Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, the son of poor peasants Giuseppina (née Simoni) and Giovanni Livi, a broommaker. Montand's mother was a devout Catholic, while his father held strong Communist beliefs. Because of the Fascist regime in Italy, Montand's family left for France in 1923. He grew up in Marseille, where, as a young man, he worked in his sister's barber shop, and later on the docks. He began a career in show business as a music-hall singer. In 1944, he was discovered by Édith Piaf in Paris and she made him part of her act, becoming his mentor and lover.
Montand went on to international recognition as a singer and actor, starring in numerous films. His recognizably crooner songs, especially those about Paris, became instant classics.
He was one of the most famous performers at Bruno Coquatrix's famous Paris Olympia music hall.
In 1951, he married the actress Simone Signoret, and they co-starred in several films throughout their careers. The marriage was, by all accounts, fairly harmonious, lasting until her death in 1985, although Montand had a number of well-publicised affairs, notably with Marilyn Monroe, with whom he starred in one of her last films, Let's Make Love. During his career, Montand acted in a number of American motion pictures as well as on Broadway. He was nominated for a Cesar Award for "Best Actor" in 1980 for "I comme Icare" and again in 1984 for "Garçon!"
In the French dubbings of Looney Tunes, the character Pepé Le Pew is an Italian skunk named "Pépé le putois". The voice characterization was often based on Montand's performances.
In 1986, after his international box-office draw power had fallen off considerably, the 65-year-old Montand gave one of his most memorable performances, as the scheming uncle in the two-part film: Jean de Florette, co-starring Gérard Depardieu, and Manon des Sources, co-starring Emmanuelle Béart. The film was a worldwide critical hit and raised Montand's profile in the U.S., where he made an appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman."
Montand's only child, Valentin, his son by his second wife Carole Amiel, was born in 1988. In a paternity suit that rocked France, another woman accused Montand of being the father of her daughter and went to court to obtain a DNA sample from him. Montand refused, but the woman persisted after his death. In a court ruling that made international headlines, the woman won the right to have Montand exhumed and a sample taken. It subsequently showed that he was not the girl's father.
Montand embarked on an affair with Marilyn Monroe during filming of the ill fated film Let's Make Love. He had been personally recommended by Arthur Miller after Miller saw him acting in a foreign movie version of his play The Crucible called Les Sorcières de Salem. Montand always expressed regret over the affair as he considered Miller a "good friend".
In his later years he maintained a home in St Paul de Vence, Provence until his death.
Montand died from a heart attack. In an interview, Jean-Jacques Beineix said, "[H]e died on the set [of IP5: The Island of Pachyderms]... On the very last day, after his very last shot. It was the very last night and we were doing retakes. He finished what he was doing and then he just died. And the film tells the story of an old man who dies from a heart attack, which is the same thing that happened!"
He is buried next to Simone Signoret in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.
In 2004, Catherine Allégret, Montand's stepdaughter and Simone Signoret's daughter from her first marriage, published a book titled World Upside Down (Un monde à l'envers ISBN 2-253-11442-1) in which she contended that Montand had abused her sexually since she was five years old.
La Chansonnette
Yves Montand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Elle avait disparu, le pavé de ma rue était tout bête
Les refrains de Paris avaient pris le maquis
Les forains l'orphéon, la chanson de Mackie
Mais on oublie jamais le flonflon qui vous met le coeur en fête
Quand le vieux musicien dans le quartier
Viens revoir les anciens, faire son métier
Le public se souvient, la chansonnette, tiens tiens !
La la la hauts les coeurs, avec moi tous en choeur, la chansonnette
Et passons la monnaie en garçon qui connaît la chansonnette
Il a fait sa moisson de refrains de paris
Les forains l'orphéon, la chanson de Mackie
Mais on oublie jamais le flonflon qui vous met le coeur en fête
Il faut du temps c'est vrai pour séparer
Le bon grain de l'ivraie pour comparer
Mais on trouve un beau jour sa chansonnette d'amour !
Yves Montand's "La Chansonnette" is a tribute to the power of music in rekindling cherished memories, especially for those who have lived in Paris. The song begins reminiscing about a beloved tune that vanished from the streets amidst new developments in the city. This was perhaps a reflection of how, in the wake of modernization, many historic and cultural aspects of the city were disappearing, threatening to erase its traditional charm.
The imagery in the first few lines paints a picture of a street that had lost its soul. Isolation and alienation were palpable in the air, but the return of the eponymous "chansonnette" lifts the spirits and brings people together. The power of the song, with its catchy tune and familiar lyrics, has the ability to unite strangers, invoking a feeling of interconnectedness that somehow awakens a sense of community in the neighborhood.
The song talks about how even when we move on in life, things that we cherish still hold a special place in our hearts. The song highlights how art, specifically music, has the unique ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia, connecting us with our past and reminding us of who we are. Overall, "La Chansonnette" is an ode to the power of music and its ability to bring people together, invoke memories, and provide solace during difficult and uncertain times.
Line by Line Meaning
La la la mine de rien, la voilà qui revient, la chansonnette
Here comes the song, mine of nothing, la la la, which had disappeared for a while.
Elle avait disparu, le pavé de ma rue était tout bête
The song had vanished, and the road in my neighborhood seemed ordinary.
Les refrains de Paris avaient pris le maquis
The melodies of Paris had gone into hiding.
Les forains l'orphéon, la chanson de Mackie
The itinerant musicians, the town brass bands, and the song of Mackie had taken over.
Mais on oublie jamais le flonflon qui vous met le coeur en fête
However, one never forgets the fifes that fill your heart with joy.
Quand le vieux musicien dans le quartier
When the old musician in the district
Viens revoir les anciens, faire son métier
Comes to revisit the old memories, and do his job.
Le public se souvient, la chansonnette, tiens tiens !
The audience remembers, the song is back, hey hey!
La la la hauts les coeurs, avec moi tous en choeur, la chansonnette
La la la, let's raise our spirits, all together in chorus with the song.
Et passons la monnaie en garçon qui connaît la chansonnette
Let's pay the boy who knows the song.
Il a fait sa moisson de refrains de paris
He has gathered a rich harvest of Parisian melodies.
Les forains l'orphéon, la chanson de Mackie
The itinerant musicians, the town brass bands, and the song of Mackie.
Il faut du temps c'est vrai pour séparer
It takes time, it's true, to distinguish
Le bon grain de l'ivraie pour comparer
The good from the bad, to compare.
Mais on trouve un beau jour sa chansonnette d'amour !
But one day, we find our beloved song!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dunhillan8360
La, la, la, mine de rien
La voilà qui revient
La chansonnette
Elle avait disparu
Le pavé de ma rue
Était tout bête
Les refrains de Paris
Avaient pris l'maquis
Les forains, l'orphéon
La chanson d'Macky
Mais on n'oublie jamais
Le flonflon qui vous met
Le cœur en fête
Quand le vieux musicien
Dans le quartier
Vient revoir les anciens
Faire son métier
Le public se souvient
D'la chansonnette
Tiens, tiens
Les titis, les marquis
C'est parti, mon kiki
La chansonnette
A Presley fait du tort
Car tous les transistors
Soudain s'arrêtent
Sous le ciel de Paris
Un accordéon
Joue la chanson d'Macky
Comme avant l'néon
Cueilli par un flonflon
Un têtard en blouson
D'un franc d'violette
Va fleurir sa Bardot
Car malgré son aigle
Au milieu du dos
Le cœur est bon
Et sous ses cheveux gris
La chansonnette
Sourit!
La, la, la, hauts les cœurs
Avec moi tous en chœur
La chansonnette
Et passons la monnaie
En garçon qui connait
La chansonnette
Il a fait sa moisson
De refrains d'Paris
Les forains, l'orphéon
La chanson d'Macky
Car on n'oublie jamais
Le flonflon qui vous met
Le cœur en fête
Il faut du temps, c'est vrai
Pour séparer
Le bon grain de l'ivraie
Pour comparer
Mais on trouve un beau jour
Sa chansonnette
D'amour !
Paroles de Jean Dréjac, musique de Philippe Gérard
@kajalebiedzinska5032
J'aime beaucoup Montand, j'aime beaucoup cette chanson. Merci, Yves 😍
@magnoliaforever947
Je me ballde chez Montand. Quel régal. Les écouteurs dans les oreilles, le son estcextraordinairz
@javieractisperino9409
La escuchaba con mi madre cuando era niño.Y ahora que la escuho nuevamente es como si mi madre estuviera de nuevo aqui conmigo..Cuantas emociones y lindos recuerdos me despierta " La chansonnette".
@pierre-gabrieljobin9450
Enfin un bon enregistrement du point de vue technique. Contraste avec plusieurs vieux enregistrements.
@annapalanque3716
J'adore Yves Montand!
Sa voix est exquise!
--La la la mine de rien,
la voilà qui revient,
la chansonnette.
@maisonsacre
What an exquisite baritone, perfect pitch and phrasing, serving the song perfectly. You can't listen to it enough...such a gorgeous marriage of singer and song
@rossini9mozart10
Thanks Edith Piaf for that... :)
@maisonsacre
@@rossini9mozart10 Really? I think he had those gifts before Edith, but she may have refined it, as with all great collaborationsm I don't know the full history. But this song is genius
@rossini9mozart10
@@maisonsacre Yes, according to the book "Piaf" by Simone Berteaut, one of the singer's closest friends, Edith trained him a lot and helped him to learn stagecraft and to be sure of his vocal technique and the emotions he could emit :) Edith wasn't too keen on his abilities before his coaching aha but afterwards we know his fiery character too ;)
@PamelaLuna
J'adore mais tellement ❤