This song appeared in 1975 on Michel Berger’s album “Que l’amour est bizarre/Love Is So Bizarre.” It was clearly an artifact of his 6-year affair with Véronique Sanson that ended abruptly in early 1973 when she split for the US to marry US guitarist Stephen Stills.
Sanson delivered her response to Berger’s query "Seras-tu là?/Will You Be There?" the next year (1976) in a song "Je serais là/I Will Be There" that she performed at the Olympia music hall and included in her first live album “Live at the Olympia.” That song reappeared in 1981on her studio album “Laisse-la vivre.”
By that time, however, Sanson’s relationship with Stephen Stills ended in divorce in 1979 and Berger and France Gall married in 1976 and were building a family. The song “Seras tu là?” became a favorite and a through-line in the very public and storied relationship between Berger and Sanson.
Sanson delivered her response to Berger’s query "Seras-tu là?/Will You Be There?" the next year (1976) in a song "Je serais là/I Will Be There" that she performed at the Olympia music hall and included in her first live album “Live at the Olympia.” That song reappeared in 1981on her studio album “Laisse-la vivre.”
By that time, however, Sanson’s relationship with Stephen Stills ended in divorce in 1979 and Berger and France Gall married in 1976 and were building a family. The song “Seras tu là?” became a favorite and a through-line in the very public and storied relationship between Berger and Sanson.
Sanson’s own 1993 live performance on Canadian TV’s AD-LIB talk show in Montréal is perhaps the most touching cover of the song, given their prior relationship, the informal setting of a TV talk-show, and its proximity to Berger’s unexpected death the year before. She included the song that same year in her Paris performance and live album “Zenith 93.”
Over the years, Berger and Sanson continued to exchange barely-disguised messages in their songs. The “Seras tu là?/Je serai là” dialogue resumed with 1980’s Berger song “Quelques mots d’amour” where his lyrics included the line: “Je t'envoie comme un papillon à une étoile quelque mots d'amour.” Years later, after his death, Sanson named her 1999 tribute album to Berger “D’un papillon à une étoile,” where she covered his major hits.
In this song, the author queries his beloved whether she will be there through thick and thin.
The song includes 2 verses followed by a chorus and then 2 verses followed by the same chorus (VVCVVC). All lines are quite short and punctuated by pauses. Each of the 4 verses ends with the song’s title refrain and the song ends with two tags of the refrain separated by two short interludes.
NB: The word “Que” in the title of the album (“Que l’amour est bizarre”) is by way of exclamation (“Love is so bizarre!”). When used at the beginning of a sentence using the indicative, “que” intensifies the following statement. “Que” is a powerful little word that can have several uses. At the beginning of a sentence, it can signify a wish and requires the subjunctive (e.g. “Que je devienne riche!”). It can also mean “nothing but” or “only,” as Berger uses it in his song “Le paradis blanc” when he writes in the first verse: “Que le silence pour respirer” (“Only silence to breathe”). “N’avoir que” means “to have only…”
Over the years, Berger and Sanson continued to exchange barely-disguised messages in their songs. The “Seras tu là?/Je serai là” dialogue resumed with 1980’s Berger song “Quelques mots d’amour” where his lyrics included the line: “Je t'envoie comme un papillon à une étoile quelque mots d'amour.” Years later, after his death, Sanson named her 1999 tribute album to Berger “D’un papillon à une étoile,” where she covered his major hits.
In this song, the author queries his beloved whether she will be there through thick and thin.
The song includes 2 verses followed by a chorus and then 2 verses followed by the same chorus (VVCVVC). All lines are quite short and punctuated by pauses. Each of the 4 verses ends with the song’s title refrain and the song ends with two tags of the refrain separated by two short interludes.
NB: The word “Que” in the title of the album (“Que l’amour est bizarre”) is by way of exclamation (“Love is so bizarre!”). When used at the beginning of a sentence using the indicative, “que” intensifies the following statement. “Que” is a powerful little word that can have several uses. At the beginning of a sentence, it can signify a wish and requires the subjunctive (e.g. “Que je devienne riche!”). It can also mean “nothing but” or “only,” as Berger uses it in his song “Le paradis blanc” when he writes in the first verse: “Que le silence pour respirer” (“Only silence to breathe”). “N’avoir que” means “to have only…”
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Et, quand nos regrets, Viendront danser, Autour de nous, Nous rendre fous, Seras-tu là? Pour nos souvenirs, Et nos amours, Inoubliables, Inconsolables, Seras-tu là? Pourras-tu suivre, Là où je vais? Sauras-tu vivre, Le plus mauvais, La solitude, Le temps qui passe, Et l'habitude, Regarde-les, Nos ennemis, Dis-moi que oui, Dis-moi que oui. Quand nos secrets, N'auront plus cours, Et quand les jours, Auront passé, Seras-tu là? Pour, pour nos soupirs, Sur le passé, Que l'on voulait, Que l'on rêvait, Seras-tu là? Le plus mauvais, La solitude, Le temps qui passe, Et l'habitude, Regarde-les, Nos ennemis, Dis-moi que oui, Dis-moi que oui. Seras-tu là? Seras-tu là? |
And, when our regrets, Will come and dance, Around us, Make us crazy, Will you be there? For our memories, And our loves, Unforgettable, Inconsolable, Will you be there? Will you be able to follow, Where I'm going? Will you be able to live, The worst? Loneliness, Time passing, And habits, Watch them, Our enemies, Tell me you will, Tell me you will. When our secrets, No longer prevail, And when the days, Have passed, Will you be there? For, our sighs, About the past, That we wanted, That we dreamed about, Will you be there? The worst, Loneliness, Time passing, And habits, Watch them, Our enemies, Tell me you will, Tell me you will. Will you be there? Will you be there? |
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