is a hint of acceptance and surrender. The chorus repeats the phrase "C'est beau l'au-delà" which translates to "beyond beauty." It's a metaphor for the great unknown, the afterlife or whatever may lay beyond our current understanding of the world. The singer is content to be there, to stay in that space for a while and not worry about the questions she can't answer. Ultimately, the song is about the beauty of not knowing, about the power of letting go and finding peace even in the midst of confusion and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Ne me demandez pas pourquoi je suis venue
Don't ask me why I came here
Sur mon chemin de croix, la route était tordue
On my road of suffering, the path was twisted
Ne me demandez pas comment c'est arrivé
Don't ask me how it happened
Je ne m'en souviens pas, le temps s'est arrêté
I don't remember, time stood still
Je n'ai pas vu la nuit descendre à petits pas
I didn't see the night fall step by step
Et dans mon insomnie, je ne comprenais pas
And in my insomnia, I didn't understand
Je voyais de partout des étoiles qui filaient
I saw stars shooting from everywhere
Elles m'ont mené à vous, m'en voilà désolée
They led me to you, I'm sorry about that
Désolée
Sorry
Ne me demandez pas pourquoi je suis comme ça
Don't ask me why I'm like this
Si le dieu qui m'a faite s'est moqué de moi
If the God who made me has mocked me
Ne me demandez pas comment ça s'est passé
Don't ask me how it went
Quand j'ai perdu la tête, le temps s'est arrêté
When I lost my mind, time stood still
J'ai fouillé dans le ciel et toute la journée
I searched in the sky all day
Recherché les ficelles de son immensité
Looking for the strings of its immensity
J'ai vu danser la peur, perdue dans la tourmente
I saw fear dancing, lost in turmoil
Elle avait la couleur d'une mort triste et lente
It had the color of a sad and slow death
Triste et lente
Sad and slow
C'est beau l'au-delà Je reste là
The afterlife is beautiful. I stay here.
C'est beau l'au-delà Je reste là
The afterlife is beautiful. I stay here.
Ne me demandez pas pourquoi je suis comme ça
Don't ask me why I'm like this
Si le dieu qui m'a faite s'est moqué de moi
If the God who made me has mocked me
Ne me demandez pas comment ça s'est passé
Don't ask me how it went
Quand j'ai perdu la tête, le temps s'est arrêté
When I lost my mind, time stood still
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Mickael Furnon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind