BB at Pointe Courte on Etang de Thau, Sète, France
The song “Rends l’amour” appeared on Benjamin Biolay’s (BB) 2022 album Saint Clair. The album’s name references Mont Saint Clair, a geographical high point (183 meters) in the generally horizontal seaside Provençal town of Sète. BB grew up north of Lyon in the Beaujolais region, but spent summers with family in Sète, in the shadow of artists like Paul Valéry, Georges Brassens and Agnès Varda. He currently owns two properties there, one a small fisherman’s shack in Pointe Courte.
The song “Rends l’amour” appeared on Benjamin Biolay’s (BB) 2022 album Saint Clair. The album’s name references Mont Saint Clair, a geographical high point (183 meters) in the generally horizontal seaside Provençal town of Sète. BB grew up north of Lyon in the Beaujolais region, but spent summers with family in Sète, in the shadow of artists like Paul Valéry, Georges Brassens and Agnès Varda. He currently owns two properties there, one a small fisherman’s shack in Pointe Courte.
The song’s title translates literally as “return the love.” This phrase oozes ambiguity. It could mean “give me back my love,” which is a preposterous notion. It could alternatively be interpreted as inviting reciprocation (“love me back”) but that does not appear to fit with the tenor of Biolay’s song. Here, a bit of history is a propos. In 1999, French Canadian singer Mylène Farmer released a song called “Je te rends ton amour” (“I give you back your love”) along with a controversial accompanying video by Laurent Boutonnat. In it, Farmer describes the end of a relationship when, due to betrayal by a deceitful partner, she determines to return/reject/give back his love.
The song’s title translates literally as “return the love.” This phrase oozes ambiguity. It could mean “give me back my love,” which is a preposterous notion. It could alternatively be interpreted as inviting reciprocation (“love me back”) but that does not appear to fit with the tenor of Biolay’s song. Here, a bit of history is a propos. In 1999, French Canadian singer Mylène Farmer released a song called “Je te rends ton amour” (“I give you back your love”) along with a controversial accompanying video by Laurent Boutonnat. In it, Farmer describes the end of a relationship when, due to betrayal by a deceitful partner, she determines to return/reject/give back his love.
In his song, BB addresses an absent, recently departed, love partner with whom a falling out has occurred. He seems full of confusion and contradictions. He appears to say he wants his love back, without sharing what that would look like. Apparently in a spirit of washing his hands of her, he tells her to take everything, including his life, dignity, passions, desires, comfortable couch, panoramic view and even his precious boat berth in the harbor. All he wants is for her to return the love that he only loaned to her anyway and therefore it does not really belong to her. Return the love, he says, and he’ll jump off a cliff, pick strawberries, and even screw her. He is clearly upset but injects humorous if ludicrous flights of fancy, likely as a foil to disguise his true emotions or as an index of confusion. It remains unclear whether he wants her to reject/return his love (what does that mean?) or to love him back.
In his song, BB addresses an absent, recently departed, love partner with whom a falling out has occurred. He seems full of confusion and contradictions. He appears to say he wants his love back, without sharing what that would look like. Apparently in a spirit of washing his hands of her, he tells her to take everything, including his life, dignity, passions, desires, comfortable couch, panoramic view and even his precious boat berth in the harbor. All he wants is for her to return the love that he only loaned to her anyway and therefore it does not really belong to her. Return the love, he says, and he’ll jump off a cliff, pick strawberries, and even screw her. He is clearly upset but injects humorous if ludicrous flights of fancy, likely as a foil to disguise his true emotions or as an index of confusion. It remains unclear whether he wants her to reject/return his love (what does that mean?) or to love him back.
Biolay’s song highlights the disruptive aftermath of the breakup of love relationships where the parties have shared love, experiences and material possessions. All these things must somehow be divided and distributed, or simply lost, and a sense of self re-gained. The differences in their intrinsic nature, however, make it a fool’s errand. The notion of giving back love is an absurdist, rhetorical cri de coeur that highlights the elusive nature of love itself. Love is not like a transactional object that can be divided or delivered to the returns desk in exchange for a refund.
It is useful to listen to “Rends l’amour” in combination with Biolay’s earlier song (2020) “Comment est ta peine?”, also featured on this website. Both of them deal with issues that arise in the aftermath of a breakup.
The song’s structure is VVC/VVC/VO. Verses have 4 lines and Choruses have 9 lines. Verse rhymes include: ABBB, ABAB, ABBB, ABAB, and ABBB. The identical Chorus rhymes are: ABBBACCDC.
The official video for the song is available online. It includes visual material that merits a separate interpretation.
As usual, words in the text that are highlighted in bold italics indicate interpretive notes below.
The official video for the song is available online. It includes visual material that merits a separate interpretation.
As usual, words in the text that are highlighted in bold italics indicate interpretive notes below.
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Verse 1 Prends-moi tout La vie, la dignité, ma pointe sur le port Les trois sous de côté qui demandâmes tant d′efforts Et n'oublie pas d′emporter le canapé tout confort Verse 2 Ne laisse rien Le cèdre centenaire, le panorama Non, n'oublie rien Même si c'est pour tout mettre au débarras Chorus Mais rends l′amour Que je t′avais prêté Reprendre c'est voler Mais je t′ai jamais rien, rien donné S'il te plait rends l′amour Et je me jette de la falaise Et je m'en vais te cueillir des fraises Si tu veux, même Je te baise Oh, oh OK, OK Verse 3 Prends-moi tout Mes passions, mes désirs, mes totems en étain Emporte-tout, sois sûr que tu n′oublieras rien Déleste-moi, n'y va pas par quatre chemins Verse 4 Tu peux brûler Le cours de terre battue, de feu nos échanges Taguer et taguer Le coin de rue où est passé l'ange Chorus Mais rends l′amour Que je t′avais prêté Reprendre c'est voler Mais je t′ai jamais rien, rien donné S'il te plait rends l′amour Et je me jette de la falaise Et je m'en vais te cueillir des fraises Si tu veux, même Je te baise Interlude Verse 5 S′il te plait, rends l'amour Il ne t'appartient pas J′ai même pas voté pour toi Le bon Dieu te le rendra Outro S′il te plait, rends l'amour Et je me jette de la falaise Et je m′en vais te cueillir des fraises Si tu veux, même Je te baise |
Verse 1 Take it all from me Life, dignity, my berth in the harbor The three cents aside that took so much effort And don't forget to take the comfortable couch Verse 2 Leave nothing The century-old cedar, the panorama No, forget nothing Even if it's to put it in the trash Chorus But return the love That I loaned you To take back is to steal But I never gave you anything, nothing Please, return the love And I'll throw myself off the cliff And I'll go pick strawberries for you If you wish, even I'll screw you Oh-oh OK, OK Verse 3 Take it all My passions, my desires, my tin totems Take everything, make sure you forget nothing Unburden me, don't beat around the bush Verse 4 You can burn The clay court, our exchanges gone in flames Tag and tag The street corner where the angel passed by Chorus But give back the love That I had lent you To take back is to steal But I never gave you anything, nothing Please, give back the love And I'll throw myself off the cliff And I'll go pick strawberries for you If you wish, even I'll screw you Interlude Verse 5 Please, give back the love It doesn't belong to you I didn't even vote for you God will repay you Outro Please, return the love And I'll throw myself off the cliff And I'll go pick strawberries for you If you wish, even I'll screw you |
NB:
qui demandâmes: this is the “passé simple” plural form of the verb “demander.” The “passé simple” is a single-word, formal verb form used in literature and history to describe “over and done” events or actions. It is seldom if ever used in modern spoken French. It is sometimes used, perhaps intentionally in this song, to add a tone of pretention.
Si tu veux, même: this is an uncommon expression, especially with the word “même” dangling alone at the end. The line seems to imply indifference or even condescension regarding the follow-on line “je te baise.”
Je te baise: this expression is explicit and vulgar in French. Originally, the verb “baiser” meant “to flirt” or kiss but it has come to mean “to fuck” or “screw.” The noun “un baiser,” however, still means “a kiss.” The acceptable verb for “kissing” has become “embrasser” (it used to mean “to hug” or embrace) or else “faire la bise.”
Prends-moi tout literally means “take me all.” By itself, the expression “prends-moi” means “take me” and is the title of a 2019 song by French Canadian singer Hervé (Hert) LeBlanc where it expresses complete devotion. “Prends-moi tout,” however, acquires the meaning “take it all from me.”
Déleste-moi, n'y va pas par quatre chemins: the French noun “lest” means “ballast” (a heavy weight in a boat). The verb “délester” means to “unburden.” The phrase “aller par quatre chemins” literally means “to go there by four ways” and is usually used in the negative form meaning “don’t beat around the bush.”
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