A week late, I’d forgotten about the release of Mademoiselle K’s latest album, Jouer Dehors (Playing Outside), on January 14th.
I picked it up today from the Amazon MP3 store, and I can tell you that it’s a real good’un. A bit less rocky and a bit less punky than the previous two albums, a bit cleaner, a bit more melodic, and altogether very enjoyable from the very first listen.
Some standout tracks for me, are “La Corde” – the build up in the chorus is so satisfying (as it is with the final track “À L’infini”), “Solidaires”, and the title track, the video for which you can watch the video for the title track at this link.
While I absolutely loved the first few tracks on Ça Me Vexe (some of the best French rock I’ve heard), I was never totally grabbed by Jamais La Paix, and thought the next album might be quite empty. I was wrong. The album sounds crisp, well produced and stays solid until the very end. Highly recommended.
So, en deux temps, trois mouvements, I thought I would put up a translation of the opening track, Aisément.
I’ll be honest (I’m a very honest man), I’m not overly pleased with this translation, I not actually sure what she’s going on about.
Feel free to let me know where I’ve screwed up.
| S'expliquer | To be understandable, to make clear |
Et pourquoi quand ça s'explique
Faut qu'ça dure au moins trois tours du monde ? | |
And why when it's obvious
Must it last at least three turns of the world? | |
| Débaucher | To finish work, to lay someone off |
J'en ai marre, mal au crâne, Je débauche l'hémisphère gauche | |
I've had enough, got a headache, I've finished the left hemisphere | |
| Remballer | To pack up again; to send packing |
Et pourquoi quand on la prend et qu'on la retourne
Elle tourne toujours si mal la terre ? Faut peut-être qu'on la remballe plus joliment | |
And why when it is taken and then returned, The Earth always turns out so bad? Maybe we should pack it up again more nicely | |
| Blé | Wheat (slang: dough, cash) |
Et pourquoi quand ça s'explique
Faut qu'ça dure au moins trois tours du monde ? | |
And why when it's obvious
Must it last at least three turns of the world? | |
| Les doigts dans l'nez | Very easy, without effort |
| Être cap de | To be capable of |
A slang expression, "cap" being short for capable. | |
Aisément Aisément doigts dans l'nez
On est cap de faire | |
Easily easily, as easy as pie
We can do it | |
| Du fil à retordre | A hard time, diffculties |
| En deux temps trois mouvement | Quick as a flash |
En deux temps trois mouvements
Je te donne le fil à retordre | |
As quick as a flash
I give you a hard time | |
| J'en ai marre | I've had enough |
J'en ai marre is an informal version of J'en ai assez, meaning "I've had enough (of it)" | |
J'en ai marre, mal au crâne, Je débauche l'hémisphère gauche | |
I've had enough, got a headache, I've finished the left hemisphere | |
| Reprendre du poil de la bête | To perk up |
En deux temps trois mouvements, je reprends du poil de la bête | |
As quick as a flash, I perk right up | |
| Avoir la tête dans la compote | To have a sore head |
This works just as well for other body parts, e.g. J'ai les pieds dans la compote - my feet hurt. | |
Je suis solidaire du gars à qui on met la tête dans la compote | |
I'm in solidarity with the guys who are given sore heads | |
| Prendre la porte | To leave |
I suspect that it is impossible I think to translate with the same wordplay as the French lyric. Prendre l'air means to get some air, and prendre la porte means to leave. | |
Je prends l'air et la porte en même temps | |
I grab some air and the door at the same time | |
Aisément - Mademoiselle K | Easily (translation of Aisément by Mademoiselle K) |
| Aisément Aisément doigts dans l'nez | Easily easily, as easy as pie | |
| On est cap de faire | We can do it | |
| Faire la fin du monde en deux secondes | End the world in two seconds | |
| Une pour toi une pour moi | One for you one for me | |
| Aisément on fait le fin du monde | Easily, we bring the end of the world | |
| J'te donne l'hémisphère nord J'ai froid | I give you the northern hemisphere, I'm cold | |
| Je prends l'hémisphère sud | I take the southern hemisphere | |
| En deux temps trois mouvements | As quick as a flash | |
| Je te donne le fil à retordre | I give you a hard time | |
| Je prends l'air et la porte en même temps | I grab some air and the door at the same time | |
| Et pourquoi quand ça s'explique | And why when it's obvious | |
| Faut qu'ça dure au moins trois tours du monde ? | Must it last at least three turns of the world | |
| Si c'est le fin du monde ... | If this is the end of the world | |
| Aisément | Easily | |
| Aisément Aisément | Easily Easily | |
| Doigts dans l'nez on avait du blé | As easy as pie, we had dough | |
| Du blé ! | Dough! | |
| Où il est passé ? | Where do it go? | |
| Le blé ... dans les champs | Dough... in the fields (see notes) | |
| J'en ai marre, mal au crâne | I've had enough, got a headache | |
| Je débauche l'hémisphère gauche | I've finished the left hemisphere | |
| Et le ministère droit pas fiable | And the law ministry, unreliable | |
| Qu'ils rentrent au Lichtenstein | Let them return to Lichtenstein | |
| En deux temps trois mouvements | As quick as a flash | |
| Je reprends du poil de la bête | I perk right up | |
| J'suis solidaire | I'm in solidarity | |
| Du gars à qui on met la tête dans la compote | With the guys who are given sore heads | |
| Et pourquoi quand on la prend et qu'on la retourne | And why when it is taken and then returned | |
| Elle tourne toujours si mal la terre ? | Does the Earth always turn out so bad? | |
| Faut peut-être qu'on la remballe plus joliment | Maybe we should pack it up again more nicely | |
| Aisément | Easily |
