As many of you know, I’m a big Francophile. So, it may not surprise you that three of the five songs I’ve chosen to feature here are from, or pay homage to, France. And what better time is there to celebrate than the week of her birthday (July 14), otherwise known as Bastille Day?
There’s nothing like a Charles Trenet song to make you feel happy. Some of his lyrics can be surprisingly dark, but not here. In this song, Trenet the optimist wakes up from a lovely dream only to find gray skies and dull morning rituals before him. But without the dream, there would be no song!
| Y a d’la joie bonjour, Bonjour les hirondelles Y a d’la joie dans le ciel par dessus les toits Y a d’la joie et du soleil dans les ruelles Y a d’la joie partout, y a d’la joie! |
There is joy Hello, swallows! There is joy In the sky, above the roofs There is joy And sun in the alleyways There is joy everywhere, there is joy! |
| Tout le jour, Mon coeur bat, chavire et chancelle C’est l’amour Qui vient avec je ne sais quoi C’est l’amour Bonjour, bonjour les demoiselles Y a d’la joie, partout, y a d’la joie |
All day long, My heart beats, capsizes, and staggers It’s love That comes with…I don’t know what! It’s love Hello, hello ladies There is joy everywhere, there is joy! |
| Le gris boulanger Bat la pâte à pleins bras Il fait du bon pain, Du pain si fin que j’ai faim On voit le facteur Qui s’envole là-bas Comme un ange bleu Portant ses lettres au bon dieu Miracle sans nom À la station Javelle: On voit le métro Qui sort de son tunnel, Grisé de soleil, De chansons et de fleurs. Il court vers le bois, Il court à toute vapeur. |
The gray-haired baker Pounds the dough with his arms. He makes good bread Such fine bread that I get hungry. I see the postman Who flies down Like a blue angel Carrying his letters to God. There’s a nameless miracle At the Javelle metro stop: You see the train Emerge from its tunnel, Drunk on sunshine, Songs, and flowers. It runs towards the Bois (de Boulogne) Full steam ahead. |
| Y a d’la joie! La Tour Eiffel part en balade Comme une folle, Elle saute la seine à pieds joints. Puis elle dit, ”Tant pis pour moi si j’suis malade J’m’embêtais tout’ seule dans mon coin.” |
There is joy! The Eiffel Tower goes for a stroll Like a madwoman, She jumps into the Seine, feet together. Then she says, “Too bad for me if I get sick, I was so bored all alone in my place.” |
| Y a d’la joie! Le percepteur met sa jaquette Plie boutique, Et dit d’un air très doux, très doux “Bien l’bonjour Pour aujourd’hui fini la quête Gardez tout messieurs, gardez tout” |
There is joy! The tax man puts on his morning coat Closes up shop, And says very, very sweetly, “Well, hello! My quest for money is over today. Keep it all, Sirs, keep it all!” |
| Mais voilà qu’soudain Je m’éveille dans mon lit. Donc, j’avais rêvé, Oui car le ciel est gris. Il faut se lever, Se laver, se vêtir, Et ne plus chanter. Si l’on n’a plus rien à dire. Mais je crois pourtant Que ce rêve a du bon Car il m’a permis De faire une chanson! Chanson de printemps, Chansonnette d’amour, Chanson de 20 ans, Chanson de toujours. |
But look, suddenly I wake up in my bed. I was dreaming, Yes, because the sky is gray. I must get up, Wash up and get dressed, And not sing anymore Since I don’t have anything more to say. But I think perhaps That this dream was a good thing Because it allowed me To make a song! A song of springtime, A little song of love, A song of youth, A song of forever. |
My first record was Charles Trenet ” Le jardin extraordinaire” I was a kid maybe 11 years old, and I saw him many years ago at Lincoln Center, he was so happy to sing there that he could not stop , very generous with his performance to our delight of course. Having been born in Paris, lived in a lovely village , knowing the country and provence, make me understand Charles Trenet, in a very colorful way, so as to picture the scene as he sing a song.