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.
Une demoiselle sur une balançoire
Yves Montand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Se balan??ait ?? la f??te un dimanche
Elle ??tait belle et l'on pouvait voir
Ses jambes blanches sous son jupon noir...
Le marchand lui criait : "Voulez-vous vous asseoir ?
Descendez, descendez, c'est assez pour ce soir,
Si vous restez debout
Mais la demoisell' sur la balan??oire
Riait, riait et montait de plus belle
Elle ??tait belle et l'on pouvait croir'
Qu'ell' s'envolait pour toujours dans le ciel
Mais c'??tait d??fendu
Elle est redescendue
Quand elle est descendue
Moi j'??tais tout ??mu
Je lui ai dit : "Mad'moiselle
J'ai cru que vous aviez des ailes !"
On est all??s au tir,
Aux ch'vaux d'bois, aux nougats
Au cirque, ?? la femm' tronc
Mais ??a n'l'amusait pas...
Ell' m'a dit : "Je vous remercie
Je pr??f??r' retourner l??-bas..."
Et voil?? qu'ell' m'a laiss??
Pour aller s'balancer
Un' demoisell' sur un' balan??oire
Se balan??ait ?? la f??te un dimanche
Elle ??tait belle et l'on pouvait voir
Ses jambes blanches sous son jupon noir...
Quand elle est descendue,
Toujours aussi ??mu
Je lui ai propos?? : "Voulez-vous m'??pouser ?"
A la mairie du douzi??me
J'ai dit oui, elle de m??m'
Je l'ai prise par le nez
Par le cou, par le bras
J'l'avais tout contre moi
Mais ??a n'l'amusait pas
Ell' m'a dit : "J'vous remercie
Je pr??f??r' retourner l??-bas..."
Et voil?? qu'ell' m'a laiss??
Pour aller s'balancer ! ...
Une demoiselle sur une balançoire is a song by Yves Montand about a beautiful girl who swings on a swing set during a fair on a Sunday. The singer admires the girl's beauty and her ability to swing higher and higher, seemingly flying away into the sky. However, the vendor warns her to be careful and offers her a seat to rest so she doesn't hurt herself. The girl ignores the warning and keeps on swinging, eventually getting down only to go back to the swing. The singer follows her and proposes to her, but she declines and continues to swing away.
The song paints a picture of a carefree girl who only wants to have fun and not be tied down by marriage or any other responsibility. She's living in the moment and enjoying herself without a care in the world. The singer represents those who are attracted to such freedom but cannot possess it themselves. Furthermore, the song can also be interpreted as a commentary on the limited options available for women in society - the only outlet for the girl's rebellious spirit is a simple swing set.
Line by Line Meaning
Un' demoisell' sur un' balan??oire
A young girl on a swing
Se balan??ait ?? la f??te un dimanche
Swinging at the fair on a Sunday
Elle ??tait belle et l'on pouvait voir
She was beautiful and one could see
Ses jambes blanches sous son jupon noir...
Her white legs under her black skirt...
Le marchand lui criait : "Voulez-vous vous asseoir ?
The vendor shouted at her: "Do you want to sit down?
Descendez, descendez, c'est assez pour ce soir,
Come down, come down, that's enough for tonight,
Si vous restez debout
If you stay standing
Vous allez vous casser le cou !"
You'll break your neck!"
Mais la demoisell' sur la balan??oire
But the young girl on the swing
Riait, riait et montait de plus belle
Laughed, laughed and went higher
Elle ??tait belle et l'on pouvait croir'
She was beautiful and one could believe
Qu'ell' s'envolait pour toujours dans le ciel
That she was flying away forever in the sky
Mais c'??tait d??fendu
But it was forbidden
Elle est redescendue
She came back down
Quand elle est descendue
When she came down
Moi j'??tais tout ??mu
I was deeply moved
Je lui ai dit : "Mad'moiselle
I said to her: "Miss
J'ai cru que vous aviez des ailes !"
I thought you had wings!"
On est all??s au tir,
We went to the shooting range,
Aux ch'vaux d'bois, aux nougats
To the merry-go-rounds, to the nougat stands
Au cirque, ?? la femm' tronc
To the circus, to the woman with no legs
Mais ??a n'l'amusait pas...
But she wasn't amused...
Ell' m'a dit : "Je vous remercie
She said to me: "Thank you
Je pr??f??r' retourner l??-bas..."
I prefer to go back there..."
Et voil?? qu'ell' m'a laiss??
And then she left me
Pour aller s'balancer
To go swing
Quand elle est descendue,
When she came down
Toujours aussi ??mu
Still deeply moved
Je lui ai propos?? : "Voulez-vous m'??pouser ?"
I proposed to her: "Do you want to marry me?"
A la mairie du douzi??me
At the twelfth district city hall
J'ai dit oui, elle de m??m'
I said yes, and she did too
Je l'ai prise par le nez
I took her by the nose
Par le cou, par le bras
By the neck, by the arm
J'l'avais tout contre moi
I had her close to me
Mais ??a n'l'amusait pas
But she wasn't amused
Ell' m'a dit : "J'vous remercie
She said to me: "Thank you
Je pr??f??r' retourner l??-bas..."
I prefer to go back there..."
Et voil?? qu'ell' m'a laiss??
And then she left me
Pour aller s'balancer ! ...
To go swing!...
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEAN NOHAIN, MIREILLE HARTUCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ablmpa6
La balançoire, que je l'ai chanté avec mon PAPA
@deschampsgilles8635
quel belle chanson du papé
@biancobruno4905
Montants toujours aussi bon dans la chansons et les films dommage qu'il n'est plus là
@josianeleza6044
Tu connais cette chanson depuis quand?
@andredede43
Super
@deschampsgilles8635
quel bejje chanson