“BOUM!” The French Song in the New 007 Movie “SKYFALL” Posted by Hichem 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.”
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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:
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!
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.
Yes:
I love this song!
009:
lel, but this song doesn’t mix well with Bond.
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!
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?