The great Mireille Mathieu: Ne me Quitte Pas

One of the clearest, most passionate voices, the incomparable Mireille Mathieu sings 'Ne me Quitte Pas'.



'Quand on Revient'

Quand on revient
Aussi beau qu'il soit
Le pays d'où l'on revient
Mon Dieu, qu'il fait bon chez soi
Quand on revient
On voudrait chanter
Le cœur ne sait plus très bien
S'il doit rire ou bien pleurer

L'avion va se poser
Et malgré mes valises
Gonflées de souvenirs
J'ai le cœur qui se brise
En bas, je vois serrés
Autour de ses églises
La France où je suis née

Quand on revient
Aussi bleu qu'il soit
Le ciel bleu d'où l'on revient
Il fait toujours beau chez soit

J'ai dans mon passeport
Des buildings et des plages
Les hôtels et les ports
Tapissent mes bagages
Mais parmi tous ces noms
Se détache une image
Mon vieux pont d'Avignon

Quand je reviens
Aussi grand qu'il soit
Le pays d'où je reviens
Mon Dieu, qu'il fait bon chez moi
Qu'il fait bon revoir enfin le pays
Où m'attendent mes parents, mes amis
C'est le plus joli pays
Quand je reviens

Classic French Romantics by Alain Barriere

'Tout t'en Vas' by Alain Barriere and Noelle Cordier



Another version of 'Tout T'en Vas'



As a postscript, another great duet, this time Mireille Mathieu and Nina Mouskouri singing 'La Paloma'

'I'll be There' and 'Cette Annee-La' by Clo-Clo

'J'Attendrais' (I'll be There') by Claude Francois, singing the French version of the old English song, 'Reach Out, I'll be There'



'Cette Annee-La'

Classic Clo-Clo. His energy and attitude of lighting up any room he entered are most apparent in this video. His smile really did illuminate the world. If you understand French, you will see instantly how different the lyrics are in this version of the song. Incidentally, I have to confess that I never was a fan of 'les Clodettes', his entourage of dancers.

'Cette année-là ...
Je chantais pour la première fois,
le public ne me connaissait pas
Oh.. quelle année , cette année-là.
Cette année-là ...
le rock'n'roll venait d'ouvrir ses ailes
et dans mon coin je chantais 'Belle, Belle, Belle.'
Et le public aimait ça.
Déjà les Beatles étaient quatre garçons dans le vent,
et moi, ma chanson disait marche tout droit.
Cette année-là ...
quelle joie d'être l'idole des jeunes
pour des fans qui cassaient les fauteuils.
Plus j'y pense et moins j'oublie.
J'ai découvert mon premier, mon dernier amour,
le seul, le grand, l'unique et pour toujours le public
Cette année-là ...
dans le ciel passait une musique,
un oiseau qu'on appelait Spoutnik.
Oh ..quelle année, cette année-là.
C'est là qu'on a dit adieu à Marilyn au cœur d'or,
tandis que West Side battait tous les records.
Cette année-là les guitares tiraient sur les violons,
on croyait qu'une révolution arrivait cette année-là.
C'était hier, mais aujourd'hui rien n'a changé.
C'est le même métier qui ce soir recommence encore.
C'était l'année ,soixante deux ...
C'était l'année , soixante deux ...
C'était l'année , soixante deux ...
C'était l'année ......'

'I discovered my first, my last love: the only one, great, unique, and for always, the 'Public' in this year.'

It was true of him more even than for most 'stars'. He drove himself to be an icon for the 'young'... and he died before he ever experienced an end to his own youth.



Finally, 'Belles, Belles, Belles'

'Comme d'Habitude' or 'My Way' by Claude Francois

How many 'native' English speaking individuals are familiar with Claude Francois, a French pop singer affectionately known as 'Clo-Clo'? He died tragically from an electrical accident in his bath at a fairly young age 30 years ago and yet he still lives in the hearts of fans from every generation. Physically, he epitomises my own personal ideal in terms of male beauty. 'Androgynous' is a term that has been much-abused, but it definitely would describe some one like Clo-Clo, who was slim, blond and had exquisite features.

Oddly enough, one of his songs has become one of the best-known popular songs throughout the world. It is not the original, entitled 'Comme d'Habitude' that is known and sung still internationally, but the English version of the song, entitled 'My Way'. This song was made most famous by Frank Sinatra, a man I never liked at all. Give me Clo-Clo any day!



'Comme d'Habitude' by Claude Francois

The original French lyrics are quite different from the English version. In fact, the song is very Gallic, about a man who lives with a frigid woman but carries on living 'comme d'Habitude', pretending happiness where there is none... pretending and pretending, 'putting a good face on it' as it were.

'Some Weird Sin' by Iggy Pop

'Lust for Life' is a fabulous album and 'Some Weird Sin' is one of my favourite songs, expressing all the angst of some one who wants to be acceptable but at the same time, feels compelled to be himself/herself.


'Some Weird Sin' by Iggy Pop

Well, I never got my license to live.
They won't give it up,
So I stand at the world's edge:

I'm trying to break in,
Oh, I know it's not for me,
And the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill:
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin.

Things get too straight,
I can't bear it;
I feel stuck, stuck on a pin:

I'm trying to break in,
Oh, I know it's not for me,
But the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill.
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin
Just to relax with...

Yeah, some dumb, weird sin
For a while anyway,
With my head on the ledge,
That's what you get out on the edge:
Some Weird Sin.

Things get too straight,
I can't bear it;
I feel stuck, stuck on a pin:

I'm trying to break in,
Oh, I know it's not for me,
When the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill:
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin
That's when I want- Some Weird Sin
Just to relax with

That's some dumb weird sin
For a while anyway
With my head out on the ledge
That's what you get out on the edge
Some Weird sin

Some weird sin, Some weird sin...



'Tonight' by Iggy Pop

Another favourite in a very different vein...

I saw my baby,
She was turning blue.
Oh, I knew that soon, her
Young life was through;

And so I got down on my knees
Down by her bed,
And these are the words
To her I said:

Everything will be allright, tonight
Everything will be allright, tonight

No one moves
No one talks
No one thinks
No one walks, tonight...

Everyone will be allright, tonight...

No one moves
No one talks
No one thinks
No one walks, Tonight, Tonight...

I am gonna love her to the end:
I will love her 'til I die,
I will see her in the sky...Tonight.'