''Les Mots bleus'' ( en, Blue Words) is a 1974 album by French singer Christophe based on the

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

of the same name. Along with its groundbreaking predecessor album ''Les Paradis Perdus'' it revived the career of Christophe in the 1970s which, had taken a downturn following the initial success of " Aline" in 1965.

Jean-Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompani ...

wrote the lyrics for the title track, which has been described as "outstanding" by '' Billboard'' magazine. It is considered one of the top albums and songs of

French pop music French pop music is pop music sung in the French language. It is usually performed by singers from France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, or any of the other francophone areas of the world. The target audience is the francophone market (primaril ...

. In 2010, the French edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine put it at number 45 in its list of the best albums of

French rock French rock is a form of rock music produced in France, primarily with lyrics in the French language. French rock was born as early as mid-1950s, when writer, songwriter and jazz player Boris Vian wrote parody rock songs for Magali Noël or Hen ...

Inspiration

In 1974, Christophe took delivery of an ''Eminent'' brand synthesiser in Francis Dreyfus' recording studio. As he was experimenting with the keyboard of the synthesiser, he got the inspiration for the song "Les Mots Bleus", after which the album was named.

, who had already cooperated with Christophe in his groundbreaking album ''Les Paradis Perdus'' as the lyricist, after numerous attempts, finally wrote the lyrics for the music Christophe had composed on the synthesiser. During the studio recording of the song, a member of the chorus nearly fainted because he could not keep up with the arrangement and did not breathe at the appropriate time. After ''Les Mots Bleus'', the cooperation between Jarre and Christophe was discontinued.

Reception

In 2010, the French edition of ''

'' magazine put it at number 45 in its list of the best albums of

. ''Billboard'' magazine called the album outstanding. ''Les in Rocks'' asks "Who has not found their tears soaking the shoulder of a holiday romance on this ballad by Christophe?" and mentions that the song became a classic which cemented Christophe's place amongst the "great contemporary French singers". The critique continues, stating that this is one of the originals which has defined the 1970s "

slow In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude (mathematics), magnitude of the change of its Position (vector), position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per ...

" and mentions that it contains "a funereal echo" and a "

Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

which accompanies the desperate voice of the artist". The lyrics by Jean Michel Jarre are described as "cliché without being cloying" and that the

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

"succeeds by not falling into the sentimentality and clichés of the love song". The review concludes that after Jarre finished writing the lyrics for the song, he received a letter from Serge Gainsbourg welcoming him to the club, an acknowledgment that he was at the top of his profession, in the "big leagues". The lyrics of ''Les Mots bleus'' and those of ''Les Paradis Perdus'' are considered notable examples of Jarre's talent as a lyricist. The lyrics have also been studied concerning the technique of using the future tense in the refrain, while transitioning to

present tense The present tense (abbreviated or ) is a grammatical tense whose principal function is to locate a situation or event in the present time. The present tense is used for actions which are happening now. In order to explain and understand present ...

in the subsequent verses. The song is about Christophe's difficulty of declaring his feelings to his love.

Covers

There is a cover of the song by

Alain Bashung Alain Bashung (, born Alain Claude Baschung; 1 December 1947 – 14 March 2009) was a French singer, songwriter and actor. Credited with reviving the French chanson in "a time of French musical turmoil", he is often regarded in his home country a ...

in his album ''Tu seras mon fils''.

Literature

The song is mentioned in the novel ''Je m'étais promis (entropie)'' and in ''Contes de l'amour ordinaire''.

Track listing

From Dreyfus records.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mots Bleus 1974 albums French-language albums