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 meridien
Yann Tiersen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a sunday morning
The smell of the air
A tiny noise
Dark blades of grass
Trees and big clouds
Factory smokes
Moving around the meridian line
And hearing from here
Some silly jokes
Familys strolls
Children circles
Couples kissing
And grand'ma's sitting
Today there's a frontier
A big white line
Today season's changing
What's comming next
Everything is in it's write place
Today someone is missing
This a point blank
A little later
On a sunday night
Sitting on a train
Under the sea
Lights are flashing
Speed and fat boys
Computer's screens
Smoking second classe
No troubles here
A safety place
Drinking coffee
In a plastic cup
Wrinting postcards
Nothing in mind
All is quiet
Under control
Tonight there's a frontier
A big white line
Wright on the middle
Of the channel
Tonight I'm back in France
What's comming next
Tonight someone's missing
This is a point blank
In "Le Meridien," Yann Tiersen creates an introspective, nostalgic soundscape that captures the essence of a London Sunday morning and evening. The lyrics describe the tranquil atmosphere on a Sunday morning by the River Thames, where families stroll around, children play, and couples kiss while grandmothers sit and observe. There is a sense of calmness and serenity, but there is also a feeling of something amiss. There is a big white line on the Meridian line, signifying a frontier and a shift in season. Something or someone is missing, giving a sense of uncertainty about what is to come.
In the second half of the song, Tiersen shifts the scene to a Sunday night on a train under the Channel. The train ride is symbolic of a journey taking the singer away from London and into France. The setting also changes from the natural to the industrial as the singer describes the flashing lights, computer screens, and smoking second class of the train. However, there is still a sense of calmness and control, as the singer writes postcards and drinks coffee in a plastic cup. Still, the singer is unsure of what is coming next and has a sense that someone is missing.
The lyrics of "Le Meridien" depict a journey of uncertainty and change from a familiar place to an unknown destination. The lyrics are open to interpretation, and the listener can bring their own meaning to the song. The sense of nostalgia, uncertainty, and longing make "Le Meridien" an emotional and introspective piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Accross the river thames
In a location beyond the River Thames
On a sunday morning
During a time on a Sunday in the morning
The smell of the air
The scent of the atmosphere
A tiny noise
A small sound
Dark blades of grass
The tall, shadowy grass leaves
Trees and big clouds
The tall, natural plants and large amounts of water vapor in the sky
Factory smokes
The pollution produced by factories
And plastic balloons
The inflatable decorations made of synthetic polymer
Moving around the meridian line
Traveling and roaming near the prime meridian
And hearing from here
Perceiving sounds from this point
Some silly jokes
Humorous comments or thoughts that are not particularly amusing
Familys strolls
The activity of walking leisurely with one's kin
Children circles
Groups or rounds of young individuals, often playing and socializing together
Couples kissing
Pairs of people sharing intimate contact with their mouths
And grand'ma's sitting
The grandmothers relaxing and staying seated
Today there's a frontier
On this day, there exists a boundary between different regions
A big white line
A large, bright-colored demarcation
Today season's changing
On this day, the weather is transitioning from one climate to another
What's comming next
What is the next event or occurrence?
Everything is in it's write place
All objects and beings are situated in their correct locations
Today someone is missing
On this day, a specific person's whereabouts are not unknown
This a point blank
This situation is direct and straightforward
A little later
After a short period of time
On a sunday night
At a certain time during the night on a Sunday
Sitting on a train
Relaxed and located upon a moving railway vehicle
Under the sea
Beneath the surface of an ocean
Lights are flashing
The illumination from lights is pulsating or flickering
Speed and fat boys
Fast motion and overweight individuals
Computer's screens
The electronic displays of computers
Smoking second classe
The act of smoking while on a second-class train carriage
No troubles here
This situation contains no difficulties or problems
A safety place
A location that is safe from harm
Drinking coffee
Consuming the beverage known as coffee
In a plastic cup
Inside of a container made of synthetic polymer
Wrinting postcards
Creating messages or notes on paper to be sent via post
Nothing in mind
Not having any thoughts or ideas
All is quiet
A state of serenity and silence
Under control
Within manageable and regulated limits
Tonight there's a frontier
On this night, there exists a boundary between different regions
A big white line
A large, bright-colored demarcation
Wright on the middle
Directly centered on the middle
Of the channel
Within the narrow waterway separating two locales
Tonight I'm back in France
On this night, I have returned to France
What's comming next
What is the next event or occurrence?
Tonight someone's missing
On this day, a specific person's whereabouts are unknown
This is a point blank
This situation is direct and straightforward
Contributed by Owen M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.