I haven’t shared a song with you in a long time! Too long in fact! Let me fix this with a song I love…

 

I discovered Christine & The Queens back in 2014 when I still lived in Seattle. Actually my mother back in France discovered her, and sent me the CD. I instantly fell in love with her art. Héloïse, the singer, created the whole CD, every single (brilliant) track, with her computer! Et oui, she wrote the lyrics and made the music with her Mac… and that’s it! How resourceful & clever is that? She soon became so popular she made the front of the TIME magazine in 2016 as a next generation leader!

 

Héloïse’s parents were both teachers, one professor of English literature and one teacher of French & Latin. I’d call that a good start in life! She underwent prestigious studies in France and then spent some time in London in 2010 (that’s funny that’s the year I moved away from London to settle down in Seattle!) where she met drag queens and transgender musicians who inspired her. You’ll notice from her pictures and videos, she is quite androgynous herself.

 

She released her first album called “Chaleur Humaine” in 2014 and her second one “Chris” should come out next month!

 

I even saw her live in Seattle back in 2016 and she was great on stage! Sadly she had translated all of her French songs into English so I wasn’t able to sing along as I only knew them in French.

 

Of course I’m giving you the French version here and, as usual, adding the English translation. Don’t try to analyze too much what she says, you’ll see the lyrics are a little obscure, but that’s ok! When I first started teaching myself English with music, I knew all my favorite songs by heart even though I mostly had no idea what I was singing. Sometimes it’s good just to let yourself go with the (French) flow and lose yourself in this new kind of French language learning experience!

 

Christine by Christine & the Queens

 

Je commence les livres par la fin / I start the books by the end
Et j’ai le menton haut pour un rien / And my chin is high for no reason
Mon œil qui pleure, c’est à cause du vent / My crying eye, it’s because of the wind
Mes absences c’est du sentiment / My absences are a feeling
Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
Le ciel coule sur… / The sky is dripping…
Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
Sous mes pieds le ciel revient / Under my feet the sky comes back
Ils sourient rouge et me parlent gris / They smile red and talk gray to me
Je fais semblant d’avoir tout compris / I pretend to understand everything
Il y a un type qui pleure dehors / There’s a guy crying outside
Sur mon visage, de la poudre d’or / On my face, golden powder
Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
Le ciel coule sur… / The sky is dripping…
Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
Sous mes pieds le ciel revient / Under my feet the sky comes back
Nous et la man on est de sortie / We and the man are going out
Pire qu’une simple moitié on compte à demi-demi / Worse than a simple half we don’t really count
Pile sur un des bas côtés comme des origamis / Precisely on the side of the road like origamis
Le bras tendu parait cassé ; tout n’est qu’épis et éclis / The stretched out arm seems broken: everything is spike and sparkle
Ces enfants bizarres / These strange kids
Cachés dehors comme par hasard / Hidden outside as if by chance
Cachant l’effort dans le griffoir / Hiding the effort in the cat tree
Et une “creepy song” en étendard qui fait… / And a creepy song as a flying banner which goes…
Je fais tout mon “make-up” / I do all my make-up
Au mercurochrome / with mercurochrome
Contre les “pop-ups” / Against pop-ups
Qui m’assurent le trône / Who maintain my throne
Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
Le ciel coule sur… / The sky is dripping…
Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
Sous mes pieds le ciel revient / Under my feet the sky comes back

 

Don’t try to analyze too much what she says, let yourself go with the (French) flow and lose yourself in this new kind of French language learning experience!

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