Patrick Fiori & Jean-Jacques Goldman
“4 mots sur un piano” ("4 words on a piano") is a song released in 2007 and performed by Patrick Fiori, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Christine Ricol. Goldman wrote the lyrics and composed the music. It appeared in Fiori’s 5th album Si on chantait plus fort and was also released as a single, reaching #1 on the French chart in 2007. Fiori and Goldman were together in Corsica when they met the unknown Christine Ricol and they decided to sing together. This came after Goldman’s step-back from stage performance (his last concert was in 2004) when his focus shifted to full-time songwriting and collaboration with fellow performers.
Cyrano de Bergerac
This song has a lovely melody and an ironic twist to its storyline. It represents a clever variant of the “love triangle” that Edmond Rostand concocted for his 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, which was (loosely) based on a historic figure. Set in Paris in 1640, Cyrano is a brilliant poet-swordsman with an exceptionally large nose that he believes makes him undesirable to women. He acts upon that assumption. Although he loves his cousin Roxane, he selflessly endeavors to provide her with the gift of love by allowing Christian, a handsome but dullard and tongue-tied cadet, to present Cyrano’s poems, letters and speeches as his own. This works only too well and Roxane comes to believe that she loves Christian. In reality, Roxane loves Cyrano’s mind even more than Christian’s looks but she thinks she has them in one package so she marries Christian. The two men contrive to perpetuate the deception for years. Christian eventually dies, however, and Roxane finally recognizes that Cyrano’s soul, mind and words were the real object of her love, but he dies as well. Although Cyrano dies a happy man, the tale resonates with lessons about acting on assumptions and accepting appearances over substance. Roxane exclaims in a wonderful turn of phrase: "Je n'aimais qu'un seul être et je le perds deux fois!" ("I loved but one man and I lost him twice!").
Some 110 years later, this line resonates in our song. The song also recounts a “love triangle” between two men and a woman in which different perceptions and expectations lead from a close initial relationship to eventual dissolution. The two men love the same woman while she loves them not individually but conceives them as two indivisible parts of the same being. Driven by their sense of self, however, the men insist that the woman choose between them, each one hoping she will make the “right” decision. Instead, she refuses to choose and leaves them both.
The song narrates the immediate aftermath of the woman’s unexpected departure and depicts each party’s reflections. The bubble is broken, and their conclusions are disparate. One man is devastated (“j'aurais tout fait pour elle”); the other seems frustrated by a wasted endeavor (“Cas très banal, cliché, dénouement funeste”). Self-doubt, regret and envy undermine their relationship. As for her, she enjoyed their joint adulation but explains that she loves them only as a pair. Channeling Roxane’s exclamation, she says in her note: “Je ne vous aimais qu'à deux” (“I loved you only as two”), even using the same "ne...que" negation structure to mean "only/just." To avoid choosing between them, she abandons them both, leaving only a 4-word note on the piano. The “4 words” in the title are never identified explicitly but they likely refer to either of her final lines in the song (Verse #4):
The song narrates the immediate aftermath of the woman’s unexpected departure and depicts each party’s reflections. The bubble is broken, and their conclusions are disparate. One man is devastated (“j'aurais tout fait pour elle”); the other seems frustrated by a wasted endeavor (“Cas très banal, cliché, dénouement funeste”). Self-doubt, regret and envy undermine their relationship. As for her, she enjoyed their joint adulation but explains that she loves them only as a pair. Channeling Roxane’s exclamation, she says in her note: “Je ne vous aimais qu'à deux” (“I loved you only as two”), even using the same "ne...que" negation structure to mean "only/just." To avoid choosing between them, she abandons them both, leaving only a 4-word note on the piano. The “4 words” in the title are never identified explicitly but they likely refer to either of her final lines in the song (Verse #4):
“Je vous laisse, adieu” (“I leave you, goodbye”)
“Choisir serait nous trahir” (“Choosing would be to betray us”)
The song concludes leaving only our imagination to conjure the eventual outcomes for the 3 participants.
The Verse/Chorus sequence is: VVCVVC. Fiori sings the first verse Goldman the second verse, followed by Fiori singing the Chorus. Both men alternate in the longer Verse 3. Christine Ricol sings Verse 4, and Fiori/Goldman alternate in the final Chorus. The Verses and Choruses have strong but variable rhyme patterns: V1: ABBAA, V2: AABBB, C: ABAAB, V3: AABBBCACCA, V4: AABCCB, C: AABB. Melodically, the first 3 (men’s) verses share the same chords while the woman’s verse (#4) by Christine Ricol has its own chord composition and progression. For some reason, the number 4 has pride of place in this song’s lyrics, appearing not only in the title but also opening the first 3 lines of the first Verse and appearing twice in Verse 3.
The official video clip of this song shows 3 actors enacting a pantomime aligned with the song’s narrative. I find the video distracting, so I chose instead the live performance clip below to accompany the lyrics and narrative. Besides Fiori, the other two performers in the video are unspecified. In the text, the voices are identified by the original performers’ names.
As usual, interpretive notes on language follow the lyrics below, addressing points highlighted in bold and italic. The lyrics and translation may be scrolled while listening to the video clip.
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FRENCH
Verse 1: Patrick Fiori Quatre mots sur un piano, ceux qu'elle a laissés Quatre c'est autant de trop, je sais compter Quatre vents sur un passé, mes rêves envolés Mais qu'aurait donc cet autre que je n'ai? Ne le saurai-je jamais Verse 2: Jean-Jacques Goldman Cas très banal, cliché, dénouement funeste Trois moins deux qui s'en vont, ça fait moi qui reste Caresses, égards et baisers, je n'ai pas su faire La partager me soufflait Lucifer Depuis je rêve d'enfer Chorus: Patrick Fiori Moi j'aurais tout fait pour elle, pour un simple mot Que lui donne l'autre que je n'offrirais? Elle était mon vent mes ailes, ma vie en plus beau Était-elle trop belle ou suis-je trop sot? N'aime-t-on jamais assez? Verse 3: Fiori & Goldman (alternating) Goldman: Quatre années belles à pleurer, maigre résumé Cartes jouées mais la reine s'est cachée Fiori: Quatre millions de silences, de regrets qui dansent Les questions, les soupirs et les sentences Je préférais ses absences Goldman: Moi j'aurais tant fait pour elle, pour boire à son eau Que lui donne l'autre que je n'offrirais? Fiori: Elle était mon vent mes ailes, ma vie en plus beau Goldman: Mais était-elle trop belle, ou bien nous trop sots? Fiori: N'aime-t-on jamais assez? Verse 4: Christine Ricol Vous étiez ma vie comme la nuit et le jour Vous deux, nouez, filiez mon parfait amour Un matin vous m'avez condamnée à choisir Je ne vous aimais qu'à deux Je vous laisse, adieu Choisir serait nous trahir Chorus: Patrick Fiori & Jean-Jacques Goldman Fiori: Mais qu'aurait donc cet autre que je n'ai? Ne le saurai-je jamais? Goldman: La partager me soufflait Lucifer Fiori: Depuis je rêve d'enfer |
ENGLISH
Verse 1: Patrick Fiori Four words on a piano, those that she left. Four are more than enough already, I know how to count. Four winds over a past, my dreams flown away But what could this other one have that I don't? I'll never know that. Verse 2: Jean-Jacques Goldman A banal case, trite, a tragic ending. Three minus two that leave, I’m the one who stays. Caresses, respect, and kisses, I didn’t know how to do it. 'Share her', Lucifer whispered to me. Since then, I dream of hell. Chorus: Patrick Fiori Me, I would have done everything for her, for one simple word What does he give her that I couldn't offer? She was my wind, my wings, my best life. Was she too beautiful or am I too stupid? Don't we ever love enough? Verse 3: Fiori & Goldman (alternating) Goldman: Four beautiful years to cry over, a slim record Cards played but the queen hid herself Fiori: Four million silences, of dancing regrets, The questions, the sighs and the sentences. I preferred their absence. Goldman: Me, I would have done so much for her, to drink her water. What does he give her that I don’t offer? Fiori: She was my wind, my wings, my best life Goldman: But was she too beautiful or we too stupid? Fiori: Don't we ever love enough? Verse 4: Christine Ricol You were my life just like night and day. You two, you tie, you spin my perfect love. One morning you condemned me to choose. I loved you only as two. I'm leaving you, goodbye. Choosing would be to betray us. Chorus: Patrick Fiori & Jean-Jacques Goldman Fiori: But what could he have that I don't have? Will I never know? Goldman: ‘Share her,” Lucifer whispered to me. Fiori: Since then, I dream of hell. |
NB:
autant de trop: this is an unusual combination of words. “Autant” means “as much/as many/so much/so many.” “Autant de” means “as much as” and “trop” means “too much.” My colloquial translation for “autant de trop” is: “more than enough already!”
Quatre vents sur un passé: the term “quatre vents” (“the four winds”) is a symbolic expression that recurs in songs, literature and general use, meaning “all directions.” Metaphorically, and in biblical imagery and use, it can refer to omnipotent forces. Ian Tyson invoked this symbolism in Ian and Sylvia’s 1962-63 song “Four Strong Winds.” In our song, the “four winds” made a “clean sweep” of destroying his past and dispersing his dreams.
Cartes jouées mais la reine s'est cachée: this enigmatic line seems to say that the game was on, the cards were played, but the real prize remained hidden.
Je ne vous aimais qu'à deux: this phrase is translated as “I loved you only as two,” meaning that they were two inseparable parts of her one love and she’s not interested in choosing one. "Ne...que" is a conventional way to say "only" or "just" and is called "restrictive negation" because it limits the extent of the verb.
autant de trop: this is an unusual combination of words. “Autant” means “as much/as many/so much/so many.” “Autant de” means “as much as” and “trop” means “too much.” My colloquial translation for “autant de trop” is: “more than enough already!”
Quatre vents sur un passé: the term “quatre vents” (“the four winds”) is a symbolic expression that recurs in songs, literature and general use, meaning “all directions.” Metaphorically, and in biblical imagery and use, it can refer to omnipotent forces. Ian Tyson invoked this symbolism in Ian and Sylvia’s 1962-63 song “Four Strong Winds.” In our song, the “four winds” made a “clean sweep” of destroying his past and dispersing his dreams.
Cartes jouées mais la reine s'est cachée: this enigmatic line seems to say that the game was on, the cards were played, but the real prize remained hidden.
Je ne vous aimais qu'à deux: this phrase is translated as “I loved you only as two,” meaning that they were two inseparable parts of her one love and she’s not interested in choosing one. "Ne...que" is a conventional way to say "only" or "just" and is called "restrictive negation" because it limits the extent of the verb.