Julien Doré, Victoires de la Musique, 2017
Sublime & Silence (Sublime & Silence)
"Sublime & Silence" Cover
Doré’s two songs “Le Lac” and “Sublime & Silence” are both singles from his 4th studio album that was released in October 2016. The unusual name of that album is simply “&,” which is “esperluette” in French and “ampersand” in English. This “sign” represents the word “et” (“and” in English) and arose historically as a practical measure to combine “e” and “t.” As a blend, it represents a fusion of disparate parts, as shown below.
How “Et” became “&:”
Symbolically, “&” represents a unifying thread not only for the two words of the song's title but for Doré’s songs in the album, among several albums, or other aspects of life. At the time he composed and wrote it, many people in France were looking for unifying threads, or threads of any kind, in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015. These occurred at the Bataclan concert hall, the Stade de France, and various cafes, killing 132 people. Following that disaster, Doré abandoned the gloom of Paris and withdrew to a familiar refuge in the Alpes-Maritime region to write songs.
Two of the resulting songs, “Le Lac” and “Sublime & Silence,” are like musical bookends that share similar structure and chords, perhaps due to the context of their creation. “Le lac” appeared first in July 2016 while “Sublime & Silence” came out in September before they were wrapped together in the album. These teasers were effective commercial and artistic staging since the narrative in “Le lac” concerns a love relationship that has flown by the time of “Sublime & silence,” when it is over.
The song “Sublime & Silence” has appeal for its poetic ambiguity that invites varied interpretations. The song’s title in English translation is identical to the French title. The title’s two main words express the song’s essence and begin the first two verses. They not only represent antipodes of a relationship but are disparate grammatical forms. “Sublime,” is generally used as an adjective while “silence” is a noun. When used as a noun, “sublime” refers to the highest level of excellence. The two words are also of different genders, though both are expressed without identifying articles in the title. Most importantly, they convey the woeful rupture of a “sublime” love relationship followed by distracting memories that linger in the “silence” that absence creates.
The absent party remains embedded in daily consciousness, prompting the phrase: “Je sais que tu restes” (“I know that you remain”), repeated 4 times. Those memories are referenced in such phrases as: “Autour de moi tu danses,” “ta bouche brûlante,” “nos ivresses blanches,” “les fleurs que j'te laisse,” “La montagne et l'errance,” “Violence et promesses.”
The short refrain’s unique phrase “Le vide aurait suffi” (“Nothing at all would have been enough”) is repeated 12 times. It represents a rebuke to the pesky memories that intrude on the silence that accompanies absence. “Nothing at all “would be quite enough to preserve and sanctify that sublime moment in time. While “le vide” is commonly defined as “emptiness” or “void,” the phrase “nothing at all” highlights the extreme contrast between the fecund nature of a “sublime” relationship and the abject emptiness of the following “silence/vide.” The minimalist simplicity of the phrase itself contributes to its impact.
The song is arranged in classical poetic form. There are 5 verses (6 lines each) and 5 choruses (a spare 2 lines), an interlude and an outro. Verse 3 repeats in Verse 5, and its first line repeats twice before the outro. There is conscious rhyming throughout in mostly AABAAB format in verses. The musical accompaniment is spare (piano and sometimes guitar).
There are numerous versions of the song on YouTube. Most are minimalist recordings of piano/voice renditions. The official video by Brice DVH/Julien Doré is a long (7m36), surrealistic piece featuring motorcycles, a burning piano, and miniature horses with full orchestral accompaniment and a motorcycle-bro cast of “Les Kustom Surfers.” It was filmed in the marshy Camargue region of southern France, south of Arles. It is worth a look since Doré himself had a hand in its formulation.
The video selection below is from the 2017 Victoires de la Musique (French Grammies) award celebration where Doré was a nominee.
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FRENCH LYRICS Verse 1 Sublime et silence Autour de moi tu danses Et moi j'oublie C'est à toi que je pense À ta bouche brûlante Quand tu souris Chorus Le vide aurait suffi Le vide aurait suffi Verse 2 Sublime et silence Autour de toi tout tremble Et tout finit C'est à moi que tu penses À nos ivresses blanches Je fuis Paris Chorus Le vide aurait suffi Le vide aurait suffi Verse 3 Mais je sais que tu restes Dans les fleurs que j'te laisse Après la nuit Violence et promesse C'est tout c'que tu détestes La mort aussi Chorus Le vide aurait suffi Le vide aurait suffi Instrumental Interlude Verse 4 Je caresse ton absence La montagne et l'errance Et puis l'ennui La rivière te ressemble Au moins en apparence Pourtant tu fuis Chorus Le vide aurait suffi Le vide aurait suffi Verse 5 Mais je sais que tu restes Dans les fleurs que j'te laisse Après la nuit Violence et promesses C'est tout c'que tu détestes La mort aussi Chorus Le vide aurait suffi Le vide aurait suffi Instrumental Interlude Je sais que tu restes Je sais que tu restes Instrumental Outro |
TRANSLATION (PENDERGAST) Verse 1 Sublime and silence Around me you dance And me, I forget It's about you that I think About your burning lips When you smile. Chorus Nothing at all would have been enough Nothing at all would have been enough Verse 2 Sublime and silence Around you all trembles And everything ends It's about me that you think Of our white drunkenness I flee Paris Chorus Nothing at all would have been enough Nothing at all would have been enough Verse 3 But I know that you remain In the flowers I leave you After the night Violence and promises It’s everything that you despise Death too Chorus Nothing at all would have been enough Nothing at all would have been enough Instrumental Interlude Verse 4 I stroke your absence The mountain and the wandering And then boredom The river resembles you At least in appearance And yet you flee Chorus Nothing at all would have been enough Nothing at all would have been enough Verse 5 But I know that you remain In the flowers that I leave you After the night Violence and promises It’s everything that you despise Death too Chorus Nothing at all would have been enough Nothing at all would have been enough Instrumental Interlude I know that you remain I know that you remain Instrumental Outro |
NB:
1) ivresses blanches: this expression refers to a sort of intoxication unrelated to alcohol but arising from another source such as joy, altitude, euphoria, love, success.
1) ivresses blanches: this expression refers to a sort of intoxication unrelated to alcohol but arising from another source such as joy, altitude, euphoria, love, success.
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