Zazie's mother was an architect and her father a music teacher. Her songs range from upbeat rock or pop songs to languid downtempo tunes and are characterised by the wit of their lyrics based on puns, alliterations, homophones and double-entendres.
Zazie debuted in 1992 with the album "Je Tu Ils" and the single "Sucré salé".
In 1995, she released her sophomore album Zen, which was co-written and co-produced with Vincent-Marie Bouvot. It included the singles "Zen" and "Homme Sweet Homme". Her 1996 single "Un point c'est toi" from the same album was discussed on Canada's MuchMusic TV program Too Much 4 Much due to its controversial content. Ultimately, the discussion panel deemed the video okay for audiences. In the video, a group of four smitten women, including Zazie, follow a pair of men down to a lake. There, the two men strip off their clothes and swim in the water. Zazie fantasizes about undressing one of the men and kissing him. To shock of the women, however, the two men kiss each other.
In 1997, Pascal Obispo and Zazie released the single "Les Meilleurs Ennemis".
Her 1998 album Made in Love was co-produced by Ali Staton, Pierre Jaconelli, and herself. The album photos were taken by fashion designer Jean-Baptiste Mondino. The songs "Ça Fait Mal Et Ça Fait Rien", "Tous des anges", and "Tout Le Monde" were released as singles. This album was followed by a live album, Made in Live, the next year. In 1999 she also wrote a song for Jane Birkin in Jane Birkin's album .
In 2001, Zazie dueted with Axel Bauer on the single "A Ma Place". It was her most successful single in France, reaching number four on the French charts.
Zazie once again addressed gay content on her 2002 single "Adam et Yves" from her 2001 album La Zizanie. This album was produced solely by Pierre Jaconelli. Other singles included "Rue de la paix" and "Danse avec les loops". In 2003, she released another live album, Ze Live.
Her 2004 album Rodéo was co-produced and co-written with Jean-Pierre Pilot and Philippe Paradis. A short film "Rodéo indien" was made using songs from the album as a soundtrack. Zazie played the role of an Indian woman who leaves her cheating husband. She followed this album up with a live album, Rodéo Tour in 2006.
In 2007 her sixth studio album "Totem" was released and debuted at number 1. The second single (but first commercially released) was "Je Suis Un Homme" which became Zazie's first solo top ten hit in France. In Winter 2008 a best of album "Zest of Zazie" was released which as well as past hits contained two new songs "Fm Air" and "Un peu beaucoup" and live recordings.
La source
Zazie Lyrics
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Ne connait pas l'estuaire
Ne sait rien des eaux troubles
Qui se jettent à la mer
La source, elle rit
De nous avoir vu naître
Et jamais ne tarit
Oui, ma sœur, souviens-toi
C'est cette eau que l'on boit
Celle qui coulait limpide
Sans s'effrayer du vide
On connait le chemin
Des chutes et des rapides
Sur nos fronts quelques rides
Annoncent pas la fin
Puisque la source, hier
De l'estuaire et si loin
Qu'elle jaillit de la terre
Prends la vie comme elle vient
Puisque la source, elle rit
Et ne sait jamais rien
Des torrents qui charrient
Ces cailloux dans nos reins
Oui, ma sœur, rappelle-toi
Comme il faut nager vite
Quand on remontera
Les courants qui t'agitent
Oui, ma sœur, il faudra
Se frayer un chemin
Comme l'on meurt, autrefois
Pour nos filles, demain
On dira que nous sommes
Des filles, un peu garçonnes
Des danseuses ridicules
Qui dans l'air, font des bulles
Ainsi vont les saumones
Qui remontent à la source
Il faut narguer les ours
Pour faire mettre les hommes
Dans nos flancs, la vie est rose
L'oxygène qu'on ose
À chercher dans l'eau vive
Le mouvement pour survivre
À la source, on s'emmène
Vous regarder sourire
Faire hurler nos sirènes
Jusqu'au dernier soupir
Jusqu'au dernier soupir
The lyrics of Zazie's song "La source" depict a source, a symbol of purity and innocence, that is unaware of the troubled waters that flow into the sea. The source is portrayed as laughing at humanity, as it has witnessed our birth and never runs dry, never stops flowing. The song encourages us to remember the clear water we used to drink, the water that flowed without fear of emptiness.
The lyrics also allude to the challenges of life, comparing them to waterfalls and rapids. The wrinkles on our foreheads signify our experiences, but they do not indicate the end. Like the source, we should take life as it comes, accepting its uncertainties and flowing with it.
The chorus emphasizes the ignorance of the source, which never knows about the torrents that carry pebbles in our kidneys. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the difficulties and hardships we face in life, which the source remains blissfully unaware of.
As the song continues, the lyrics urge us to remember the importance of swimming fast when faced with strong currents. It speaks of carving our own path, just as our ancestors did in the past, for the sake of our future generations. The song suggests that we need to defy obstacles like the salmon going upstream, challenging the bears to make humans change.
Line by Line Meaning
La source, hier
The source, yesterday
Ne connait pas l'estuaire
Does not know the estuary
Ne sait rien des eaux troubles
Knows nothing about the troubled waters
Qui se jettent à la mer
That flow into the sea
La source, elle rit
The source, it laughs
De nous avoir vu naître
For having seen us being born
Et jamais ne tarit
And never dries up
Et jamais ne s'arrête
And never stops
Oui, ma sœur, souviens-toi
Yes, my sister, remember
C'est cette eau que l'on boit
It is this water that we drink
Celle qui coulait limpide
The one that flowed clear
Sans s'effrayer du vide
Without being afraid of emptiness
On connait le chemin
We know the way
Des chutes et des rapides
Of waterfalls and rapids
Sur nos fronts quelques rides
On our foreheads, a few wrinkles
Annoncent pas la fin
Do not announce the end
Puisque la source, hier
Since the source, yesterday
De l'estuaire et si loin
From the estuary and so far away
Qu'elle jaillit de la terre
That it springs from the earth
Prends la vie comme elle vient
Take life as it comes
Puisque la source, elle rit
Since the source, it laughs
Et ne sait jamais rien
And never knows anything
Des torrents qui charrient
Of the torrents that carry
Ces cailloux dans nos reins
These pebbles in our kidneys
Oui, ma sœur, rappelle-toi
Yes, my sister, remember
Comme il faut nager vite
How we must swim fast
Quand on remontera
When we will swim upstream
Les courants qui t'agitent
The currents that agitate you
Oui, ma sœur, il faudra
Yes, my sister, we will have to
Se frayer un chemin
Carve out a path
Comme l'on meurt, autrefois
Like one dies, in the past
Pour nos filles, demain
For our daughters, tomorrow
On dira que nous sommes
It will be said that we are
Des filles, un peu garçonnes
Girls, a little tomboys
Des danseuses ridicules
Ridiculous dancers
Qui dans l'air, font des bulles
Who make bubbles in the air
Ainsi vont les saumones
That's how the salmon go
Qui remontent à la source
Who swim upstream to the source
Il faut narguer les ours
We must taunt the bears
Pour faire mettre les hommes
To make the men give in
Dans nos flancs, la vie est rose
In our bellies, life is pink
L'oxygène qu'on ose
The oxygen that we dare
À chercher dans l'eau vive
To seek in the flowing water
Le mouvement pour survivre
The movement to survive
À la source, on s'emmène
To the source, we take ourselves
Vous regarder sourire
To watch you smile
Faire hurler nos sirènes
To make our sirens scream
Jusqu'au dernier soupir
Until the last breath
Jusqu'au dernier soupir
Until the last breath
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Isabelle De Truchis De Varenne, Edith Fambuena, Alexis Anerilles
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind