Bénabar to keep you company.

Ok, today is the final push.  Monday partner starts med school, and we'll be officially living in Rennes full time.  I am probably not going to have internet for a few days, who knows when UPS will finally show up since it's already been delayed once, but to keep you company until then I have another selection of songs.

The collection in question this time is three songs by Bénabar.  Since it's part of the Chanson genre of French music, the lyrics are tantamount.  So here's hoping you all have a great week, and that I see you before the end of the next week!



First, some funny, Y'a une femme qui habite chez moi, which translates to There's a Woman living with me.  The whole song is about a man who wakes up and finds that there is a woman living with him.  In reality, it's pointing out how his bachelor's life has changed since his girlfriend moved in with him.  Lyrics available here!



Next we have Le Diner.  It's a song about a guy who doesn't want to go out to dinner, for a diverse group of reasons.  It's a tribute to the excuses we tell ourselves to avoid going out on nights when we're feeling lazy.  It's absolutely hilarious  Lyrics available here.



Finally, my absolute favorite song by Bénabar: Bon Anniversaire, or Happy Birthday.  The song follows a weekend birthday trip among friends to Brittany.  I started listening to it for that reason.  I love the song for how accurately it describes how we feel as we get older.  It's loaded with French idioms and cultural references.  The first line I learned was, "même les pompiers au regard si franc sur un calendrier n’ont rien de rassurant."  Or in English, "even the stern stares of the firemen on the calender don't reassure me."  Full lyrics here!

This is part of a tradition that firemen in France raise money by selling calendars with pictures of the local fire crews on them.  Not like the American calendars with hot firemen.  It's just a group picture of all the local teams in the village, fully clothed.  Most of the firemen in France you wouldn't want to see in a state of undress anyway.

So I hope to see you all soon!  A plus!