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)
Monochrome
Yann Tiersen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anyway, I've lost my face, my dignity, my look, everything is gone and I'm tired now.
But don't be scared, I found a good job and I go to work every day on my old bicycle you loved.
I am piling up some unread books under my bed and I really think I'll never read again.
No concentration, just a white disorder everywhere around me, you know I'm so tired now.
But don't worry I often go to dinners and parties with some old friends who care for me, take me back home and stay.
Monochrome flat, monochrome life, only abscence near me, nothing but silence around me.
Sometimes I search an event or something to remind me, but I've really got nothing in mind.
Sometimes I open the windows and listen people walking in the down streets. There is a life out there.
But don't be scared, I found a good job and I go to work every day on my old bicycle you loved.
Anyway, I can try anything it's the same circle that leads to nowhere and I'm tired now.
Anyway, I've lost my face, my dignity, my look, everything is gone and I'm tired now.
But don't worry I often go to dinners and parties with some old friends who care for me, take me back home and stay.
Mochrome floors, monochrome walls, only abscence near me, nothing but silence around me.
Monochrome flat, monochrome life, only abscence near me, nothing but silence around me.
The song "Monochrome" by Yann Tiersen is a melancholic portrayal of a person who has lost the vibrancy in their life. The lyrics suggest that the singer has succumbed to a monotonous routine, which has stripped them of their identity and left them feeling tired and dispirited. The first couple of stanzas convey the sense of exhaustion and defeat that the singer feels as they reflect on their life. They have tried everything but seem to be going around in circles, leading nowhere. Despite their accomplishments, they feel like they have lost everything - their face, dignity, and look.
The chorus paints a picture of the singer's life as a monochrome world where nothing but silence surrounds them. The line, "only absence near me," is particularly poignant as it suggests that the singer is missing something essential in their life. The monochrome imagery of the floors, walls, and life further emphasizes the emptiness that the singer feels. The second and third stanzas show the singer attempting to cope with their desolate existence. They try to distract themselves with books, but they find it challenging to concentrate. They go out with friends, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. However, the singer finds solace in their job and their old bicycle, which has sentimental value.
The final stanza shows the singer attempting to find some meaning in their life. They look for inspiration from events and the people on the street, but everything is blank. Despite this, the singer finds some comfort in their job and their friends who care for them. Overall, the lyrics of "Monochrome" paint a picture of a person who is lost in their life and trying to find some semblance of meaning and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Anyway, I can try anything it's the same circle that leads to nowhere and I'm tired now.
I feel like I'm stuck in a cycle of trying new things but getting nowhere, and it's exhausting.
Anyway, I've lost my face, my dignity, my look, everything is gone and I'm tired now.
I feel like I've lost my sense of identity and all of the things that used to make me who I am, and it's taking a toll on me.
But don't be scared, I found a good job and I go to work every day on my old bicycle you loved.
But I've found some stability in my job and I still use the old bicycle that you used to like, so there's some comfort in that.
I am piling up some unread books under my bed and I really think I'll never read again.
I'm feeling like I can't focus on anything, including reading, and it's resulting in a cluttered and disorganized space.
No concentration, just a white disorder everywhere around me, you know I'm so tired now.
I can't concentrate on anything and my mind feels scattered, which is causing chaos in my physical space as well. It's exhausting.
But don't worry I often go to dinners and parties with some old friends who care for me, take me back home and stay.
But I still have some good friends who care for me and take care of me when I'm feeling low, which is a source of comfort.
Monochrome floors, monochrome walls, only abscence near me, nothing but silence around me.
My surroundings are completely lacking in any color or vibrancy, and it feels like there's a void around me. There's no noise or activity to distract me from my exhaustion.
Monochrome flat, monochrome life, only abscence near me, nothing but silence around me.
My life itself feels gray and lifeless, as if everything has lost its color and vibrancy. The emptiness I feel is overwhelming.
Sometimes I search an event or something to remind me, but I've really got nothing in mind.
Sometimes I try to find something to spark some life into me or remind me of who I am, but I just can't seem to think of anything.
Sometimes I open the windows and listen people walking in the down streets. There is a life out there.
Sometimes I try to connect with the outside world by listening to the sounds outside, but it only serves as a reminder of how stagnant my own life feels in comparison.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: YANN PIERRE TIERSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mynmyself
dios mio, menuda puesta en escena... de los grandes musicos de hoy en dia, que lastima que no tenga el credito que se merece, el publico ya no se preocupa por el sentimiento...y la musica realmente, es sentimiento
@Sarace2e
eh bien moi je suis fière que ce clip ait été mis par un "portos" ça justifie le coté sans frontière de la musique de Tiersen et de dominique A
et que cette musique soit écoutée partout dans le monde ça permettra d'éviter des commentaires très cons!
@jorgecastillo9736
Toreto cantando junto a Tiersen.
Epico!!!
Maravilhoso
Wonderfull
Grandiozo
@TomasBrukner
Great song... Instrumental masterpiece with voice perfoming as another instrument... Excelent
@marjoriecrestamichel8579
Un instant suspendu... Onirique et lumineux. Somptueux
@felixselwa
en boucle jour et nuit sans jamais se lasser.
@MrHermes17
Sus instrumentos cantan por el, es increible ver el domínio que tiene y la emoción que vierte sobre ... el piano en este caso . Larga vida a Tiersen !
@liloobop31
So pure
@MarioRolsenDag
another one great song of tiersen...the lyrics are perfect and the music as well...the video is so emotional..hail to yann tiersen!
@arrancusi
chapeaux... chapeaux... chapeaux... realmente genial!!!!...