Boum! Charles Trenet

Posted byJill LondonPosted inInspirational people, Moving picturesTags:, , , ,

I so enjoyed my last post on Le Rayol, France and the French Riviera that I’ve not been able to get this song out of my head since. I’ve tried to find a translation for it and this was the best I could come up with, though any suggestions would be welcome.

The clock goes tic-TOC-tick-TAC

Birds on the lake sing pik-PACK-pak

Glou-glou-glou all the turkeys sing

And the pretty bell rings DING-dong-DING

But boom!

When our heart goes boom!

All join in to say boom!

And it’s love that has awakened

BOOM!

It sang Love in Bloom

At the rhythm of this Boom!

Repeating Boom in our ear

Everything has changed since yesterday

On the street eyes look out of the windows

There’s lilac and there’s helping hands

On the sea the sun will appear

BOOM!

The star of the day makes boom

All join in to say boom

When our hearts go BOOM BOOM

The wind in the wood moans whou-whou

The doe at bay squeals me-Ya-Ya-Ya!!

The broken dish goes fric-frac-FRAC

The wet feet slip flip-flop-flap

But boom!

When our heart goes boom

Everyone says boom

The bird said boom it’s a storm

BRRRRRRRRR!!!

BOOM!

After lightning there’s the bang

And the good God says BOOM!

From his armchair of clouds

Because my love is brighter than the lightning

Lighter than a bird or a bee

Then if it goes boom if it makes me angry

It brings with it the wonders

BOOM!!

The whole world goes BOOM!

Everyone joins in to say BOOM!

When our hearts go boom-boom

BOOM BOOM!

Boom Boom is ours

It directs us BOOM BOOM BOOM!

BRRRRRR!! BOOOOOOOOMMM!

Read more: http://www.kovideo.net/boum-english-translation-lyrics-charles-trenet-1226406.html#ixzz2VPtRalg7

charles trenetCharles Trenet (18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a French singer and songwriter, most famous for his recordings from the late 1930s until the mid-1950s, though his career continued through the 1990s. In an era in which it was exceptional for a singer to write his or her own material, Trenet wrote prolifically and declined to record any but his own songs.

His best known songs include “Boum !“, “La Mer“, “Y’a d’la joie”, “Que reste-t-il de nos amours ?“, “Ménilmontant” and “Douce France”. His catalogue of songs is enormous, numbering close to a thousand. What set Trenet’s songs apart were their personal, poetic, sometimes quite eccentric qualities, often infused with a warm wit. Some of his songs had unconventional subject matter, with whimsical imagery bordering on the surreal. “Y’a d’la joie” evokes ‘joy’ through a series of disconnected images, including that of a subway car shooting out of its tunnel into the air, the Eiffel Tower crossing the street and a baker making excellent bread.  Source: Wikipedia

Published by Jill London

Hi, I’m Jill, a writer and teacher living in the UK, usually behind a desk but sometimes on a sofa with a book or a film. I began writing at around age three, legibly by five, although I didn’t write any stories until I was older. Aged eleven, I began writing children’s fiction, mostly middle-grade fantasy and I’m still doing it to this day. I have had stories published online and in My Weekly magazine. The best bit about writing is when ideas pop into your head (from the writing fairy presumably?) and everything starts clipping together like a jigsaw puzzle. The worst bit? When you start to get the feeling there's a piece missing from the box...

14 thoughts on “Boum! Charles Trenet”

  2. Thank you for introducing me to Charles Trenet. He looks so good in this clip and his dance moves are .. captivating. He makes the French language sound so sexy and he wrote all his own material. Wonderful! I’ll have to explore this artist and his work further..

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  3. Ah Jill. I was about to say thank you for reminding me of this lovely song. But then I realised that I seldom need reminding of it. It’s one of those songs that enters my mind unbidden at life’s cheerier moments. A few weeks ago, on the Russell Davies programme on BBC Radio 2 (one of the best things on radio, in my view), Russell played a few Trenet songs (including a version of Boum! by Blossom Dearie!) in recognition of the great man’s centenary. Russell pointed out that Trenet’s madcap antics on stage (he became known as Le Fou chantant) were adopted in order to hide the fact that he suffered horribly from stage fright. Who, as it were, knew? Alas, my rudimentary grasp of French means that I can’t really appreciate the jokes and word-play in a lot of his lyrics, but I CAN appreciate his splendid musicianship. He was a wonderful melodist.

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    1. How terrible to suffer from stage fright and yet have the ability to bring such joy. Boum! is certainly one of those songs that my mind selects for my internal soundtrack whenever I feel happy and the sun is shining. I wish I had caught that radio show btw (it’s unavailable on iplayer).

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      1. Quite! But clearly Trenet didn’t let the nerves stand in the way. It’s a shame, but the Russell Davies programmes are only available for a week following their Sunday evening broadcast.

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