Author, composer and performer Bernard Lavilliers is the special guest of Le Monde d’Élodie Suigo from August 19 to 23, 2024. Five days, five songs to get to know this indomitable, committed artist, imbued with musical and human harmonies. Last November, he released an album: “Métamorphose” and a book: “Écrire sur place” (Writing on site) at Éditions des Équateurs.
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Reading time: 14 min
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Bernard Lavilliers is the special guest of Le Monde d’Élodie all this week. The opportunity to look back on five highlights of his life with five songs from his repertoire. Bernard Lavilliers, a prolific author, composer and performer since 1965, has never stopped taking us on a journey by mixing rock, reggae, salsa, bossa-nova and French song. Fensch Valley (1976), The Samba (1975), Saint-Etienne (1975), Stand The Ghetto (1980), Kingston (1980), Dark thoughts (1983) or again On the Road Again (1988) so many songs that have become for the most part hymns, the words of those who were not and are not heard, a freeze frame on certain conflicts or difficult periods.
Last November, the Saint-Etienne native with the iconic voice and phrasing released an album: Metamorphosis and a book: Write on the spot at Éditions des Équateurs. He will be in concert at the end of September.
franceinfo: In 2010, you released the album Lost Causes and Tropical Music which earned you a Victoire de la Musique. A few weeks ago, you were celebrated with an Honorary Victoire at the Victoires de la Musique. It is a recognition for your entire career. What do all these titles represent? Do they have a special meaning for you?
I don’t give much importance to medals, but they make me happy. That is to say, I have received everything in my life. I don’t know how many times the SACEM prize, the Publishers’ prize for my entire career. Afterwards, there is the traditional phrase: “Being recognized by your peers“. I can’t understand exactly what that means because his “peers” at my age, it’s curious. I could have said at the Victoires de la Musique like Henri Salvador: “You could have given it to me posthumously.“, I thought it was great. It was in the spirit of Henri Salvador, a kind of guy who, deep down, made funny songs, but preferred melancholic songs.
Through your album Logbooks (2004) or your book, Write on the spotwe understand that you have always been against all odds and have stayed the course. Where have you located your horizon line throughout your journey?
Freedom, of course! To write, the courage to continue, to not repeat oneself. I am extremely violent with myself. I don’t want to repeat myself. And never be satisfied with myself. Finally, as Brassens would say, “Celebrity is a misunderstanding“.
“Looking for other melodies, other music, other cultures very different from ours, is to avoid repeating myself.”
Bernard Lavilliersto franceinfo
You have always fought for others. You were in every fight. François Mitterrand once asked you what you did with your days. You answered him: “I support lost causes to tropical music“. Haven’t you forgotten yourself?
I don’t think so. I know who I am. Well, do we really know who we are? I know because I’ve never changed my mind, so I know that maybe I’m wrong and that I’d be richer if I’d adapted to the circumstances. Maybe I’d have fewer scars. I have time to take stock, to look at myself in the mirror. I’m not Abbé Pierre either. And I think that if you had asked him the question, he knew very well why he was doing that and who he was. The fact of forgetting oneself, well so much the better because there are artists who only talk about their navel, after a while, it’s tiring.
Has the anger faded a little over time?
No, it’s part of my engine. Anger. Not hatred. Mind you. So, a certain anger, a dull anger, from a long distance. I’ve been angry for a very long time, maybe even since I was born. I would say to you: no, I don’t agree, that’s it.
“I think I’ve been disagreeing since I was born.”
Bernard Lavilliersto franceinfo
Your album Metamorphosis is considered a symphonic masterpiece. It is true that you reinvent your hits with no less than 50 musicians. This album was born after a concert here at Radio France.
The idea comes from Radio France. It’s not at all because I want to stand out from the others. I like a job well done. I’m still a worker. I worked a lot in advance and besides, the day I sang, I had a huge bronchitis, so I had no voice. I was sorry and that’s why afterwards, I got my revenge. I took the same arrangements and I added four songs plus an original called The Red Flag (The Red Flag) written for Serge Reggiani but that people love, that corresponds to our times. It’s crazy because in the end we might end up with dictators. I don’t do it on purpose not to do like the others, I’m an outsider and again, it’s not even up to me to say it, it’s up to the judges.
There are 14 titles in Metamorphosis. What song would you like to highlight?
The Red Flagit’s true that I wrote it for Reggiani, but when I look at global society today… “It looks like Jean Ferrat “, a journalist told me.
It’s about the Italian resistance.
Yes, anti-Mussolini and Italian communist. Finally, people who don’t know her are going to discover her. You have to buy the album.