Yann Tiersen (born in Brest, Brittany, France on 23 June 1970) is a French … Read Full Bio ↴Yann Tiersen (born in Brest, Brittany, France on 23 June 1970) is a French musician and composer. His musical career is split between studio albums, collaborations and film soundtracks. His music involves a large variety of instruments; primarily the guitar, piano, synthesizer or violin together with instruments like the melodica, xylophone, toy piano, harpsichord, accordion and typewriter.

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)

The Crossing
Yann Tiersen Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'The Crossing' by these artists:

Big Country Maps on the back of your hands Point to the cross Scratches…
Braddigan Can you hear me? miles and miles up ahead, theres a freigh…
Cascadeur feat. Stuart A. Staples & Médéric Collignon Maps on the back of your hands Point to the cross Scratche…
Cathedral Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may…
Clegg Johnny Through all the days that eat away At every breath that…
Clegg Johnny & Savuka Through all the days that eat away At every breath that…
Cormorant I defied the Sonoran wilds A wooden border fence to cross …
Death the Leveller Your Tears Fall Plentiful and Bitter Yes I Dare To Wonder Wh…
Enslaved I no longer struggle No longer see Nothing remains, burning …

Fear Of Comedy I try to better myself Silence my lust and rage Practise wha…
Friends of Johnny Clegg Through all the days that eat away That every breath that…
Jennifer Daniels Did you linger in the space above my bed Did you…
Johnny Clegg Through all the days that eat away At every breath that…
Johnny Clegg & Savuka (for dudu) Through all the days that eat away At every b…
Johnny Clegg / Savuka Through all the days that eat away At every breath that…
Johnny Clegg and Savuka (for dudu) Through all the days that eat away At every b…
Johnny Clegg Savuka Through all the days that eat away At every breath that…
Johnny Clegg; Savuka Through all the days that eat away At every breath that…
Juluka-Savuka & Johnny Clegg Through all the days that eat away At every breath that…
Leaves' Eyes In the fields, bequeath the beach I hold my shield before…
Leaves\' Eyes In the fields, bequeath the beach I hold my shield before…
Meg Hutchinson Bridge just south of town They've been working on it for…
Necrophobic In the spiritrealm, the dark abyss of Hel In the water…
Overtone O siyeza O siyeza Sizofika weh baba noma O siyeza O siyeza …
Resurrection Band It was a rainy day in Amsterdam when the curtain…
Rita MacNeil A generation's come from here My father told me stories Of h…
Savuka (for dudu) Through all the days that eat away At every b…
Savuka & Johnny Clegg & Savuka Through all the days that eat away At every breath that…
Spread The Shadows He shakes the ground With rabid wrath I'm caught in grief In…
Strike Anywhere I woke up screaming But no one heard The drying river shin…
The Action Design Somehow I know we've been here before, Your hands are famil…
The Decemberists The Queen I'm made of bones of the branches the boughs…
The Wolfe Tones In these sad and lonely days for Ireland Our people shipped…
Vincent & Vedant Gotta swing the net like a baseball bat…
Yollandi Nortjie and Overtone O siyeza O siyeza Sizofika weh baba noma O siyeza O siyeza …

We have lyrics for these tracks by Yann Tiersen:

A Secret Place I walked into the street To see myself looking back at…
Amy Do you recognize me Here on this sleeper train And do you…
Ar Maen Bihan E-kreizh ar-roc'h e-voa eun ti E-penn an ti e-voa eur simina…
Ashes We're following a road of pain. We're all running away to…
Bagatelle Tiens, une petite voix me glisse Quatre vérités Qui passent…
Bon Voyage J'ai un gros débarras Aussi un cagibi Et puis plein d'autr…
Chapter 19 To live outside the pale Is to wither and die Beyond the…
Dishes No Lyrics for this song Pas de paroles pour ce morceau Ins…
Dragon fly On the day that we met I awoke from a total…
Dust Lane We are boys and girls Of the new world treading young. …
First Rendez-Vous (instrumental)…
Fuck Me I know you know we're all falling into A deep oblivion I…
Geronimo While they have been eating The rain has started falling, …
Ginette La mer ça ne s'invente pas Et nous on crève à…
Goodbye Lenin! Feels like yesterday when we were holding hands and laughs…
Guilty Is it a sin, is it a crime Loving you, dear,…
Hent I Bemdez heñvel ha bemdez disheñvel Simfonienn veureel. Sonere…
Hesitation Wound Maybe you're here, maybe you're not. You may be gone, you…
I'm Gonna Live Anyhow I'm gonna live anyhow until I die. I'm gonna live anyhow…
In Our Minds In our minds, they're a town in our minds A town…
I’m Gonna Live Anyhow I'm gonna live anyhow until I die. I'm gonna live anyhow…
J'y suis jamais allé [Instrumental]…
Kala Do you recognize me Here on this sleeper train And do you…
L' Echec J'aimerai voir notre échec Face à face à un beau jour Détail…
L'échec J'aimerai voir notre échec Face à face à un beau jour Déta…
L'effondrement I can preak up my ears and hear so clearly, the collapse…
La Dispute Anyway, i can try anything it's the same circle that…
La Parade Another day to live Another way to go Nobody's in this room …
La pharmacie Another day to live Another way to go Nobody′s in this room …
La rade Je nous vois tous assis devant Mais le front baissé les…
La relève Déjà je m'éloigne de l'enseigne verte qui éclairait nos nui…
La Rue When I'm asleep in Cascade Street I don't see anything When …
La Rupture Windows, doors, walls and carpets, chairs, tables and flower…
La Terrasse un après-midi là, dans la rue du jourdain, on peut dire…
La valse des monstres Le Vent Du Nord Dans Les Airs La Piastre Des Etats When w…
La Valse des vieux os (Instrumental)…
Le Concert Ça y est, plus rien ne reste debout Ils sont venus,…
Le Fromveur Autrefois, quand j'étais marmot J'avais la phobie des gros m…
Le Jour D'avant It's hard, Hard not to sit on your hands Bury your head…
Le jour de l'ouverture De tes amants bien revenus Dans tes beaux habits neufs…
Le matin Oh my……
le meridien Accross the river thames On a sunday morning The smell of th…
Le parapluie Il pleuvait fort sur la grand-route Elle cheminait sans par…
Les Bras De Mer De l'endroit où je suis On voit les bras de mer Qui…
Les enfants Oh la la, qu'est-ce que c'est ? C'est des enfants ou quoi ?…
Les Forges Les forges ne fonctionnent plus Des milliers de travailleur…
Les Grandes Marees Laissons ça aux marées de septembre et voyons après coup Vo…
Les Jours Heureux It's hard, Hard not to sit on your hands Bury your head…
Les Jours tristes (instrumental) It's hard, hard not to sit on your hands and bury…
Le_Jour_D'Avant ‎""Es difícil, Difícil no sentarse en sus manos, Entierra …
Life on Mars It's a godawful small affair To the girl with the mousey…
Lights Have you see those lights, those lights, First we saw someon…
Mary Do you recognize me Here on this sleeper train And do you…
Meteorites So here we are under London's glass And granite arms as…
Monochrome Anyway, I can try anything it's the same circle that…
Monuments All monuments of men, They're sinking in vain. Tiny mome…
Mother Will Die Jetzt könnt ihr noch jemanden aufnehmen. Aufnehmen? …
Naomi Strange prophecies Anew! She wrote She wrote "The ke…
No mercy for she Today fell to her feet She called his name She…
Pale white Mr Haley turned and said You must not cry now Crossed…
Palestine P. A. L. E. S. T. I. N. E. … P. A.…
Plus d'hiver Voilà, il n'y aura plus d'hiver C'est nouveau Je crois c'e…
Preparations for the Last TV Fake (Instrumental)…
Qu'en Reste-T-Il ? Recuerdo que al llegar ni me miraste Fui solo una más…
Roma Amor We met in a bar Nothing special so far Until the moment…
Rue Des Cascades When I'm asleep in Cascade Street When I'm asleep in…
si tu n Si tu n'étais pas là Comment pourrais-je vivre? Je ne connaî…
Steinn Djúpt i klettinum var hús Í horni hússisns var arinn Í arn…
Summer '78 (feat. Claire Pichet) Where are you now Can't you see me Wh…
Summer 78 Where are you now Can't you see me Where are you now Can'…
Summer 78 (feat. Claire Pichet) Where are you now Can't you see me Where are you now Can't…
Sur le fil instrumental…
The Gutter Try to reach the sea Try to reach the sea Try to…
The Neighbourhood I wanna be honest I want to be bad I want to…
The Trial Someday my girl, in your mirror Someday my girl, in your…
Till the End We will be there 'til the end.…
Tout est calme encore une nuit où tout est calme, pas un bruit,…

Yellow Look at the stars Look how they shine for you And everythi…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

TRACKS