Morgane de toi
Encyclopedia
Morgane de toi is the sixth studio album
from French
artist Renaud
, recorded in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
, with American session musician
s. It was released in 1983 under the Polydor label, and a remastered version was reissued in 2000.
It remains one of Renaud's most successful albums to date, including two of his most famous songs, the sea tale Dès que le vent soufflera and the ballad Morgane de toi, about his daughter Lolita.
.
Deuxième génération:A slower, melancholic story of a young guy, son of immigrants (hence the "second generation") who lives on the street, "not far from La Défense
", on the outskirts of Paris. The tale explains how his only pleasures in life are violence, being feared by people, music with friends and cheap drugs. Very good portrait of people (here Arabic origin, typical of the 1960s-1970s immigration in France) whose malaise is to feel foreigner in France as well as in their parents' country of origin.
Pochtron!:A parody on people who drink too much. A "pochtron" is a slang word for a drunkard. The narrator claims that "I don't throw up much, only when I mix different stuff. For example if people put water in my Ricard
...", the joke being that Ricard is always drunk with water.
Morgane de toi:One of Renaud's greatest hits, for once the narrator is himself in this moving ballad. He describes his daughter at the age of about four years, projecting his worries for her future onto her. Anxious that she will be bossed around by the young "machos" in the playground he advises her to whack one in the back with her rake. The song has nine verses, arranged as follows: VBVVC, VBVVC, VBVVC CC where V is a verse, B is a short bridge and C is the chorus.
Doudou s'en fout:(Black Doudou isn't worried)A Caribbean-influenced parody of a young girl who works in a clothing shop in Paris. She sells overpriced bathing suits to rich, snobby women. Although she hates her job, in the end she doesn't care, because in August, Doudou is heading home, presumably to somewhere "warmer and more beautiful" (perhaps Guadeloupe or New Caledonia) where she can "burn her skin".
En cloque:(Knocked up) An interesting juxtaposition with "Morgane de toi", this is another slow autobiographical ballad, written before the birth of his daughter. He describes in his typical style his wife's pregnancy. It is sentimental, but slightly self-mocking, as he describes his inability to find something to do with himself as his wife goes through cravings. It features the memorable line "Même si je devenais pédé comme un phoque, je serais jamais en cloque" (even if I was gay as a lark, I would never be up the duff...).
Ma chanson leur a pas plu...:(They didn't like my song...) This parody of his fellow French pop stars is a hard-edged rock number as an imaginary autobiographical narration of Renaud's difficulties coming up with new tunes. Each verse
is about a new number he has just written, but every time, upon hearing it, his close friends point out to him that this one is not of his usual style, and that he should forget it and start again. The songwriter then figures he can sell his failed composition to this one contemporary singer (a different one at each verse, namely Jean-Patrick Capdevielle, Bernard Lavilliers
, and Francis Cabrel
), but he never manages to convince them, even though each time the song in question is of the style of the given artist in turn. Persistent, he goes back to writing yet another, better song, and so on to the next song-artist combination until at the end, fed up, he fiercely sets off to write one for his very own self, one with mopeds and motorbikes and leather jackets and pipe wrenches and all, along with cheap word puns. This final verse is where Renaud did not forget to parody himself as well, as he has at other times in his career.
Déserteur:Picking up on where a famous anti-military French song of the same name left it decades ago, Renaud mocks the French military and political life, this time with harsher lyrics, as times have changed, pacifism has made its mark and censorship is no longer to be feared so much. The original song (written by Boris Vian
) begins "Monsieur le Président, je vous fais une lettre que vous lirez peut-être" (Mr President, I'm writing you a letter which you might perhaps read). Renaud's version rhymes with the original, but goes "Monsieur le Président, je vous fais une bafouille, que vous lirez sûrement si vous avez des couilles". (Mr President, I'm spewing out a letter, which you'll surely read if you have any balls)
Près des autos tamponneuses:A tale of a young lad who meets a girl, fashion-victim at the dodgem cars. Complete with carousel music, with accordion
played by Peter White
, he describes meeting her, spending a few nice moments with her, then things going horribly wrong when he rams her.
Loulou:An ode presumably to a friend of his, who although tough and mean when younger, has become older and flabbier.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
from French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
artist Renaud
Renaud
Renaud, born Renaud Séchan, is a French singer, songwriter and actor.Renaud may also refer to:* Renaud , a male French given name* Renaud , a 1783 opera by Antonio Sacchini* Renaud, Quebec, part of Laval, Quebec...
, recorded in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
Canoga Park is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States about 25 miles northwest of Downtown Los Angeles....
, with American session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s. It was released in 1983 under the Polydor label, and a remastered version was reissued in 2000.
It remains one of Renaud's most successful albums to date, including two of his most famous songs, the sea tale Dès que le vent soufflera and the ballad Morgane de toi, about his daughter Lolita.
Track listing
- "Dès que le vent soufflera"
- "Deuxième génération"
- "Pochtron!"
- "Morgane de toi"
- "Doudou s'en fout"
- "En cloque"
- "Ma chanson leur a pas plu..."
- "Déserteur"
- "Près des autos tamponneuses"
- "Loulou"
Songs
Dès que le vent soufflera:An upbeat, fast-paced tale of a young man who leaves his wife and family to take to the sea. But he learns that "C'est pas l'homme qui prend la mer, c'est la mer qui prend l'homme!" (It's not man who takes the sea, it's the sea who takes the man). Features various deliberate grammatical mistakes such as "Je repartira" and "Nous nous en allerons", as an openly easy way to satisfy the rhymeRhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
.
Deuxième génération:A slower, melancholic story of a young guy, son of immigrants (hence the "second generation") who lives on the street, "not far from La Défense
La Défense
La Défense is a major business district of the Paris aire urbaine. With a population of 20,000, it is centered in an orbital motorway straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...
", on the outskirts of Paris. The tale explains how his only pleasures in life are violence, being feared by people, music with friends and cheap drugs. Very good portrait of people (here Arabic origin, typical of the 1960s-1970s immigration in France) whose malaise is to feel foreigner in France as well as in their parents' country of origin.
Pochtron!:A parody on people who drink too much. A "pochtron" is a slang word for a drunkard. The narrator claims that "I don't throw up much, only when I mix different stuff. For example if people put water in my Ricard
Pastis
Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur and apéritif from France, typically containing 40–45% alcohol by volume, although alcohol-free varieties exist.-Origins:...
...", the joke being that Ricard is always drunk with water.
Morgane de toi:One of Renaud's greatest hits, for once the narrator is himself in this moving ballad. He describes his daughter at the age of about four years, projecting his worries for her future onto her. Anxious that she will be bossed around by the young "machos" in the playground he advises her to whack one in the back with her rake. The song has nine verses, arranged as follows: VBVVC, VBVVC, VBVVC CC where V is a verse, B is a short bridge and C is the chorus.
Doudou s'en fout:(Black Doudou isn't worried)A Caribbean-influenced parody of a young girl who works in a clothing shop in Paris. She sells overpriced bathing suits to rich, snobby women. Although she hates her job, in the end she doesn't care, because in August, Doudou is heading home, presumably to somewhere "warmer and more beautiful" (perhaps Guadeloupe or New Caledonia) where she can "burn her skin".
En cloque:(Knocked up) An interesting juxtaposition with "Morgane de toi", this is another slow autobiographical ballad, written before the birth of his daughter. He describes in his typical style his wife's pregnancy. It is sentimental, but slightly self-mocking, as he describes his inability to find something to do with himself as his wife goes through cravings. It features the memorable line "Même si je devenais pédé comme un phoque, je serais jamais en cloque" (even if I was gay as a lark, I would never be up the duff...).
Ma chanson leur a pas plu...:(They didn't like my song...) This parody of his fellow French pop stars is a hard-edged rock number as an imaginary autobiographical narration of Renaud's difficulties coming up with new tunes. Each verse
Song structure (popular music)
The structures or musical forms of songs in popular music are typically sectional, repeating forms, such as strophic form. Other common forms include thirty-two-bar form, verse-chorus form, and the twelve bar blues...
is about a new number he has just written, but every time, upon hearing it, his close friends point out to him that this one is not of his usual style, and that he should forget it and start again. The songwriter then figures he can sell his failed composition to this one contemporary singer (a different one at each verse, namely Jean-Patrick Capdevielle, Bernard Lavilliers
Bernard Lavilliers
Bernard Lavilliers is a French singer.He was born Bernard Oulion in Saint-Étienne, Loire.The band Fatals Picards wrote a song Bernard Lavilliers, satirizing Lavilliers' image as a former adventurer.-Discography:...
, and Francis Cabrel
Francis Cabrel
Francis Cabrel is a well-known French singer-songwriter and guitarist. Inspired heavily by Bob Dylan, he has released a number of albums falling mostly within the realm of folk, with occasional forays into blues or country. Several of his songs, such as "L'encre de tes yeux" and "Petite Marie"...
), but he never manages to convince them, even though each time the song in question is of the style of the given artist in turn. Persistent, he goes back to writing yet another, better song, and so on to the next song-artist combination until at the end, fed up, he fiercely sets off to write one for his very own self, one with mopeds and motorbikes and leather jackets and pipe wrenches and all, along with cheap word puns. This final verse is where Renaud did not forget to parody himself as well, as he has at other times in his career.
Déserteur:Picking up on where a famous anti-military French song of the same name left it decades ago, Renaud mocks the French military and political life, this time with harsher lyrics, as times have changed, pacifism has made its mark and censorship is no longer to be feared so much. The original song (written by Boris Vian
Boris Vian
Boris Vian was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer. He is best remembered today for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of their...
) begins "Monsieur le Président, je vous fais une lettre que vous lirez peut-être" (Mr President, I'm writing you a letter which you might perhaps read). Renaud's version rhymes with the original, but goes "Monsieur le Président, je vous fais une bafouille, que vous lirez sûrement si vous avez des couilles". (Mr President, I'm spewing out a letter, which you'll surely read if you have any balls)
Près des autos tamponneuses:A tale of a young lad who meets a girl, fashion-victim at the dodgem cars. Complete with carousel music, with accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
played by Peter White
Peter White (musician)
Peter White is a smooth jazz and jazz fusion guitarist. He also plays the accordion and the piano. His brother, Danny White, was one of the original members who formed the UK based band Matt Bianco.-Career:...
, he describes meeting her, spending a few nice moments with her, then things going horribly wrong when he rams her.
Loulou:An ode presumably to a friend of his, who although tough and mean when younger, has become older and flabbier.
Personnel
- Randy KerberRandy KerberRandy Kerber is a composer, orchestrator, keyboard player, born September 25, 1958 in Encino, California, who has had a prolific career in the world of cinema...
- keyboards - Peter WhitePeter White (musician)Peter White is a smooth jazz and jazz fusion guitarist. He also plays the accordion and the piano. His brother, Danny White, was one of the original members who formed the UK based band Matt Bianco.-Career:...
- guitar and accordion - Michael LandauMichael LandauMichael Landau is a prolific session musician and guitarist who has played on a large number of albums since the early 1980s with artists as varied as Seal, James Taylor, Helen Watson, Richard Marx, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd and Miles Davis...
- guitar