Vie Varda, (“The Varda Life”), 2019, Album: Panorama
Vincent Delerm wrote this song in tribute to Agnès Varda, who died at 90 years old on 29 March 2019. He eulogizes her life as a pathway for emulation. One might think of the title as “The Way of Varda,” drawing on the Japanese tradition (ie. “Bushido”) of moral and behavioral codes appropriate to one’s station. As outlined by Delerm in his song, such a Varda code includes: “parler à deux,” “ressentir un émotion,” “marcher sur la sable,” “une vie hors competition,” “chercher l’élégance,” “trouver la beauté.” This verbal description is enhanced by visual images that are commonly used of Varda where she appears playful, innocent, inquisitive and industrious.
Delerm’s song appeared on his album Panorama released on October 18, 2019. That same year, he performed it live on the TV show “C à Vous” on October 16 and again at the Paris concert hall La Cigale on December 11 during his Panorama tour.
Varda was born with the name Arlette on 30 May 1928 in Ixelles, Belgium but grew up in the French waterside Provence town of Sète, the site and subject of her debut film La Pointe Courte (1955). She became a photographer, film director and visual artist. She is often identified as “grandmother” of New Wave cinema and moved her operation to a distinctive pink dwelling at 86-88 Rue Daguerre in Paris’ 14th arrondissement (Montparnasse). She lived and worked there with her film-maker husband Jacques Demy.
Her films included: La Pointe courte (1955), Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962), Ulysse (1984), Sans toit ni loi (1985), Jacquot de Nantes (1991), Les Glaneurs et la Glaneuse (2000), Deux ans après (2002), Les Plages d’Agnès (2008) and Visages, villages (2017). She received an honorary César award for her lifework in 2001, the René-Clair prize of l’Académie française in 2002, a “palme d’honneur” at the Festival de Cannes 2015, and an honorary Oscar in 2017. Salient aspects of her expansive oeuvre of photography and film-making (which she called “cinécriture”) include a pot-pourri of formats (long form, short form, documentaries and experiments) and topics (Black Panthers, gleaners and other marginalized subjects, Cubans, feminism). Her stock-in-trade included on-location shooting, non-professional actors, close-ups and natural light, a blend of staged and unscripted action, and breaking the “fourth wall” between players and observers.
The lyrics include 3 Verses, 3 Refrains, an Instrumental Interlude and an Outro. All of them include identical chords and chord progressions. Stanzas uniformly include 6 lines and the rhyme scheme throughout is AABCCB. Delerm performed the rendition presented here at the legendary Paris concert hall in Montmartre, La Cigale.
Lyrics highlighted in bold italic are explained in notes.
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FRENCH LYRICS
Verse Si on peut oublier tout ça Le stadium Défense Arena Les charrues le concours sous la douche Si on peut ce soir effacer Le carton trois millions d’entrées Simplement dire ce qui nous touche Refrain Si on peut vivre comme Agnès Se parler à deux dans la pièce Et ressentir une émotion Si on peut vivre une vie Varda Marcher sur le sable comme ça Faire une vie hors compétition Verse Si on peut regarder ailleurs Pas le clash pas les chroniqueurs Quelquefois chercher l’élégance Si on peut trouver la beauté Un visage par le temps froissé Dans la nuit un danseur qui danse Refrain Si on peut vivre comme Agnès Se parler à deux dans la pièce Et ressentir une émotion Si on peut vivre une vie Varda Marcher sur le sable comme ça Faire une vie hors compétition Verse Si je peux dormir contre toi Si je peux t’aimer dans le froid Si je peux jusqu’à la fin des temps Dans les rues te photographier À Lisbonne un matin d’été Si je peux encore un instant Refrain Si je peux vivre comme Agnès Parler avec toi dans la pièce Et ressentir une émotion Si je peux vivre une vie Varda Marcher sur le sable avec toi Faire une vie hors compétition Outro Si je peux vivre comme Agnès Si je peux vivre une vie Varda |
TRANSLATION (PENDERGAST)
Verse If we can forget all that The Defense Arena stadium The “plows,” the shower contest If tonight we could simply erase The record three million tickets sold Just saying what touches us Refrain If we can live like Agnes Talkng to each other alone in the room And feeling an emotion If we can live a Varda life Walking on the sand like that Making a life outside competition Verse If we can look elsewhere Not the clash not the commentators Sometimes seeking elegance If we can find beauty A face wrinkled by time In the night, a dancer dancing Refrain If we can live like Agnes Talking to each other alone in the room And feeling an emotion If we can live a Varda life Walking on the sand like that Making a life outside competition Verse If I can sleep against you If I can love you in the cold If I can until the end of time Photograph you in the streets In Lisbon on a summer morning If I can for another moment Refrain If I can live like Agnes Talking with you in the room And feeling an emotion If I can live a Varda life Walking on the sand with you Making a life outside competition Outro If I can live like Agnes If I can live a Varda life |
NB:
Le stadium Défense Arena, Les charrues le concours sous la douche, Le carton trois millions d’entrées: in these lines, Delerm concocts a send-up list of "competitive" occasions that he proposes to jettison in favor of Varda’s simple, authentic life "hors compétition" ("outside competition"). They are: the Defense Arena, a multipurpose indoor stadium in Nanterre that hosts sports and entertainment events; the “Vieilles Charrues” (Old Plows), France’s largest annual music festival in Brittany; various mass entertainment spectacles that he brands “le concours sous la douche;” and smash hit events that sell 3 million-or-so tickets.
Le stadium Défense Arena, Les charrues le concours sous la douche, Le carton trois millions d’entrées: in these lines, Delerm concocts a send-up list of "competitive" occasions that he proposes to jettison in favor of Varda’s simple, authentic life "hors compétition" ("outside competition"). They are: the Defense Arena, a multipurpose indoor stadium in Nanterre that hosts sports and entertainment events; the “Vieilles Charrues” (Old Plows), France’s largest annual music festival in Brittany; various mass entertainment spectacles that he brands “le concours sous la douche;” and smash hit events that sell 3 million-or-so tickets.
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