On ne change pas (We Don’t Change) (1998)
Jean-Jacques Goldman wrote the song “On ne change pas” for Céline Dion’s 16th studio album “S’il suffisait d’aimer,” released in 1998. Goldman wrote 10 of the 12 songs on that album. It became the second best-selling French album of all time, after Dion’s own 1995 album “D’eux” for which Goldman wrote all the songs but one.
The message of “On ne change pas” is straightforward: we remain basically the same person over time, despite superficial adjustments and changes: we don’t really change, grow or forget. The song represents an effort to reconcile the insecurities and conflicts of identity that can emerge in persons with modest roots who suddenly become celebrities with global stature. In such circumstances, it can be comforting to believe that the trappings of celebrity simply rest on the same old person. Since Goldman wrote the song for Dion following a period of close collaboration, it is tempting to view it at least in part as a projection of shared sentiments shaped by similarities in their histories. Goldman did a deep dive into Dion’s past during the time he wrote for her and this song is sprinkled with episodes and recollections of her childhood. Some familiarity with their stories reveals common threads that may underpin shared understandings. It is not difficult to toggle back and forth between their biographies and perceive symmetries and common themes as well as complementary differences.
Both Goldman and Dion must have been gobsmacked by the incredible success of their initial collaboration on Dion’s album “D’eux” (“The French Album” in the US) that was released in 1995 and written by Goldman. It became the best-selling French language album in history. Goldman wrote virtually all of the songs on the album and the years following its success were times of close collaboration between the two artists. For example, in 1998, he wrote the song “On ne change pas” for Céline’s album “S’il suffisait d’aimer,” as well as most of the other songs on the album. It was also released in 1999 as a single. In 2005 “On ne change pas” became the title of a 2-CD album of Dion’s French language “greatest hits” featuring songs recorded between 1981 and 2005. A video with the same name appeared in 2005 as well. They also produced an album in 2003 called “1 fille et 4 types” (“One girl and four guys”).
Both Goldman and Dion came from modest beginnings. Dion was born in 1968, the youngest of 14 children in a small town in Quebec, Canada. She became a teen star during the 1980s under the mentorship of René Angélil, whom she later married. Goldman was born in Paris in 1951, the third of four children by immigrant Jewish parents. Although Goldman was older than Dion, their string of music successes occurred about the same time during the early-mid 1980s when they rose to the pinnacles of the music industry in their respective countries. Through some invisible dynamic of serendipity, their careers intersected in the mid-1990s at a time when Goldman grew weary of the stresses of public performance and media coverage. Never comfortable with the inconveniences of public fandom, for him it was a smooth transition to sublimate his exceptional song-writing talents in a pygmalianesque collaboration with a rising star whose sole childhood dream was to become a singer. Later, the release of Dion’s 2005 album “On ne change pas” coincided with Goldman’s own unexpected decision in 2004 to retire entirely from the public concert tour business.
The subject of most of the song is the first-person plural “we” (“on”) with Céline as the narrator. Midway, Céline switches to “Je” and “moi” and conjures a vision of herself as a thin little girl (“une petite fille maigre”), thankless and lonely, who walks beside and speaks softly to her mature self. Already a star, Céline seems to be seeking to establish her stable identity through connection with her former self.
The first video below provides a revealing look “behind the scenes” at the close collaboration between Goldman and Dion on portions of the studio production of the song. It is followed by the live video of the full song in concert at The Plains of Abraham, Quebec City, 2008.
Behind the Scenes, Mega Studio Paris:
Céline sur les plaines, 2008
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On ne change pas On met juste les costumes d'autres sur soi On ne change pas Une veste ne cache qu'un peu de ce qu'on voit. On ne grandit pas On pousse un peu, tout juste Le temps d'un rêve, d'un songe Et les toucher du doigt Mais on n'oublie pas L'enfant qui reste, presque nu Les instants d'innocence Quand on ne savait pas On ne change pas On attrape des airs et des poses de combat On ne change pas On se donne le change, On croit que l'on fait des choix Mais si tu grattes là Tout près de l'apparence Tremble un petit qui nous ressemble On sait bien qu'il est là On l'entend parfois Sa rengaine insolente Qui s'entête et qui répète “Oh ne me quitte pas” On n'oublie jamais On a toujours un geste Qui trahit qui l'on est Un prince, un valet Sous la couronne un regard Une arrogance, un trait D'un prince ou d'un valet Je sais tellement ça J'ai copié des images Et des rêves que j'avais Tous ces milliers de rêves Mais si près de moi Une petite fille maigre Marche à Charlemagne, inquiète Et me parle tout bas On ne change pas, On met juste les costumes d'autres et voilà On ne change pas, On ne cache qu'un instant de soi Instrumental Interlude Une petite fille Ingrate et solitaire Marche et rêve dans les neiges En oubliant le froid Si je la maquille Elle disparaît un peu, Le temps de me regarder faire Et se moquer de moi Une petite fille Une toute petite fille Une toute petite fille Une toute petite fille La, la, la…. On ne change pas, On met juste les costumes d'autres et voilà On ne change pas, On ne cache qu'un instant de soi |
We don’t change We just put on others’ suits We don’t change A jacket hides only a little of what we see. We don’t grow up We just grow a little, barely The short time of a dream, a wish And to experience them first-hand But we don’t forget The child who remains, nearly naked The moments of innocence When we didn't know We don’t change We adopt attitudes and poses of combat We don’t change We deceive, And we believe we make choices But if you scratch the surface Beneath the appearance There trembles a child who resembles us We know well he is there We hear him sometimes His insolent refrain Stubborn and insistent “Oh don’t leave me alone” We never forget There is always a gesture That betrays who we are A prince, a valet Under the crown a look An arrogance, a trait Of a prince or valet I know that very well I've copied the images And the dreams that I had All the thousands of dreams But so close to me, A small scrawny girl Walks in Charlemagne, worried And speaks to me softly We don’t change, We just wear others' suits and voilà We don’t change, We hide only a glimpse of ourselves Instrumental Interlude A little girl Thankless and lonely Walks and dreams in the snow Forgetting the cold If I make her up She disappears a little, The time to watch me work And to make fun of me A little girl A very little girl A very little girl A very little girl La, la, la…. We don’t change, We just wear others' suits and voilà We don’t change, We hide only a glimpse of ourselves |
NB:
- “tout juste:” means “barely,” “narrowly,” “just.”
- “d'un rêve, d'un songe:” there is no clear distinction between the words “rêve” and “songe” which both mean “dream.” Some believe that rêve refers specifically to sleep-related dreams while “songe” can refer to a conscious activity (“daydreaming”) tinged with an affective quality of “wishful thinking.”
- “Et les toucher du doigt:” literally this means “touch of a finger” but conventionally it means to “put your finger on” something and experience it first-hand. In context, the point of reference in the song (“les”) seems to refer to “rêve” and “songe.”
- “On attrape des airs:” to “prendre des airs” means to behave deceptively to impress someone; act with affectation. “Attraper” means to “catch” or “snatch” something.
- “On se donne le change:” this esoteric expression (“donner le change”) has roots in hunting and means to “divert,” “re-direct” or “deceive.” A smart, hunted animal like a deer seeks to throw pursuers “off the scent” by mingling with others of his/her own kind and to effectively disappear in the crowd.
- “Marche à Charlemagne:” Charlemagne, Quebec, was Céline Dion’s birthplace and childhood home town.
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