Les Champs-Elysées (The Champs-Elysées)
The “Champs-Elysées” is a long avenue in Paris that stretches one and a half miles from the Arc de Triomphe in the west to the Place de la Concorde in the east. The name means “Elysian Fields,” which was a resting place for dead heroes in Greek mythology. It is the locale for the annual Bastille Day celebratory parade and the finish line of the Tour de France. In the 1960s, this avenue was the epitome of French chic, barely recognizable today with its chain stores, banks, and movie theaters.
This song "Les Champs Elysées" has traveled a long but successful road. It is a 1969 French language adaptation of a 1968 British song “Waterloo Road” by the British psychedelic rock band Jason Crest. That song flopped in England but lyricist Pierre Delanoe re-worked it and reimagined an idealized version of the Champs Elysées.
Ironically, the song was adopted much later in 2019 by French protesters (“gilets jaunes”) as a theme song for their disruptions on the namesake avenue from which they were banned. French football fans also adapted the song in 2022 to serenade footballer N’golo Kante. The song has a breezy tempo and carefree lyrics that make it an ideal accompaniment for a jog along the Champs de Mars, through the Tuileries garden, or in the Bois de Boulogne—though certainly not on the avenue itself.
There’s a lot of repetition in this song. The stanza starting with “Aux Champs-Elysées” repeats itself 5 times out of a total of 8 stanzas, which means that the meat of the story is in only 3 stanzas. Which means there’s not much beef in the lyrics. But, there’s a bouncy, happy melody that carries the day.
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J’m baladais sur l'avenue,
le cœur ouvert à l'inconnu. J'avais envie de dire bonjour à n'importe qui. N'importe qui, ce fut toi, je t'ai dit n'importe quoi. Il suffisait de te parler pour t'apprivoiser. Aux Champs-Élysées. Aux Champs-Élysées. Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit, il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Élysées. Tu m'as dit: « J'ai rendez-vous dans un sous-sol avec des fous qui vivent la guitare à la main du soir au matin. » Alors je t'ai accompagnée. On a chanté, on a dansé et l'on n'a même pas pensé à s'embrasser. Aux Champs-Élysées. Aux Champs-Élysées. Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit, il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Élysées. Hier soir deux inconnus et ce matin sur l'avenue deux amoureux tout étourdis par la longue nuit. Et de l'Étoile à la Concorde un orchestre à mille cordes, tous les oiseaux du point du jour chantent l'amour. Aux Champs-Élysées. Aux Champs-Élysées. Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit, il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Élysées. Aux Champs-Élysées. Aux Champs-Élysées. Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit, il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Élysées. Aux Champs-Élysées. Aux Champs-Élysées. Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit, il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Élysées. |
I was strolling along the avenue
heart open to the unknown I wished to say: good morning To anyone. Anyone, that was you, I told you anything. It was enough just to talk to you to win you over. At the Champs- Élysées At the Champs- Élysées In the sun, under the rain At noon or at midnight There is everything you want At the Champs- Élysées You told me: “I have a date In a basement with the madmen Who live with guitar in hand From night to morn.” So, I accompanied you We sang, we danced And we didn’t even think Of kissing. At the Champs- Élysées At the Champs- Élysées In the sun, under the rain At noon or at midnight There is everything you want At the Champs- Élysées Yesterday evening, two strangers And this morning on the avenue Two lovers, all dazzled by the long night And from the Étoile to Concorde An orchestra with a thousand strings All the birds at the break of day Sing about love. At the Champs- Élysées At the Champs- Élysées In the sun, under the rain At noon or at midnight There is everything you want At the Champs- Élysées At the Champs- Élysées At the Champs- Élysées In the sun, under the rain At noon or at midnight There is everything you want At the Champs- Élysées At the Champs- Élysées At the Champs- Élysées In the sun, under the rain At noon or at midnight There is everything you want At the Champs- Élysées |
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