“Rien que de l’eau” (Nothing But Water)
There can be subtle variations in the meaning of the phrase “Rien que de l’eau,” which is the title of a song released in 1992 by Véronique Sanson. The straightforward translation is “nothing but water” but it can also mean “only water” or “just water.” Those latter two alternatives, though, seem to diminish the significance of water. This is clearly not what the song intends. Instead, as used here, "rien que de" represents a deliberate understatement to accentuate the actual significance of the word that follows, which is "l'eau" (water). The technical name for such a rhetorical device is "meiosis." In this case, “rien que de” actually means something like: “nothing less than” or "nothing, if not..."
This song was written and produced by artists from France where plentiful water flows freely in rivers and streams through the verdant countryside. (It is ironic that in her 1972 song “Bahia,” one of the authors, Véronique Sanson, was eager to escape rainy French days). The song is a tribute to the precious water that French artists found in short supply in Los Angeles, where they were living, with its ironic combination of persistent drought and omnipresent swimming pools. From the standpoint of today’s climate crisis, it represents a prescient awareness of the complexity and fragility of man’s relationship with nature.
Besides its enigmatic title, the song “Rien que de l’eau” provides an illustrative sidebar for this website regarding the plasticity of songs as an art form. It is fitting that a song about water should prompt this thought, since water itself is the ultimate shape-shifter, as captured by Guillermo del Toro in the title of his 2017 film "The Shape of Water." As noted in “The Life of Songs” (in the “About” section of this site, above), music and songs have intrinsically higher malleability than other forms of artistic expression like painting, sculpture, and architecture. Music can be adapted over time and combined with a range of lyrics in other languages, while both the performer’s art and instrumentation can infuse the same song with different meanings for listeners. In the present case, Bernard Swell originally composed the music for a completely different song in English ("I Wanna Know"). He wrote new lyrics in French for Véronique Sanson's song named "Rien que de l'eau." As shown in Footnote #1 below, however, the translation of this song from French to English erased a distinctive melodic feature from the lyrics (the word "Elle" becomes "It" in English). The two performances of the song featured below by Véronique Sanson (1992) and Christine and the Queens (at Sanson's 70th birthday celebration in 2019 on French TV) demonstrate the impact on interpretation by different vocalists and instruments in very different historical contexts.
Véronique Sanson
Véronique Sanson included “Rien que de l’eau” on her tenth album “Sans regrets” that she released in 1992. At this point, Sanson was long past her youthful, early creative phase (early 1970s) as well as her “American years” (1973-81). It was 4 years since her last album in 1988, “Moi, le venin.” That album included a controversial song “Allah” shortly after the fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie and led to death threats and times of distress.
Sanson’s 1992 album “Sans regrets” and the song “Rien que de l’eau” were hits that helped re-boot her career, selling half a million copies within 6 months. In 1993, she won a “Victoire de la Musique” award as best female artist. Working with producer Bernard Saint-Paul, this album also represented for Sanson a reunion with American musicians after 10-years’ absence from the US following her divorce in 1983 from Stephen Stills. This led to a more ample instrumental accompaniment and big band vibe in her music than had been customary. The song became a standard in her performances and appeared in several subsequent live concert albums.
French musician Bernard Swell wrote both the music and lyrics for “Rien que de l’eau” with a small lyrical contribution by Sanson. Swell had debuted years before as a guitarist under his original surname Sassy and played for a time with French musician Hugues Aufray (who famously adapted Bob Dylan songs). He later moved to LA during the 1970s where, armed with the new stage name Bernard Swell, he released folk/rock albums like “Je te tuerai” (1980) and “Priez pour moi” (1982) and shared life with one Véronique Sanson.
Sanson’s 1992 album “Sans regrets” and the song “Rien que de l’eau” were hits that helped re-boot her career, selling half a million copies within 6 months. In 1993, she won a “Victoire de la Musique” award as best female artist. Working with producer Bernard Saint-Paul, this album also represented for Sanson a reunion with American musicians after 10-years’ absence from the US following her divorce in 1983 from Stephen Stills. This led to a more ample instrumental accompaniment and big band vibe in her music than had been customary. The song became a standard in her performances and appeared in several subsequent live concert albums.
French musician Bernard Swell wrote both the music and lyrics for “Rien que de l’eau” with a small lyrical contribution by Sanson. Swell had debuted years before as a guitarist under his original surname Sassy and played for a time with French musician Hugues Aufray (who famously adapted Bob Dylan songs). He later moved to LA during the 1970s where, armed with the new stage name Bernard Swell, he released folk/rock albums like “Je te tuerai” (1980) and “Priez pour moi” (1982) and shared life with one Véronique Sanson.
Bernard Swell and Véronique Sanson & respective children Cali and Chris
In 1991, Swell released a song in English titled “I Wanna Know.” Sanson liked the tune and Swell wrote new French lyrics for her that she released as “Rien que de l’eau.” Altogether, Swell provided Sanson with 10 different titles and songs before returning to France where he migrated to “electropop” and digital music under pseudonyms like “izdatso” and “Edith Progue.”
The stanzas are arranged in an alternating Verse/Refrain (VRVRVR) sequence. The intentional rhyme scheme varies with the stanzas. The first verse is AABAAB; the second verse is AABCCB; verse 3 is AABCCB; the 4 refrains are all ABAACA. As pointed out above and in NB-1 below, the repeated “elle” sound (referring to water) rings like a bell throughout the French version and provides a thread of melodic unity that unravels completely in the English version--it is irretrievably "lost in translation."
The Sanson version of “Rien que de l’eau” featured here was a live performance in 1992.
The Sanson version of “Rien que de l’eau” featured here was a live performance in 1992.
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Verse Elle, Rappelle-toi comme elle est belle Et touche-la, elle sent le sel C'est un don miraculeux Elle, C'est la naissance de la gabelle C'est l'oubliée des infidèles À la terre des futurs vieux Refrain Rien que de l'eau De l'eau de pluie De l'eau de là-haut Et le soleil blanc sur ta peau Et la musique tombée du ciel Sur les toits rouillés de Rio, oh Verse Toi, Tu te caches dans les ruelles Et comme un païen qui appelle Pour les dieux qu'elle t'inonde Elle, Oh tu sais, elle a le temps Elle est là depuis mille ans Elle te suit comme une ombre Refrain Rien que de l'eau De l'eau de pluie De l'eau de là-haut Et le soleil blanc sur ta peau Et la musique tombée du ciel Sur les toits rouillés de Rio, oh Instrumental Interlude Verse Elle, En attendant l’orage Elle te pardonnera ton âge Et l'argent de tes cheveux Elle, Tu ne peux pas te passer d’elle Tu ne vivras jamais sans elle Tu n'auras que l'eau dans tes yeux Refrain Rien que de l'eau De l'eau de pluie De l'eau de là-haut Et le soleil blanc sur ta peau Et la musique tombée du ciel Sur les toits rouillés de Rio, oh Rien que de l'eau De l'eau de pluie De l'eau de là-haut Et le soleil blanc sur ta peau Et la musique tombée du ciel Sur les toits rouillés de Rio, oh Instrumental Coda |
Verse It, Remember how beautiful it is And touch it, it smells like salt It's a miraculous gift It, It's the birth of gabelle It's the forgotten one among the faithless In the land of the future old ones Refrain Nothing but water Water from rain Water from up there And the white sun on your skin And the music fallen from the sky On the rusty roofs of Rio, oh Verse You, you hide in the alleys And like a pagan calling The gods for it to flood you It, Oh you know, it has time It's been here for a thousand years It follows you like a shadow Refrain Nothing but water Water from rain Water from up there And the white sun on your skin And the music fallen from the sky On the rusty roofs of Rio, oh Instrumental Interlude Verse It, While waiting for the storm, Will excuse your age And the silver in your hair It, You can't do without it You'll never live without it You'll have only the water in your eyes Refrain Nothing but water Water from rain Water from up there And the white sun on your skin And the music fallen from the sky On the rusty roofs of Rio, oh Nothing but water Water from rain Water from up there And the white sun on your skin And the music fallen from the sky On the rusty roofs of Rio, oh Instrumental Coda |
NB:
- Elle is a feminine pronoun because it refers to a feminine French noun “l’eau.” English does not have noun genders so the pronoun referring to water translates as “it.” Note how this sucks the life out of the many rhyming opportunities for “elle” that are sown throughout the French lyrics: “belle,” “sel,” “gabelle,” infidèles,” “ciel,” “ruelle,” “appelle.” The recurrent “el” sound defines the French version and, one dares to say, is essential to its melodic unity but is completely absent in English translation.
- Gabelle was an unpopular “salt tax” levied in 15th century France and a contributing cause of the French revolution. Its relevance to this song is that all of earth’s salt originated from seawater and that both water and salt are essential to human health and survival.
Return to Sanson Profile
Christine and The Queens
Christine and the Queens
Twenty-seven years later, in 2019, on the occasion of Véronique Sanson’s 70th birthday celebration on the France 3 television network, Christine and The Queens performed a striking tribute rendition of “Rien que de l’eau” that was broadcast nationally. This provided a sensational boost for the song to an entirely new generation of listeners. Within months, it reached 6 million views on Christine and the Queens’ Facebook account and by October 2024 it had registered 2.6 million views on YouTube.
This story provides a convenient introduction to Christine and The Queens (CATQ) which is a collective name that refers to a single performer. It’s a story that falls outside the boundaries of traditional “chanson” but warrants a pause on its own merits. CATQ refers to a French singer and songwriter who was born in 1988 in the town of Nantes with the name Héloïse Adélaïde Letissier. The “queens” in the groups' name refers to drag queen musicians who inspired him at Madame Jojo’s drag club during time he spent in London. Héloïse chose to identify with male pronouns and adopted a series of personal and stage names ranging from Christine and The Queens to Chris, Redcar, and Rahim C Redcar. In addition, his names for songs are fluid: one of his songs has carried three different titles (“Cripple,” “Christine,” and “Tilted”).
His repertoire includes both original compositions and covers of existing songs. “Paradis Perdus,” for example, is a cover of a 1973 song by Christophe, and the song “Full of Life” combines music from Pacabel’s “Canon in D Major,” composed in 1680, with lyrics of an entirely different color. His debut studio album “Chaleur humaine” was released in 2014. Three single song releases from that album were: “Sainte Claude,” “Christine” and “Paradis Perdus.” He has subsequently released 4 more albums and has made numerous high-profile performances including the 2024 Paris Para-Olympics. His music and performances have a mesmerizing quality and cut across a swath of genres that reflect a panoply of influences. His performances often involve movement-related accompaniment. All of the pieces cited above are worth sampling.
The CATQ rendition of “Rien que de l’eau” at the Sanson birthday celebration is shown below. CATQ takes some liberty with the sequence of refrains but respects the general narrative flow. The revised translation below accommodates those changes for easy reading. In contrast with Sanson’s version, CATQ’s minimal instrumental accompaniment elevates the impact of voice, presence, and lyrics. The initially bizarre thrashing of his right arm resembles some frenzied ritual supplication of the water gods (perhaps enacting the lines in verse 2: “comme un païen qui appelle pour les dieux qu'elle t'inonde”/"like a pagan calling on the gods to inundate you"). It adds a compelling dimension to the performance that calls to be seen and not just heard.
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Verse Elle, Rappelle-toi comme elle est belle Et touche-la, elle sent le sel C'est un don miraculeux Elle, C'est la naissance de la gabelle C'est l'oubliée des infidèles À la terre des futurs vieux Refrain Rien que de l'eau De l'eau de pluie De l'eau de là-haut Et le soleil blanc sur ta peau Et la musique tombée du ciel Sur les toits rouillés de Rio, oh Refrain Rien que de l'eau De l'eau de pluie De l'eau de là-haut Et le soleil blanc sur ta peau Et la musique tombée du ciel Sur les toits rouillés de Rio, oh Verse Toi, Tu te caches dans les ruelles Et comme un païen qui appelle Pour les dieux qu'elle t'inonde Elle, Oh tu sais, elle a le temps Elle est là depuis mille ans Elle te suit comme une ombre Refrain Rien que de l'eau De l'eau de pluie De l'eau de là-haut Et le soleil blanc sur ta peau Et la musique tombée du ciel Sur les toits rouillés de Rio, oh Refrain Rien que de l'eau De l'eau de pluie De l'eau de là-haut Et le soleil blanc sur ta peau Et la musique tombée du ciel Sur les toits rouillés de Rio, oh Verse Elle, En attendant l’orage Elle te pardonnera ton âge Et l'argent de tes cheveux Elle, Tu ne peux pas te passer d’elle Tu ne vivras jamais sans elle Tu n'auras que l'eau dans tes yeux Refrain Rien que de l'eau De l'eau de pluie De l'eau de là-haut Et le soleil blanc sur ta peau Et la musique tombée du ciel Sur les toits rouillés de Rio, oh |
Verse It, Remember how beautiful it is And touch it, it smells like salt It's a miraculous gift It, It's the birth of gabelle It's the forgotten one among the faithless In the land of the future old ones Refrain Nothing but water Water from rain Water from up there And the white sun on your skin And the music fallen from the sky On the rusty roofs of Rio, oh Refrain Nothing but water Water from rain Water from up there And the white sun on your skin And the music fallen from the sky On the rusty roofs of Rio, oh Verse You, You hide in the alleys And like a pagan calling The gods for it to flood you It, Oh you know, it has time It's been here for a thousand years It follows you like a shadow Refrain Nothing but water Water from rain Water from up there And the white sun on your skin And the music fallen from the sky On the rusty roofs of Rio, oh Refrain Nothing but water Water from rain Water from up there And the white sun on your skin And the music fallen from the sky On the rusty roofs of Rio, oh Verse It, While waiting for the storm, Will excuse your age And the silver in your hair It, You can't do without it You'll never live without it You'll have only the water in your eyes Refrain Nothing but water Water from rain Water from up there And the white sun on your skin And the music fallen from the sky On the rusty roofs of Rio, oh |