Tiersen has been honing his musical aesthetic since he could stand on two legs. He started learning piano at the age of four, taking up violin at the age of six and receiving classical training at musical academies in Rennes, Nantes and Boulogne. Then, at the age of 13, he chose to alter his destiny, breaking his violin into pieces, buying a guitar and forming a rock band.
Yann Tiersen has collaborated with vocal artists like Claire Pichet ("Le phare" and "Rue des cascades"), Elizabeth Fraser ("Les retrouvailles") and Shannon Wright ("Yann Tiersen and Shannon Wright"). Other musicians he has worked with include The Divine Comedy, Noir Désir, Dominique A., Francoiz Breut, Les Têtes Raides, The Married Monk and Sage Francis
Tiersen got a musical education from the city of Rennes' annual Transmusicales festival, seeing acts like Nirvana, Einstürzende Neubaten, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, The Cramps, Television and Suicide. When his band broke up a few years later, instead of hunting for some new musicians, he bought a cheap mixing desk, an eight-track reel, and started recording music solo with a synth, sampler and drum machine, poring over the grooves of old records on the hunt for loops and orchestral strings to plunder.
As it turned out, though, the key to his new approach lay in his own past. "One day I thought, instead of spending days on research and listening to tons of records to find the nearest sound of what I have in mind, why don't I fix this fucking violin and use it?" Through the summer of 1993, Tiersen stayed in his apartment, recording music alone with guitar, violin and accordion, guided not by the classical canon, but by intuition and his vision of "a musical anarchy".
By the end of the summer of 1993, Tiersen had recorded over 40 tracks, which would form the bulk of his first two albums. 1995's La Valse Des Monstres, inspired by Tod Browning's Freaks and Yukio Mishima's The Damask Drum was the second album to be released on Nancy-based label Ici, d'ailleurs. It would be followed six months later by Rue Des Cascades, a collection of short pieces recorded with toy piano, harpsichord, violin, accordion and mandolin. Six years later, the record would find a much larger audience when several tracks, along with a couple of Tiersen originals, would be used on the soundtrack to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film Amelie (2001).
Tiersen's commercial breakthrough would come earlier, though, and off his own back. 1998's Le Phare (The Light House) was recorded in self-imposed seclusion on the isle of Ouessant, where Tiersen spent two months living in a rented house. At night, he watched the Creach'h, the most powerful lighthouse in Europe, as it illuminated the surrounding scenery. "I was amazed how the rays of lights from the lighthouse revealed some hidden details of the land, how we can rediscover something we have everyday, just in front of us, by a light pointing on it," says Tiersen.
Le Phare went on to sell over 160,000 copies, confirming Tiersen's status as one of the most pioneering and original artists of his generation and commencing a run of successful albums like 2001's L'Absente (featuring orchestral group Synaxis, Lisa Germano and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon) and 2005's Les Retrouvailles (with guests Stuart Staples of Tindersticks, Jane Birkin and Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins). In this period, Tiersen also took his music out around the world, playing shows with a full orchestra and an amplified string quartet – a set-up captured on 2002's electrifying live album C'etait ici. And following the box-office success of Amelie, Tiersen's skills as a soundtracker were much in demand, leading to scores for the likes of Wolfgang Becker's tragicomedy Good Bye Lenin! (2003) and Tabarly (2008), a documentary about the French sailor Éric Tabarly, who ate his final meal on Ouessant Island before he meeting a watery end in the Irish sea.
Discography:
La valse des monstres (1995)
Rue des cascades (1996)
Le phare (1998)
Tout est calme (1999)
Black session (1999, radio concert)
L'absente (2001)
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001, Soundtrack)
C'était ici (2002, Live and Best Of)
Good Bye Lenin! (2003, Soundtrack)
Yann Tiersen and Shannon Wright (2004)
Les Retrouvailles (2005)
On Tour (2006, Live)
Tabarly (2008)
Dust Lane (2010)
Goodbye Lenin!
Yann Tiersen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why we had to end this way, with more time it could've been okay
Shigan deo isseotdamyeon gwaenchanhasseul tende
Dwedollil su eobgie chang bakkeul heullo barabwa dapdap hage
Jinagan uri chueokdeure meomchuobeorin nae shimjang
Geuriume shidallyeo tto seoreopge wechineun nan
Gyeondil su eobneun apeum muge nan muneojine
Jiok gateun haruharu Take this pain away I pray
Shwiun geojyo, geunyang geureoke, he-eojijan mal hanmadimyeon
Da kkeutchin geojyo, eoje bame geudae cheoreom
Apeugetjyo, haruharuga, machi wenjjokk, gaseume sangcheoga
Nan geotcheorom, sumdo mot shwil geot gatjyo
Nan duryeowo
I'm lost without you, geojitmarin geot gata
Museun byeonmyeongirado naege hae jullae, wonmanghal suga itge
I'm lost without you, achimi omyeon
Hokshi niga dora olkkabwa, babo gateun nae moseup
Biga one, hapil ireon bame, neoneun tteonago naman i georie
Jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri, jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri
Gidarine, jeongmal miryeonhage, neoneun dashineun oji anheul tende
Jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri, jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri
Saengaknane
Gwaenchanketjyo, ireon jeoreon, ildo bappeuge hago geureoke shigan gamyeon
Eonjena ichyeojilkka
Yeah I say
Mangseorimdo eobshi tteona beorineun neoye dwitmoseubi
Chagawo boigo gyesok meoreojyeoman gane wae
Ireoke, kkeutnal subakke eobseotdeon geolkka
Meorisok manyagiran sangsanghalge neowana
Geudaero meomchuo, You're mine
I'm lost without you, geojitmarin geot gata
Museun byeonmyeongirado naege hae jullae, wonmanghal suga itge
I'm lost without you, achimi omyeon
Hokshi niga dora olkkabwa, babo gateun nae moseup
Shimjangi gashie jjillyeo piga nan geotman gatgo
Weroumi angaecheoreom nal gamssago
Api anboyeoseo bamigo najigo gubuni dojeohi andwae
Gilgo gin i bameun gidarigiman hae
Maedalliji anketdago miryeoneul noketdago
Hamyeonseodo, Uh just can't seem to let you go
Eonjena, eodiseo, eotteokedeun ni yeope seoseo jikyeo
Uriye End-raneun geon eobseo
Never, that's right, never
I'm lost without you, geojitmarin geot gata
Museun byeonmyeongirado naege hae jullae, wonmanghal suga itge
I'm lost without you, achimi omyeon
Hokshi niga dora olkkabwa, babo gateun nae moseup
Biga one, hapil ireon bame, neoneun tteonago naman i georie
Jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri, jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri
Gidarine, jeongmal miryeonhage, neoneun dashineun oji anheul tende
Jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri, jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri
Saengaknane
The lyrics to "Goodbye Lenin!" by Yann Tiersen describe the pain of a breakup and the difficulty of moving on. The song expresses the desire to turn back time and fix what went wrong in the relationship before it ended. The first verse reminisces about the happy times shared together, and how with more time, the relationship could have worked. However, the memories now cause heartache and longing, and the pain cannot simply be wished away. The chorus repeats the phrase "I'm lost without you" to emphasize the depth of feeling and the difficulty of moving on.
The second verse focuses on the singer's insecurity and fear of being alone. The line "I'm lost without you, geojitmarin geot gata" translates to "It feels like a lie that I can live without you." The singer begs for their ex-lover to come back, unable to bear the thought of being alone. They repeatedly question why the breakup had to happen and ruminate on the possibility of reconciliation in the future.
Throughout the song, the lyrics express a deep sense of longing and pain mixed with hope for a future reunion. The repetition of phrases such as "why did you leave?" and "I'm lost without you" showcases the intense feelings associated with loss and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Feels like yesterday when we were holding hands and laughs together
I remember the time when we were happy together, and it feels like it was just yesterday
Why we had to end this way, with more time it could've been okay
I question why our relationship had to end in such a painful manner, maybe with more time, it could have worked out
I'm lost without you, geojitmarin geot gata
I feel lost and deceived without you
Nan duryeowo
I'm afraid
Gwaenchanketjyo, ireon jeoreon, ildo bappeuge hago geureoke shigan gamyeon
I believe that even in difficult times like these, as we spend more time together, everything will be okay
Mangseorimdo eobshi tteona beorineun neoye dwitmoseubi
Even without confidence, I let go of your hand
Shimjangi gashie jjillyeo piga nan geotman gatgo
My heart is beating fast, feeling like it's the only thing that's alive within me
Eonjena, eodiseo, eotteokedeun ni yeope seoseo jikyeo
Always, no matter where or how, I want to be with you
Never, that's right, never
I will never let you go
Jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri, jakku wae iri, wae iri, wae iri
Why is it happening over and over again?
Writer(s): Yann Pierre Tiersen
Contributed by Lucas V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Алёшка Емельянов
Белая роза
Алёшка Емельянов
Вы - белая роза. Пышна, утончённа.
Бутон, будто пух ангелков перьевых.
Вы свято святыми святой наречёна.
Подарена мне меж цветов полевых.
И возле Вас кружат пылинки, как пчёлки.
И ветер тревожит зелёный покрой.
Порою Вы кажетесь стройною ёлкой
с серебряно-жёлто-молочной звездой.
Стихами не высказать чувств и восторга
насколько люблю Вас минуемый год!
Готов я ещё кипы строчек исторгнуть!
Вы выше мелодий и буквенных од!
Но всё ж постараюсь найти и озвучить
значение Ваше средь тысяч слогов,
и все словари буду с жаром я мучить...
Пока ж назову просто-просто - "любовь"...
,,,,
Coversart
My new album with music by Erik Satie is available on streaming platforms: https://album.link/satie
🎧🎹💙
Vyle Art
Tiersen is the most underrated piano composer alive today. His compositions are simply powerfully emotional.
Vyle Art
Ok wow, I never thought that my comment would get so much ink flowing even after 5 years :) regarding some of the comments, I love classical music, play piano myself (like a platypus, still), but one thing is sure is that I don't care about judgement. Piano and classical snobs may see him as pop, it really does not matter much to me. Some pop is good some is bad, some classical is good, some is bad too. I just think that his compositions are very moving and well crafted and feel universal to me, hence my surprise of his mitigated success. But ultimately I think I get it. As one of the comment mentions he is kinda in between genres, fair enough! I consider film score to be as valuable as any other composition, and as such, my original comment really came from the heart :)
FilmscoreMetaler
lol
Wurst Finger
@Grazia Cavasino "Jazz isn't music, it's noise for bored intellectuals who can't feel anything but their egos." its just like language. the better you can use it, the better you can express yourself, the better you can experience yourself and of course each other. music is the mother of all languages. its the real esperanto and the beginning of every word.
the thing is: they play theses peaces on the fly, if they want, in a way, thats far more beautiful than you ever heard before. they COULD, if it was at least a little exciting^^
Grazia Cavasino
@Wurst Finger Jazz isn't music, it's noise for bored intellectuals who can't feel anything but their egos.
Marcom Gra
I Totally agree with you !!
Suzanna Bienkowski
To whoever performed this, I thank you, as I start another chapter in my uphill and lonesome life. This music gives me courage to keep my head high, to look my enemies in the face, to stay true to myself, to go on...
Joseph Ososkie
Well, that’s a good thing!
theacroguru
there no enemies