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)
Le Matin
Yann Tiersen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Le matin, by Yann Tiersen, is a song with a dreamlike enchanting melody. The lyrics of the song are sparse, no more than a few words, yet they carry a profound message. The first word of the song, "Oh my..." is an exclamation used when someone is surprised or taken aback by something. The following lyrics of the song, "dis-moi ce qui ne va pas" (tell me what is wrong) indicate a tone of care and concern. The singer seems to be asking someone close to them if something is wrong, and implies that they are willing to listen and support this person.
The rest of the song carries on with simple yet powerful descriptions of nature, such as "the streams that flow" and "the rising sun." The singer of the song is observing the beauty around them, implying that they are aware of the beauty of the world despite the possible hardships someone around them might be going through. The message conveyed in the song is that even in the darkest moments someone can still find moments of beauty and hopefulness.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh my...
This phrase is used to express surprise or shock
Que la montagne est belle
How beautiful the mountains are
How beautiful the mountains are
Expressing admiration for the beauty of the mountains
Comment allez-vous
How are you
How are you
Asking about someone's well-being
Comme un lundi matin
Like a Monday morning
Like a Monday morning
Illustrating the feeling of the start of a new week
Que je t'aime
How I love you
How I love you
Expressing intense feelings of love
Vivre avec toi
Living with you
Living with you
Expressing a desire or appreciation for coexistence with someone
Contributed by Makayla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@maatmagandi
FLEURS CHANTANTES.
Les falaises sont coupées avec l'aile de l'hirondelle.
Et, dans ces sanctuaires d'oiseaux sauvages,
Les chansons chantées sont pour vous.
Depuis que mon ange bien-aimé est mort,
Ceux qui cherchent me trouveront dans cet abîme,
Ses cheveux m'attachaient les mains.
Ici,
Stars est un toboggan magique.
Pour comprendre le trouble d'une pierre..
Chanter aux fleurs.
Ici,
Où j'ai laissé mon coeur.
mec nuage,
Comme ses cheveux sont beaux.
L'odeur t'emporterait maintenant
C'est comme les vents ivres que vous attendiez.
Mon coeur,
petites mains blanches tenant de la neige,
Ne t'a-t-il pas touché une fois ?
Personne ne peut connaître votre douleur;
quelle mère
Ni aucun autre amant.
@yosrabesbes1559
one of the most beautiful melodies on earth so wonderfully played
@fernandedelarochette
Il n'y a pas de mots pour décrire ce que j'éprouve en écoutant Yann Tiersen ! <3
@sylviecouret502
Pareil...💜
@rickyc1991
This song saved me during the darkest period of my life.
@thosegreengentlemen
the post-rock band (modern classical) hammock saved me during my darkest period
@sitirable
@Ricky ludovico einaudi - una mattina for me.
@anastmyr1131
Me too. Greetings for you and good vibes!
@StarMintaka
Actually same. In 2013. I was listening only to this song for a month. During the worst depression I've ever had
I'm really glad you're okay now
@eldavidaguilar
Its happening the same with me
@Alicool10000
This piece is just perfect, it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. It reminds me of all of the good times, and my stress dissapears. Tiersen is amazing, he is my favourite musician of all time! Stay amazing!