Following from the previous but one song, Bernardette by the Four Tops, a switch of gender, and style, with funk and soul number from the acclaimed artist from the 1970s nouvelle chanson française. Sanson achieved huge success in that decade, mainly as an artist singing in her language, but she also forged many links with British and American artists, marrying Stephen Stills, befriending members of The Who, and her earlier song, Amoureuse, was covered by many including Kiki Dee and Shirley Bassey. In the mid-seventies she travelled to the US, and in 1977 made the album Hollywood, from which this song opens, recording it in Stevie Wonder’s studio. His style and influence is certainly in evidence here, with that orchestra-rich funk driving this forward. But who is the enigmatic Bernard who ‘is from nowhere’? Possibly it is the French singer Bernard Lavilliers, or the CEO of WEO records who signed her, Bernard de Bosson, or most likely her longtime producer, Bernard Saint-Paul, with whom she made 12 albums. Either way, Bernard’s a big figure in her life. A rough translation follows the original lyrics:
ll est jamais bien rasé
Il est toujours fatigué
Il dit toujours oui à un bon verre de vin
Il cache souvent sa tendresse
Par pudeur ou par paresse
Il est sûr de n'avoir jamais peur de rien
Il a toujours voulu les filles
Et toutes celles qu'il déshabille
Ne restent jamais le lendemain matin mais s'il a tort, s'il a raison
C'est vraiment pas la question, n'en parlons pas
Il n'a pas de frontières
Et il n'a même pas de pays
Et il n'est pas d'ici
Il n'a pas de père
À prévenir de son départ
Il n'est de nulle part
Il a plusieurs paires de lunes
Qui s'éteignent et qui s'allument
Il voyage dans le vide et dans le temps
Mais il est toujours prêt à rire
Pour le meilleur et pour le pire
Je crois bien qu'il rôde la nuit de temps en temps
Il n'a pas de vraie prison
Il ne voit que l'horizon
À travers les brumes du petit matin mais s'il a tort, s'il a raison
C'est vraiment pas la question, n'en parlons pas
Il n'a pas de frontières
Et il n'a même pas de pays
Et il n'est pas d'ici
Comme il n'en a pas l'air
Moi je vous jure qu'il est bizarre
Il n'est de nulle part
Il n'a pas de frontières
Et il n'a même pas de pays
Et il n'en a pas l'air
Mais je vous jure qu'il est bizarre
Il n'est de nulle part
Il n'a pas de frontières
Et il n'a même pas de pays
Et il n'en a pas l'air
Mais je vous jure qu'il est bizarre
Il n'est de nulle part.
————-
He is never well shaved
He is always tired
He always says yes to a good glass of wine
He often hides his tenderness
By modesty or laziness
He's sure he's never afraid of anything
He always wanted girls
And all the ones he undresses
Never stay the next morning
But if he is wrong, if he is right
That's really not the point, let's not talk about it
He has no borders
And he does not even have a country
And he's not from here
He does not have a father
To warn of his departure
He is out of nowhere
He has several pairs of moons
Who go out and who turn on
He travels in emptiness and time
But he's always ready to laugh
For better and for worse
I think he roams the night from time to time
He does not have a real prison
He only sees the horizon
Through the mists of the early morning
But if he is wrong, if he is right
That's really not the point, let's not talk about it
He has no borders
And he does not even have a country
And he's not from here
Since he does not look
I swear it's weird
He is out of nowhere
He has no borders
And he does not even have a country
And he does not look
But I swear it's weird
He is out of nowhere
Usually singing at the piano, Sanson proved she was also no fool with the guitar. Here she is in a live performance of another song in Vancouver in 1976:
Want to suggest songs for Song of the Day or to say anything about it? Does this song make you think of something else? Then feel free to comment below, on the contact page, or on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube. Please subscribe, follow and share.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...