Les Jeux Olympiques (les JO) viennent de commencer à Rio.* (The Olympics have started in Rio, Brazil.) In honor of the games (which I love!) and Brazil (which is a lovely country), another song this week. A French one of course, but one that captures the spirit and joy of Rio, of Brazil, and of Carnival!

Annie Cordy is a singer, actress, and “personality” from Belgium, who had a long and popular career in France. In the 80’s, she had a number of novelty hits like this one. Quick note: The first line of the song is cut off in this clip . . . but this was by far the best version I could find on youtube!

Tata** Yoyo qu’est-ce qu’y a*** sous ton grand chapeau / Auntie Yoyo, what do you have under your big hat ?
Tata Yoyo, dans ma tête y a des tas d’oiseaux / Auntie Yoyo, there are a bunch of birds in my head
Tata Yoyo, on m’a dit qu’y a même un grelot / Autie Yoyo, they told me there was even a bell****
Mais, moi j’aime ça quand ça fait ding ding di gue ding / But me, I like it, when it goes ding ding a ling
Comme une samba / Like a samba

J’ai mon boa / I have my boa
Mon vieux chapeau / My old hat
Ma robe à fleurs / My flower(ed) dress
Et mon mégot / And my cigarette*****
Mon parasol / My parasol
Et mes faux cils / And my fake eyelashes
Et une boussole / And a compass
Sur mon nombril / in my belly button
Les Brésiliens m’ont surnommée la folle de Rio / The Brasilians have named me ”the crazy lady of Rio”
Mais les enfants me donne un nom plus rigolo / But the kids call me something much more fun

Tata Yoyo qu’est-ce qu’y a sous ton grand chapeau / Auntie Yoyo, what do you have under your big hat?
Tata Yoyo, dans ma tête y a des tas d’oiseaux / Auntie Yoyo, there are a bunch of birds in my head
Tata Yoyo, on m’a dit qu’y a même un grelot / Auntie Yoyo, they told me there was even a bell
Mais, moi j’aime ça quand ça fait ding ding di gue ding / But me, I like it, when it goes ding ding a ling
Comme une samba / Like a samba

Depuis le temps / Ever since (it began)
Que je m’trimballe / That I started wandering
Parmi les masques / Among the masks
Du Carnaval / Of Carnival
Ma silhouette / My silhouette
Mon charme fou****** / My incredible charm
Ça les embêtes / It drives them crazy / annoys them
Ils sont jaloux / They are jealous
Je les entends sur mon passage dire : Ah ! quelle est belle / I hear them as I go by : Oh ! how lovely she is
Un gosse a dit : Papa, j’la veux pour mon Noël / A kid said : Dad, I want her for Christmas

Tata Yoyo qu’est-ce qu’y a sous ton grand chapeau / Auntie Yoyo, what do you have under your big hat?
Tata Yoyo, dans ma tête y a des tas d’oiseaux / Auntie Yoyo, there are a bunch of birds in my head
Tata Yoyo, on m’a dit qu’y a même un grelot / Auntie Yoyo, they told me there was even a bell
Mais ça n’fait rien quand je danse ça fait ding ding di gue ding / But it’s no problem at all, when I dance it goes ding ding a ling
Et j’aime bien / And I love it
Oui, moi j’aime ça quand ça fait ding ding di gue ding / Yes, I like it when it goes ding ding a ling
Comme une samba. / Like a samba.

* Did you ever wonder why so much of the commentary / announcing at the Olympics is in French? French is one of the offical languages of the games because Pierre de Coubertin, father of the modern Olympics, was French.

** ‘Tata’ is an affectionate term for ‘aunt’ in French, corresponding to the masculine ‘tonton’ for ‘oncle’. The proper French terms are ‘tante’ (aunt) and ‘oncle’ (uncle).

*** ‘qu’est-ce qu’y a’ omits the ‘il’ from the proper French ‘qu’est-ce qu’il y a’ which means ‘what is there’. ‘il y a’ (‘there is’ or ‘there are’) is a very useful and common French phrase! You’ll see many examples in this song (all like this one, with the ‘il’ missing)

**** ‘grelot’  is a small bell, like a jingle bell vs. ‘une cloche’ which is the word for a more substantial bell.

***** ‘mégot’ is literally the butt end of a cigarette . . . The fact that ‘tata’ is carrying around her ‘mégot’ (either because she hasn’t thrown it away, or because, as sometimes happens, she picked up someone else’s partially smoked cigarette) gives us a sense that maybe she is a bit down on her luck . . . despite her fabulous hat, boa, and flower dress.

****** ‘fou’ literally means ‘crazy’, but it is often used in expressions like this, expressions where in English we might say something like “she has mad skills” where ‘mad’ is used to mean ‘great’, or ‘incredible’