Indeed, it is a Lara Fabian song... :-)

So the lyrics say she had a fight with her lover and then he bolted with a suitcase or something right? And "no se livre pas" means that she can't live without him right?

 
Best Response

Could be. Then again it could mean something completely different. Weird lyrics.

My interpretation is probably similar to yours, including that the guy's not there, except I'm guessing he might be dead:

  • She's looking at different objects that remind her of the guy (Un collier d'oranges amères Une étole de verre Une réponse en prière Une étoile de terre Et dans ce sourire étrange Le visage d'un ange Qui me rappelle qu'ici bas)

  • The guy is dead since "ici-bas" is often used to contrast earth with heaven, and she compares his face (photo among the objects reminder her of him?) with that of an angel.

  • Since he's not around, it's gonna be a tough life or something like that (Il ne manquait que toi Pour que le combat) Ne se livre pas)

Maybe defoss2 who seems to know a thing or two about french could give his point of view.

I can't believe I'm trying to lend some meaning to a song, by Lara Fabian no less (not my cup of tea!), a Monday morning on an IB forum!

 

Ha ha, thanks EuroMonkey...

Coincidentially, I caught a video of Lara Fabian on You Tube last night singing this song and she is with a man... who does not at all seem to be dead... or maybe the video is a dream? Who knows.

There's another video where she sings Caruso and "Adagio"... oh my god her voice is AMAZING!! May not be your cup of tea, but I'd pay top $$$$ to see her perform live. I've heard her concerts are simply phenomenal.

Euro... if you could indulge one more question, what does "Un collier d'oranges ameres" mean? 'cuz it sounds like yellow colored oranges to me... tells you how much I know :-)

 

You'll probably have to fly over to France to see her live. LF or not, you should visit France actually. How did you get to hear about LF in the first place? I tend to think french songs just don't get exported (except for Alizée for some reason that's way beyond me).

"Un collier d'oranges ameres": by reading through the lines I think it means "hummm, I what could fit here by rhyming with the next 3 verses and have 7 syllables like the 3rd verse; my word, I could use un collier d'oranges ameres!" The 1st 4 verses are just very random. A less cynical person might say they're not random objects but unique, undelining the intimate and personal aspect of the relationship LF had with the guy.

 

Euro, I caught Lara Fabian on TV a few years ago. She sang "Adagio" and "I Will Love again"... while I can't remember what show she was on, I was hooked. She has such a powerful, yet sensual voice.... she sings the way I feel :-)

I am planning a trip to France perhaps in August/September...

 
aadpepsi:
I am planning a trip to France perhaps in August/September...

No! Not France!

Euro may be a bit more supportive of the idea.

In all seriousness though, VISITING France is actually pretty great. It's living there that can be frustrating.

So knock yourself out.

If you are doing Paris or Montpellier I can give you some good restaurant/bar suggestions.

Also, September is a bit better than August in my opinion because people are back from the beach. Paris is always touristy, but it just wouldn't be Paris without the Parisians.

 

Agree with Alex, excellent time to go. The summer in Paris is just amazing. In addition to the above advice, if you avoid the beginning of August you shouldn't get the height of the heat wave (maybe you do want it though). "So knock yourself out": since parisians are generally unpleasant with stangers you can be as rude as you want and not feel bad about it. Not so fun in the long run although I'm used to it, but for a few weeks it can be amusing. Paris and Montpellier: Alex, I can see you're a connoisseur, my two favourite french places for the demoiselles!

Re. aadpepsi's comment, isn't Alexey Kirilov supposed to be Russian?

 

Yes, the name Alexey Kirilov is Russian... but I believe "Alexey" works in Germany?!?

Alright, so you both advise on a September trip to be with the Parisians and not sweat the heat...

I was also thinking of going to Prague, is that ok in Sept.?

 
aadpepsi:
Yes, the name Alexey Kirilov is Russian... but I believe "Alexey" works in Germany?!?

Alright, so you both advise on a September trip to be with the Parisians and not sweat the heat...

I was also thinking of going to Prague, is that ok in Sept.?

Thank you, aadpepsi for clarifying things.

London is where I am based, but I am in Germany (happily...it's my favorite) for a few months.

Prague is great anytime, but as Euro pointed out you should see some relief from going in September.

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