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“BOUM!” The French Song in the New 007 Movie “SKYFALL” Posted by on Nov 2, 2012 in Music, Vocabulary

The French song you are about to hear is called “Boum!!” (Yes, that’s the French spelling of the English “Boom“), which was prominently featured in a rather dramatic scene of the brand new 007 movie “Skyfall.”

But unlike dynamite, C-4, nitroglycerin, or Semtex-based explosions of which James Bond is such a “bloody expert” (actually more of the old-fashioned dynamite for the late James “Blond“, though hopefully that won’t be a major spoiler there), the “Boom” which French singer Charles Trenet refers to in this song is of a radically different kind: It’s a boom qui vient du cœur (which comes from the heart.)

The whole distinction is akin to the French expression “coup de foudre, which literally translates into “a stroke of lightning“, but can also stand for “love at first sight.

* * *

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q508jaRLmeo

Charles Trenet’s “Boum!!” (with lyrics)

The French lyrics are exclusively translated into English for the Transparent Language French Blog

La pendule fait tic-tac-tic-tic

The clock goes tick-tack-tick-tick

Les oiseaux du lac pic-pac-pic-pic

The birds of the lake pick-pack-pick-pick

Glou-glou-glou font tous les dindons

Gobble-gobble-gobble, go the turkeys

Et la jolie cloche ding-dang-dong

And the pretty bell ding-dang-dong

Mais… boum!

But… Boom!

Quand notre cœur fait boum

When our heart goes boom

Tout avec lui dit boum

Everything with it says boom

Et c’est l’amour qui s’éveille

And it’s love that awakes

Boum!

Boom!

Il chante “Love in Bloom

It sings “Love in Bloom”

Au rythme de ce boum

To the rhythm of this boom

Qui redit boum à l’oreille

Which says again boom to the ear

Tout a changé depuis hier et la rue

Everything has changed since yesterday and the street

A des yeux qui regardent aux fenêtres

Has eyes that look at the windows

Y’a du lilas et y’a des mains tendues

There are lilacs and there are outstretched hands

Sur la mer le soleil va paraître

On the sea the sun will appear

Boum!

Boom!

L’astre du jour fait boum

The star of the day goes boom

Tout avec lui dit boum

Everything with it says boom

Quand notre cœur fait boum-boum

When our heart goes boom-boom

Le vent dans les bois fait hou-hou

The wind in the woods goes hoo-hoo

La biche aux abois fait mê-ê-ê

The doe at bay goes meh-eh-eh

La vaisselle cassée fait fric-fric-frac

The shattered dishes go frick-frick-frack

Et les pieds mouillés font flic-flic-flac

And the wet feet go flick-flick-flick

Mais… boum!

But boom!

Quand notre cœur fait boum

When out heart goes boom

Tout avec lui dit boum

Everything with it says boom

L’oiseau dit boum, c’est l’orage

The bird says boom, it’s the thunderstorm

Boum!

Boom!

L’éclair qui, lui, fait boum

The lightning which goes boom

Et le bon Dieu dit boum

And the Good Lord says boom

Dans son fauteuil de nuages

In his cloudy armchair

Car mon amour est plus vif que l’éclair

For my love is more lively than the lightning

Plus léger qu’un oiseau, qu’une abeille

Lighter than a bird, a bee

Et s’il fait boum, s’il se met en colère

And if it goes boom, if it gets angry

Il entraîne avec lui des merveilles

It carries with it marvels

Boum!

Boom!

Le monde entier fait boum

The whole world goes boom

Tout avec lui dit boum

Everything with it says boom

Quand notre cœur fait boum-boum

When out heart goes boom-boom

 

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Comments:

  1. Valerie:

    I remember this piece (w/ Adrian Chevalier) also from the movie “A Good Year” (Russell Crowe – woof). The movie has some other fun French pop in the soundtrack as well. Merci!

    • Hichem:

      @Valerie De rien, Valerie, glad you like it!

  2. She’s Peculiar:

    I first heard this song on Sesame Street many, many, MANY years ago. I loved it then and I love it now. Just a little upset that it’s not on the Skyfall soundtrack.

  3. Yes:

    I love this song!

  4. 009:

    lel, but this song doesn’t mix well with Bond.

  5. Elisabeth:

    The original Boum sung by Charles Trenet is on the Absolutely Fabulous the Movie soundtrack (along with a couple of other French gems). It is even used in an episode of the British TV series, Father Brown, The Prize of Colonel Gerard, to charming effect. Bon!

  6. Penvronius Miles Cambrensis:

    This first appeared in a short French film in black and white and Trenet is young and slim and full of youth and energy – this version one can see on YouTube and it is always a great pleasure to see this – his later version in English is also interesting as it has a jazz style accompaniment but it does not have all the verses –
    YouTube shows also him singing this later in life – his suit suggests this is the late 1950s or early 1960s – it looks as if it comes from a cabaret spot on television – he sings it so fast as if to show how rapidly he can articulate the words, easier perhaps in French than in English – interesting as this is it does not compare well with the original version in the black and white film – where it is without wishing to be unkind or disrespectful it is the only part of the film which rises above the pedestrian – in my opinion – but as we used to say in the RAF – that was and is ‘a jolly good show’ a wizard prang – what?