Bonjour. Je ne parle pas français. Can you help me understand these lyrics?

[valerief]

Hier, someone posted this fun clip here.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1018&pid=199241

I found the lyrics in French, but Google Translate can't tell me what ye-ye means. Qu'est-ce que c'est "ye-ye"? Merci.

Ni les tams-tams des yé-yé-yé-é
Ni les gris-gris que tu portais
Da doo ron ron que tu écoutais
Au bal doum doum où tu dansais

Non rien n'aura raison de moi
J'irai chercher ma Lolita
Chez les yé-yé

Sous les tams-tams des yé-yé-yé-é
Je ferai du ramdam je me connais
Oui à Sing-Sing je finirai
J'ai un coupe-coupe à cran d'arrêt

Non rien n'aura raison de moi
J'irai chercher ma Lolita
Chez les yé-yé

=========================

Neither the tom-toms of yé-yé-yé-e
Or amulets that you wore
Da doo ron ron you listening
Doum doum the ball where you danced

Nothing will not because of me
I'll get my Lolita
In yé-yé

Under the tom-toms of yé-yé-yé-e
I will make the fuss I know
Yes to Sing-Sing I'll finish
I have a machete flick

Nothing will not because of me
I'll get my Lolita
In yé-yé

[DavidL]

1. Ye' Ye' is a style of singing

Last edited Wed Sep 26, 2012, 10:11 AM - Edit history (1)

It corresponds to the "Yeah Yeah Yeah" in American (or Beatles) pop songs.

It is basically a pop music culture of the 50's and 60's in France Spain and somewhat in England and elsewhere.

Yé-yé enjoyed a slight rekindling in the United States in 2012, when French-Canadian actress Jessica Paré performed a cover of "Zou Bisou Bisou" in the fifth-season premiere of the television series Mad Men. Reaction to the song was such that the AMC network released the song as a single, both in digital download and the traditional 33 1/3 vinyl formats.

Your translation (from Google Translate?) is a bit rough, too.

Non rien n'aura raison de moi translates more to
"Nothing (not a single thing) will be right for me" (poetic lyric triple negative)

The song is basically a bit of satire about the music style.

This article in Wiki might give you some more background on Ye' Ye' music

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C3%A9-y%C3%A9

[valerief]

2. Merci beaucoup! nt

[ucrdem]

3. The ultimate Serge Gainsbourg video:

"Sea, Sex, and Sun," no translation needed , except maybe for the fluorescent subtitles, what's up with that??

[ucrdem]

4. p.s. embedding disabled, whoops.

Also, if anyone ventures to watch it, please be forewarned that this is an extra-cheesy 70s video, and I hope no one takes offense. Don't miss the lit cigarette. On the bright side, no goose livers were harmed in the production of this video...

[ucrdem]

5. Cheese-free remix, très elegant:

no backup dancers in denim, je suis desolé. . .

[valerief]

6. I like the cheesy version better. Here's another clip a decade later.

Uber cheesy. I can only imagine what he smelled like. Blech.

[ucrdem]

7. Incroyable.

Love how the backup dancer does all the work while Serge sleeps off his hangover...

[valerief]

8. I know! And that dancer is all sweaty but STILL probably smells better than Serge. Ha. nt

[coucouza]

9. nice song

nice song