L'Aigle Noir (The Black Eagle) (1970)
In this song, Barbara recounts an episode one day, or night, when she fell asleep next to a lake. Suddenly, a black eagle appeared, with ruby eyes and a blue diamond on its forehead. It touched her cheek and slipped its head into her hand. She recognized it from her past and begged it to carry her back to her childhood days of gathering stars, lighting the sun and creating marvels. But the eagle flew away leaving her alone, cold and with nothing but sorrow.
Barbara wrote the music for “L’Aigle Noir” in 1970 based on text she had written several years before. It appeared as the lead song that year in an album of the same name and reportedly sold one million copies in 12 hours. Years later, in a 2015 poll in France, the song was voted the third most popular song in French history, after Renaud’s “Mistral gagnant” and Jacques Brel’s “Ne me quittes pas.”
In this song, Barbara recounts an episode one day, or night, when she fell asleep next to a lake. Suddenly, a black eagle appeared, with ruby eyes and a blue diamond on its forehead. It touched her cheek and slipped its head into her hand. She recognized it from her past and begged it to carry her back to her childhood days of gathering stars, lighting the sun and creating marvels. But the eagle flew away leaving her alone, cold and with nothing but sorrow.
Barbara wrote the music for “L’Aigle Noir” in 1970 based on text she had written several years before. It appeared as the lead song that year in an album of the same name and reportedly sold one million copies in 12 hours. Years later, in a 2015 poll in France, the song was voted the third most popular song in French history, after Renaud’s “Mistral gagnant” and Jacques Brel’s “Ne me quittes pas.”
The meaning of the song was obscure for many years until the publication of her unfinished memoir, written the year she died (1997) and published in 1998 under the title: “Il était un piano noir” (“There was a black piano”). That title arose from an incident during her 1964 visit to the German town of Göttingen when she successfully insisted on a black piano for her concert performance.
Emperor Maximilian with Reichsadler, Image by Altdorfer, ca 1515
In the memoir, she revealed that her father Jacques had abused her when she was 10 years old. Observers have surmised that this experience, combined with the years of Nazi occupation in France, led to the fusion of imagery and narrative that appears in “l’Aigle noir.” Since the 8th century, the heraldic black eagle (“Reichsadler”) used by Holy Roman emperors served as a symbol of German nationalism. The Nazi rape of entire populations, combined with the personal violation by her father, invests the song with disturbing symbolism.
Barbara sings in the version below. There are also excellent cover versions by Michel Sardou, Patricia Kaas, Florent Pagny, and others.
Barbara sings in the version below. There are also excellent cover versions by Michel Sardou, Patricia Kaas, Florent Pagny, and others.
|
Un beau jour ou peut-être une nuit Près d'un lac, je m'étais endormie Quand soudain, semblant crever le ciel Et venant de nulle part surgit un aigle noir Lentement, les ailes déployées Lentement, je le vis tournoyer Près de moi dans un bruissement d'ailes Comme tombé du ciel l'oiseau vint se poser Il avait des yeux couleur rubis Et des plumes couleur de la nuit À son front brillant de mille feux L'oiseau roi couronné portait un diamant bleu De son bec, il a touché ma joue Dans ma main il a glissé son cou C'est alors que je l'ai reconnu Surgissant du passé il m'était revenu Dis l'oiseau, oh dis emmène-moi Retournons au pays d'autrefois Comme avant dans mes rêves d'enfant Pour cueillir en tremblant des étoiles, des étoiles Comme avant dans mes rêves d'enfant Comme avant sur un nuage blanc Comme avant allumer le soleil Être faiseur de pluie et faire des merveilles L'aigle noir dans un bruissement d'ailes Prit son vol pour regagner le ciel, Quatre plumes couleur de la nuit, Une larme ou peut-être un rubis J'avais froid, il ne me restait rien L'oiseau m'avait laissée seule avec mon chagrin. Un beau jour ou était-ce une nuit Près d'un lac, je m'étais endormie Quand soudain, semblant crever le ciel Et venant de nulle part Surgit un aigle noir |
One nice day or perhaps one night Near a lake, I fell asleep When suddenly, seeming to pierce the sky And coming from nowhere, arose a black eagle Slowly, its wings extended Slowly, I saw it twirling Near me in a rustling of wings As fallen from the sky the bird landed It had eyes colored ruby And wings the color of night And on its forehead sparkling with lights The crowned bird wore a blue diamond With its beak, it touched my cheek It slipped its neck into my hand And then I recognized it Rising from the past, it had returned Oh Bird, oh please take me away Let us return to our former land Like before in my childhood dreams To catch, trembling, some stars, some stars Like before in my childhood dreams Like before on a white cloud Like before to light up the sun To be a rain-maker and create marvels The black eagle in a rustling of wings Took flight to rejoin the sky Four feathers with the color of night A teardrop or maybe a ruby I was cold, I had nothing The bird left me alone with my sorrow One day or was it a night Near a lake, I fell asleep When suddenly, seeming to pierce the sky And coming from nowhere Arose a black eagle |
Return to Barbara Profile