Mistral Gagnant (Winning Mistral)
This 1985 song is a hymn to lost childhood, filled with nostalgia for passing time. Little known outside of France, it nevertheless ranked first among the French in a 2015 poll as the most popular French song of all time.
This 1985 song is a hymn to lost childhood, filled with nostalgia for passing time. Little known outside of France, it nevertheless ranked first among the French in a 2015 poll as the most popular French song of all time.
Mistral Winds
The word “Mistral” refers to a legendary strong, cold northerly wind that blows through the Rhone valley across southern France. The song’s title “Mistral Gagnant,” however, refers to a discontinued popular candy from old times (the 50s and 60s). It came as a flavored sugar powder sucked through a straw and it fizzed on one’s tongue like a cool breeze or “mistral.” The candy had a lottery spin since when the inside of the green packet carried the word “gagnant” (“winning”), the empty packet could be exchanged free for a new one.
In the song, Renaud addresses his young daughter Lolita using the familiar “tu” (“tutoyer”). He constructs a narrative of reminiscences with which many listeners of a certain age could identify. These include vivid images of times shared sitting on a bench, watching people, holding hands, feeding pigeons, laughing, walking in the rain splashing puddles, and sampling favorite sweets nicked from the candy shop like Coco Boer, Car-en-Sac, Minto, Roudoudou, and Mistral Gagnant. Renaud injects informality by the familiar personal pronouns and intimations of complicity and he uses the linguistic device of elisions to replicate the sound of casual spoken speech. He ends by telling Lolita to love life, even though time is like an assassin that steals the laughter of children and….”Mistral Gagnants.”
When he wrote the song, Renaud reportedly did not intend to include it in his 5th forthcoming album because he felt the lyrics were too personal. When he called his wife Dominique during the recording session, he sang the song to her over the phone. She loved it so much that she threatened to leave him if he did not include it in the album. The rest is history and it became the title song for the album, quickly rose to classic status for many French people and has been covered by numerous other artists.
It seems like a simple song, but it’s difficult to translate because of obscure references, frequent slang words, and Renaud’s habit of writing the way he speaks which impedes comprehension. The narrative is essentially spoken in a sing-song way along with the addictive earworm of the background melody. There are 9 stanzas, mostly 4 lines each, with a mostly AABB rhyme scheme.
When he wrote the song, Renaud reportedly did not intend to include it in his 5th forthcoming album because he felt the lyrics were too personal. When he called his wife Dominique during the recording session, he sang the song to her over the phone. She loved it so much that she threatened to leave him if he did not include it in the album. The rest is history and it became the title song for the album, quickly rose to classic status for many French people and has been covered by numerous other artists.
It seems like a simple song, but it’s difficult to translate because of obscure references, frequent slang words, and Renaud’s habit of writing the way he speaks which impedes comprehension. The narrative is essentially spoken in a sing-song way along with the addictive earworm of the background melody. There are 9 stanzas, mostly 4 lines each, with a mostly AABB rhyme scheme.
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À m'asseoir sur un banc, cinq minutes, avec toi Et regarder les gens, tant qu'y en a Te parler du bon temps, qui est mort ou qui reviendra En serrant dans ma main tes petits doigts Pis donner à bouffer à des pigeons idiots Leur filer des coups de pied pour de faux Et entendre ton rire qui lézarde les murs Qui sait surtout guérir mes blessures Te raconter un peu comment j'étais, minot Les bombecs fabuleux, qu'on piquait chez l'marchand Car-en-sac et Minto, caramels à un franc Et les Mistral Gagnants À remarcher sous la pluie, cinq minutes, avec toi Et regarder la vie, tant qu'y en a Te raconter la Terre en te bouffant des yeux Te parler de ta mère, un petit peu Et sauter dans les flaques pour la faire râler Bousiller nos godasses et s'marrer Et entendre ton rire comme on entend la mer S'arrêter, repartir en arrière Te raconter surtout les Carambars d'antan et les Coco Boers Et les vrais Roudoudous qui nous coupaient les lèvres Et nous niquaient les dents Et les Mistral Gagnants À m'asseoir sur un banc, cinq minutes, avec toi Regarder le soleil qui s'en va Te parler du bon temps, qui est mort et je m'en fous Te dire que les méchants, c'est pas nous Que si moi je suis barge, ce n'est que de tes yeux Car ils ont l'avantage d'être deux Et entendre ton rire s'envoler aussi haut Que s'envolent les cris des oiseaux Te raconter, enfin, qu'il faut aimer la vie L'aimer même si Le temps est assassin et emporte avec lui Les rires des enfants Et les Mistral Gagnants Et les Mistral Gagnants |
To sit on bench, 5 minutes, with you, And watch the people, if there are any To talk of good times, that have gone or will return Holding in my hand your little fingers Then giving food to idiotic pigeons And faking kicks for fun, And hear your laugh that basks on the walls That knows above all to heal my wounds To tell you a little how I was, as a kid The fabulous sweets that we snitched from the shop Car-en-Sac and Minto, one franc caramels And the Mistral Gagnants To walk under the rain, 5 minutes, with you To watch life going by, if there is any To tell you about earth feasting my eyes on you To talk about your mother, a little bit And jumping in puddles to make her complain Ruining our shoes and having fun To hear your laugh as one hears the sea To stop, and turn around To tell you especially about Carambars of yesteryear et the Coco Boers The real Roudoudous that cut our lips And chipped our teeth And the Mistral Gagnants To sit on a bench, 5 minutes, with you To watch the sun going down To talk about the good time that’s gone and I don't care To tell you that the bad guys, that’s not us That if I am insane, it is only for your eyes Because they have the advantage of being two And to hear your laugh rise as high As rise the cries of birds To tell you, finally, that you need to love life Love it even if Time is an assassin and carries away The laughter of children And the Mistral Gagnants And the Mistral Gagnants |
NB:
1) “tant qu'y en a:” this is contraction through elision of the expression “tant qu’il y en a.” It is an ambiguous expression and can mean “as long as it lasts” or “if there are any” or even “such as it is.” It is also the name of a song by Canadian singer Richard Séguin.
2) “qui est mort ou qui reviendra” is an ambiguous phrase that gets translated variously. It is unclear what “qui” refers to—is it the “bon temps” (“good times”) or is it unspecified other people?
3) “Pis” is a contraction of “puis” (“then”). Renaud seems to like rendering words in writing exactly as they sound in speaking, which is commonly very abbreviated.
4) “qui lézarde les murs:” the word “lézarder” can mean “crack” (“break”) or “lounge around” (“bask”).
5) “Les bombecs” is slang (“argot”) for “bonbons.”
6) “minot” means “youth” or “kid” in Marseille slang.
7) “en te bouffant des yeux” translates literally “while eating your eyes” but means colloquially “feasting my eyes on you.”
8) “les vrais Roudoudous” were a candy that confectioners made in real seashells. They were cute and tasty, but the seashells were hazardous for lips and teeth. Over time, the word “roudoudou” became a term of endearment.
9) “nous niquaient les dents” means “chipped/ruined our teeth” (as seashells are wont to do) but the verb “niquer” can also have a strong vulgar connotation.
1) “tant qu'y en a:” this is contraction through elision of the expression “tant qu’il y en a.” It is an ambiguous expression and can mean “as long as it lasts” or “if there are any” or even “such as it is.” It is also the name of a song by Canadian singer Richard Séguin.
2) “qui est mort ou qui reviendra” is an ambiguous phrase that gets translated variously. It is unclear what “qui” refers to—is it the “bon temps” (“good times”) or is it unspecified other people?
3) “Pis” is a contraction of “puis” (“then”). Renaud seems to like rendering words in writing exactly as they sound in speaking, which is commonly very abbreviated.
4) “qui lézarde les murs:” the word “lézarder” can mean “crack” (“break”) or “lounge around” (“bask”).
5) “Les bombecs” is slang (“argot”) for “bonbons.”
6) “minot” means “youth” or “kid” in Marseille slang.
7) “en te bouffant des yeux” translates literally “while eating your eyes” but means colloquially “feasting my eyes on you.”
8) “les vrais Roudoudous” were a candy that confectioners made in real seashells. They were cute and tasty, but the seashells were hazardous for lips and teeth. Over time, the word “roudoudou” became a term of endearment.
9) “nous niquaient les dents” means “chipped/ruined our teeth” (as seashells are wont to do) but the verb “niquer” can also have a strong vulgar connotation.
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