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)
Meteorites
Yann Tiersen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And granite arms as they reach for the half-moon
Me a blood of boldness and booze
And the rusty heart polka-dot breeze of you
Stands stuck to the street in cool shoes
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go right?
We could list all the good things and list all the bad things
But if we're all just vibration
What difference does it make?
My heart could be a stone
It's a sponge
It's a balloon
It's a lonely rock with a fiery tail
Falling in your atmosphere
Burning up and breaking down
So let our atoms melt together
Let our nuclei converge
I want you now
And your conscience can be clear
My yesterday is dead
The present's an illusion
And tomorrow is just a nightmare away
This is our story, our movie
This is our rom-com and it ends like this
Without looking up, the girl cautiously takes the boy's hand
She stills herself and meets his gaze
The boy smiles
The girl surrenders
They kiss
We pull away to the view of lovers
In a long winter coat
A woman straddles a man on a wooden bench
Behind a coin-operated lavatory
Two boys passionately embrace
Vague silhouettes sigh behind the steamed windows of a parked car
Two figures fumble in a phone box
There's a couple in every doorway
And around every corner
Snow begins to fall
We drift up into the sky
And look down on the boy and the girl
As they become tiny specks on the London street
We pull away farther and farther
Until London's gone, England's gone, Europe's gone
Now we're in space
Watching the Earth as the sun rises behind it
Satellites orbit by
A billion stars surround us
We float over the moon
Then we cut to black and the credits roll
I want you now, and now is all we can know
I want you now, and now is all we can know
I want you now, and now is all we can know
Imagine we wake up tomorrow and nothing's happened
Think of what we'll never know
One night of love, and I'm one full of doubt
Take my hand, take my tongue
Let's run
Tonight can be a detour, a respite
I'm your boss man's holiday, your much deserved night off
I'm your sensual sojourn
My heart could be a stone
My heart could be a sponge
This is the end, ten years in the making
A decade of design
This kiss is "hello"
This kiss is "goodbye"
The song Meteorites by Yann Tiersen is a poetic expression of a moment shared by two people in the city of London. The scene is set in the midst of the city's architecture, portrayed as powerful glass and granite structures. The singer describes themselves as full of courage and alcohol, standing in contrast to the object of their love. The object, personified as a 'rusty heart polka-dot breeze,' is stuck to the street in their 'cool shoes'. The juxtaposition of these two characters creates a sense of tension as the singer wonders what could possibly go right or wrong. The lyrics, "if we're all just vibration, what difference does it make?" reflect the idea of the temporary and fleeting nature of our existence, leading to the realization that the present moment is all that we truly have.
The song progresses to describe the physical and emotional states of the singer's heart. It is represented as being both a stone and a balloon, reflecting the extremes of heavy and light. The singer references a meteorite falling in the object's atmosphere and burning up, representing the intensity and urgency of their attraction. The line "Let our atoms melt together, Let our nuclei converge," highlights the connection between the two people, emphasizing the need to merge and become one. The scene ultimately changes to a snow-covered London where various couples are embracing, emphasizing the idea that love exists everywhere. The song then transitions into a cosmic view, emphasizing the fleeting nature of existence, leading to the importance of living in the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
So here we are under London's glass
We find ourselves in the narrow streets of London, surrounded by towering buildings with shiny, transparent windows.
And granite arms as they reach for the half-moon
The tall buildings made of solid, sturdy granite seem to be stretching towards the half-moon up in the sky.
Me a blood of boldness and booze
I am a mixture of courage and alcohol, which fills me with both daring and recklessness.
And the rusty heart polka-dot breeze of you
The sight of you, with your heart like rusted metal and your polka-dot clothing, creates a light, breezy feeling in my chest.
Stands stuck to the street in cool shoes
You stand firmly on the pavement, wearing stylish shoes that add to your confident presence.
What could possibly go wrong?
In this moment, nothing seems to be able to go wrong as we feel free and energetic.
What could possibly go right?
Although things may not always go as planned, there is hope that things can turn out unexpectedly great.
We could list all the good things and list all the bad things
While it is possible to make both positive and negative lists of things that can happen, in the end, everything is just a matter of vibrations.
But if we're all just vibration
Ultimately, we are all just a collection of vibrations that create our existence.
What difference does it make?
Therefore, it does not really matter what happens, as we are all part of the same vibrational energy.
My heart could be a stone
My heart could be hard and unfeeling, like a cold stone.
It's a sponge
My heart can also be soft and absorbent, soaking up emotions like a sponge.
It's a balloon
My heart can also be light and inflated, lifting me up with joy like a balloon.
It's a lonely rock with a fiery tail
However, sometimes my heart feels like a lonely asteroid, trailing behind it the burning fire of intense emotions.
Falling in your atmosphere
As I am drawn towards you, my emotions become intertwined with yours like a falling meteorite.
Burning up and breaking down
This intense collision of emotions can cause me to feel like I am burning up and falling apart.
So let our atoms melt together
Despite this, I want our beings to merge together, creating a deep connection between us.
Let our nuclei converge
I want our core selves to come together, forming a strong bond that cannot be broken.
I want you now
I desire you with intensity in this moment, with nothing but the present and our connection between us.
And your conscience can be clear
If we surrender to our attraction, we can set aside any guilt or worry we might have.
My yesterday is dead
The past is gone and cannot be changed, so we should focus on enjoying this present moment instead.
The present's an illusion
However, even this current moment is fleeting and will never be the same again.
And tomorrow is just a nightmare away
The future holds no guarantees and could be full of unpredictable and unpleasant events.
This is our story, our movie
Our lives are like a movie, with ups and downs, but ultimately unique and personal to us.
This is our rom-com and it ends like this
Our story is like a romantic comedy, with a happy ending that we can create together.
Without looking up, the girl cautiously takes the boy's hand
The girl is shy but brave, reaching out to hold hands with the boy without looking up at him.
She stills herself and meets his gaze
However, she then gathers her nerves and looks him in the eye, showing her true feelings.
The boy smiles
The boy reciprocates her feelings and smiles back at her.
The girl surrenders
The girl gives in to her emotions and allows herself to follow her heart.
They kiss
The two share a romantic kiss, showing their love for each other.
We pull away to the view of lovers in a long winter coat
We see other couples around us who are also sharing moments of love and intimacy, cozy in their winter clothing.
A woman straddles a man on a wooden bench behind a coin-operated lavatory
We witness other couples expressing their love in different ways, such as a woman sitting on a man's lap near a public bathroom.
Two boys passionately embrace
We see that love can happen between any two people, as two young boys show passionate affection for each other.
Vague silhouettes sigh behind the steamed windows of a parked car
Even unseen couples in parked cars can express their love for each other through their body language.
Two figures fumble in a phone box
Although some couples may not have privacy, they still find ways to share moments together in public spaces.
There's a couple in every doorway and around every corner
Love is all around us, as we see couples embracing on every street corner and in every doorway.
Snow begins to fall
The snowfall adds a magical, romantic feeling to the moment, as if everything is a winter wonderland.
We drift up into the sky
Suddenly, we are lifted upwards into the sky, floating among the clouds.
And look down on the boy and the girl as they become tiny specks on the London street
Looking down, we see the couple we were just watching shrink into tiny dots on the noisy streets of London.
We pull away farther and farther until London's gone, England's gone, Europe's gone
We continue to pull away from Earth until it disappears from view entirely, along with the continent of Europe.
Now we're in space
We are now out in the infinite expanse of space, beyond the boundaries of Earth.
Watching the Earth as the sun rises behind it
We watch as the sun begins to creep over the horizon of the Earth, casting beautiful colors into space.
Satellites orbit by
Satellites move across the Earth with graceful ease, traveling as they have been designed to do.
A billion stars surround us
We are fully surrounded by the endless expanse of stars in the universe, awestruck by their magnitude.
We float over the moon
Our journey takes us near the moon, allowing us to pass over its cratered surface with a sense of wonder.
Then we cut to black and the credits roll
The dreamlike journey we experienced ends suddenly, and the credits roll as if the movie has finished.
Imagine we wake up tomorrow and nothing's happened
Reflecting on the experience, we consider what it would be like if we woke up the next day with no memory of this adventure.
Think of what we'll never know
We wonder about how much we might be missing out on in our lives, and what other amazing experiences we might never get to have.
One night of love, and I'm one full of doubt
Although one night of passion can be exhilarating, it can also create feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty.
Take my hand, take my tongue, let's run
Despite these worries, we can still take the leap and run away together, holding hands and sharing our passionate feelings.
Tonight can be a detour, a respite
This one night of love can be a departure from our usual lives, offering a brief moment of rest and respite from our everyday worries.
I'm your boss man's holiday, your much deserved night off
I can serve as a brief escape for you, a break from the stresses of life and work.
I'm your sensual sojourn
For this night, I can offer you a journey of passion and sensuality which allows you to explore your desires.
This kiss is 'hello', this kiss is 'goodbye'
With each kiss, we can either be greeting each other or saying goodbye, depending on how our journey unfolds.
Contributed by Allison A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@emrememis3307
So here we are under London’s glass and granite arms as they reach for the half moon.
Me a blur of boldness and booze and the rusty Earth polka-dot breeze of you stands stuck to the street in cool shoes.
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go right?
We could list all the good things and list all the bad things but if we’re all just vibration what difference does it make?
My heart could be a stone. It’s a sponge. It’s a balloon. It’s a lonely rock with a fiery tail falling in your atmosphere burning up and breaking down.
So let our atoms melt together; let our nuclei converge. I want you now and your conscience can be clear.
My yesterday is dead; the present’s an illusion; and tomorrow is just a nightmare away.
This is our story. Our movie. This is our rom-com and it ends like this:
Without looking up the girl cautiously takes the boys hand. She steels herself then meets his gaze. The boy smiles, the girl surrenders. They kiss.
We pull away to reveal more lovers: in a long winter coat a woman straddles a man on a wooden bench; behind a coin operated lavatory two boys passionately embrace;
Vague silhouettes sigh behind the steamed windows of a parked car; two figures fumble in a phone box.
There’s a couple in every doorway and around every corner. Snow begins to fall.
We drift up into the sky and look down on the boy and the girl as they become tiny specks on a London street.
We pull away further and further until London’s gone, England’s gone, Europe’s gone.
Now we’re in space watching the earth as the sun rises behind it. Satellites orbit by.
A billion stars surround us. We float over the moon, then we cut to black and the credits roll.
I want you now and now is all we can know.
I want you now and now is all we can know.
I want you now and now is all we can know.
I want you now and now is all we can know.
Imagine we wake up tomorrow and nothing’s happened. Think of what we’ll never know.
One night of love and a month full of doubt.
Take my hand; take my tongue. Let’s run.
Tonight can be a detour; a respite. I’m your bus-man’s holiday; your much deserved night off.
I’m your sensual sojourner. My heart could be a stone. My heart could be a sponge.
This is the end: 10 years in the making; a decade of design.
This kiss is hello.
This kiss is goodbye.
@sungold22
I want you now and now is all we can know
Imagine we wake up tomorrow
And nothing’s happened
Think of what we’ll never know
One night of love and a month full of doubt
Take my hand; take my tongue
Let’s run
Tonight can be a detour, a respite
I’m your bus-man’s holiday
Your much deserved night off
I’m your sensual sojourner
My heart could be a stone
My heart could be a sponge
This is the end: 10 years in the making
A decade of design
This kiss is hello
This kiss is goodbye
@emrememis3307
Ve işte buradayız Londra'nın camdan ve granitten kolları Ay'ın yarı mesafesine erişiyorken.
Bende bir yüreklilik ve alkolle ve paslı bir saçla sen puantiyeli bir meltemsin caddeye kenetli havalı ayakkabılar içerisinde.
Ne ters gidebilirdi ki?
Ne düz gidebilirdi ki?
Bütün iyi şeyleri listeleyebilirdik ve bütün kötü şeyleri listeyebilirdik fakat eğer yalnızca titreşimlerseydik, ne fark ederdi?
Kalbim bir taş olabilirdi. O bir sünger. O bir balon. O kıvılcımlı kuyruğuyla atmosferine düşen yalnız bir kaya yanıp tükenen ve parçalara ayrılan.
Öyleyse bırak atomlarımız birbirine karışsın; bırak çekirdeklerimiz birbirine yaklaşsın. Seni istiyorum şimdi ve vicdanın rahat olabilir.
Benim dünüm öldü; bugünüm bir illüzyon; ve yarın yalnızca bir kabus kadar uzaklıkta.
Bu bizim hikayemiz. Bizim filmimiz. Bu bizim romantik komedimiz ve şöyle sona eriyor:
Bakmadan, kız dikkatlice oğlanın elini tutar. Metin olur ve bakışlarını karşılar onun. Oğlan gülümser, kız teslim olur. Öpüşürler.
Biraz geriye çekiliriz daha fazla aşığı ortaya çıkarmak için. Uzun bir kış pardesüsünün içerisinde bir kadın, tahta bir bankın üzerindeki bir adamın üzerine ata biner gibi bacaklarını ayırmış ve oturmaktadır; bozuk parayla çalışan bir lavabonun arkasında iki oğlan tutkuyla sarmaş dolaştır; belli belirsiz siluetler park etmiş bir arabanın buharlı camlarının gerisinde iç çekmektedirler; iki figür bir telefon kulübesinde ellerine yüzlerine bulaştırmakta.
Her bir kapı aralığında ve her bir köşede bir çift vardır.
Kar düşmeye başlar.
Gökyüzünde yukarıya doğru sürükleniriz ve aşağıya bakarız oğlana ve kıza bir Londra caddesinde küçük benekçikler olarak.
Daha da ve daha da geriye çekiliriz, ta ki Londra yok olana dek, ta ki İngiltere yok olana dek, ta ki Avrupa yok olana dek.
Ve şimdi uzaydayız, Dünya'yı Güneş ardından doğarken izleyerek. Uydular tavaf etmekteler. Bir milyar yıldız etrafımızı çevrelemekte. Ay'a doğru süzülürüz, ardından siyaha çalarız ve yayında ve yapımda emeği geçenlerle birlikte özel teşekkürler peşi sıra akarlar.
Seni istiyorum şimdi ve şimdi tüm bilebileceğimiz şeydir.
Seni istiyorum şimdi ve şimdi tüm bilebileceğimiz şeydir.
Seni istiyorum şimdi ve şimdi tüm bilebileceğimiz şeydir.
Seni istiyorum şimdi ve şimdi tüm bilebileceğimiz şeydir.
Yarın uyandığımızı ve hiçbir şeyin gerçekleşmediğini hayal et.
Asla bilemeyeceğimiz şeyi bir düşün.
Bir gece aşk ve bir ay dolusu şüphe.
Elimi tut; dilimi tut. Hadi koşalım.
Bu gece bir patika olabilir; bir mola. Ben senin otobüs şoförünün tatiliyim; senin fazlasıyla hak edilmiş boş gecen.
Ben senin duyusal misafirinim. Kalbim bir taş olabilir. Kalbim bir sünger olabilir.
Bu son işte: 10 yıl yapımında geçen, ve bir dekat tasarımında.
Bu öpücük merhaba.
Bu öpücük hoşça kal.
@anacordeiro9219
2021 and i still coming back to this masterpiece as a safe spot.
@massexy
Same here in 2023
@matiastoatv
this is one of the most beautiful songs i've ever heard. so glad i could see him live tonight, smiling :)
@CharlesEDarko
My yesterday is dead, the present's an illusion
And tomorrow is just a nightmare away...
@FernandaTosoni
Listening to this makes me feel a bit more alive. Amazing!
We're all energy, so thanks.
@pixeluded
The universe and life itself is just the playing of energy. Nothing to really be afriad of, even though it's not always easy to remember that.
@GaiaHedonia
....my heart could be a stone, my heart could be a sponge...
Every word and every note in this piece is just perfect!
@CaioCapela
this kiss is hello, this kiss is goodbye! <3
@JosselinKervik
Hypnotic, it talks to the flying fibers of my celtic soul,
@terodic2495
So special song , it’s like the end of life … story about your life