Helvète Underground

Words: Boris Bergman

Music: Alain Bashung

Fondue enchaînée sur la baie de Lausanne

Fluid images on the bay of Lausanne
Pour un pélican combien de frangipane
How much frangipani for a pelican
 

Cher le guili guili

The dear tickle tickle
Coucous de contrebande

The contraband's sweet hello
Ça sonne comme l'Helvète Underground

That sounds like Helvet Underground*

Robinson Crusoé n'a plus un vendredi d'libre

Robinson Crusoe has no free Friday
Au printemps j'redoute qu'un des trois suisses me livre

Come spring, I dread one of three Swiss will turn me in
 

Cher le guili guili

The dear tickle tickle
Coucous de contrebande

The contraband's sweet hello

Ça sonne comme l'Helvète Underground

That sounds like Helvet Underground

Guili guili, passé le Rio Grande

Tickle tickle, across the Rio Grand
Ça sonne comme l'Helvète Underground

That sounds like Helvet Underground

C'est métro Alma Marceau

It's metro Alma Marceau
Que nous nous mîmes, nous mîmes intimes

That we mimick, that mimicks us intimate
A l'instar de la violetera qu'on assassine

In the manner of violetera that one is murdering**
 

Pense à dire du bien de Charles Trenet

Think to speak well of Charles Trenet
L'appât d'la gaine me fait sortir le grand je t'aime

The bait of the line pulls up the big "i love you"
Chili Concarneau, pourquoi tant de haine ?

Chili Concarneau, why so much hate ?

Cher le guili guili

The dear tickle tickle
Coucous de contrebande

The contraband's sweet hello
Ça sonne comme l'Helvète Underground

That sounds like Helvet Underground

Guili guili, passé le Rio Grande

Tickle tickle, across the Rio Grand
Ça sonne comme l'Helvète Underground

That sounds like Helvet Underground

*Helvète Underground: Hèlvete is Helvetian or Swiss, a sound play with Velvet Underground

**la violetera: a tune originally from the film "La Violetera" which was very popular in France. Charlie Chaplin used the melody in "City Lights". Charles Trenet "borrowed" the tune for "Que reste-il de nos amours", which Bashung sang in later years with Françoise Hardy. I am only guessing--help!--but beyond the possible plagiarism, "thinking well of Trenet" may refer to his controversial life, his supposed collaboration with the Germans or his arrest for corruption of young men (both of which he was exonerated).

Hear the song "La Violetera" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R-jKWlKB7k&feature=related, and then Trenet's at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWAxaHuwg30&feature=related. Finally, there's the beautiful rendition of Bashung and Hardy, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU44NskHzpk


Alain Bashung & Boris Bergman