When you hear une chanson (a song) and it stays in your head all day you can be sure you will remember it forever. If you can find a song that catchy in French, it will help you study by making you practice every time you think of la chanson! One of the first French songs to get stuck in my head all day is Soulman by Ben l’Oncle Soul.

There are many musicians who sing in French and make amazing music. People are quick to think of Stromae or Edith Piaf, but for me there’s another big name: Ben l’Oncle Soul.

Ben l’Oncle Soul is a French gospel and soul singer who entered the mainstream French music scene back in 2010 with le tube (the hit song) Soulman. He has loved la musique (music) all his life and you can hear that passion when he sings his soulful songs.

Ben is from Tours, a smaller city in central France. It is also where I’ve spent most of my time in France. Beyond ses chansons entraînantes (his catchy songs), the fact that Ben is from Tours makes me appreciate him even more!

Son nom de scène (his stage name) may seem strange, but it comes from son surnom (his nickname). Le nœud papillon (the bow tie) he often wears makes him look a bit like the man on the logo for Uncle Ben’s brand rice, which led to him gaining le surnom l’Oncle Ben. Ben changed the name slightly to Ben l’Oncle Soul in order to éviter (avoid) any possible copyright issues.

Sa musique has clear American influences, from his gospel and soul inspired original songs to ses reprises (his covers) of famous American songs like Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes or Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra.

La chanson that always gets stuck in my head is Soulman. Le tube de 2010 that mixes a soulful sound with catchy lyrics. La chanson is short and fun and makes many references to la culture populaire (pop culture), and ben sings at a nice pace so it’s easy to follow along and catch all les références.

Écoutez la chanson (listen to the song) and you’ll be singing along in no time!

Voici les paroles de la chanson avec la traduction anglaise :

J’ai pas le regard de Spike Lee
J’ai pas le génie de De Vinci
J’ai pas les pieds sur terre
La patience de ma banquière
J’ai pas ces choses-là

I don’t have Spike Lee’s looks
I don’t have De Vinci’s genius
I don’t have my feet on the ground
I don’t have the patience of my banker
I don’t have those things.

J’ai pas la sagesse de Gandhi
L’assurance de Mohamed Ali
J’ai pas l’âme d’un gangster
La bonté de l’Abbé Pierre
Ni l’aura de Guevara

I don’t have Ghandi’s wisdom
Nor Mohammad Ali’s confidence
I don’t have a gangster’s spirit
The goodness of Abbé Pierre
Nor Guevara’s aura

(refrain)
Je ne suis qu’un soulman
Écoute ça, baby
Je suis pas un superman
Loin de là
Juste moi, mes délires
Je n’ai rien d’autre à offrir
Mais je sais qu’en vrai c’est déjà ça

(chorus)
I’m only a soulman
Listen here, baby.
I’m not a superman
Far from it
Just me, my delusions
I don’t have anything else to offer
But I already knew that was true

J’ai pas le physique des magazines
J’ai pas l’humour de Charlie Chaplin
J’ai pas la science infuse
Le savoir-faire de Bocuse
Non, je n’ai pas ces choses-là

I don’t have a body like in the magazines
I don’t have the humor of Charlie Chaplain
I don’t have the innate knowlegde
The know-how of Bocuse
No, I don’t have those things.

J’ai pas la chance de Neil Armstrong
J’ai pas la carrure de King Kong
Plusieurs cordes à mon arc
La ferveur de Rosa Parks
Ni le courage de Mandela

I don’t have Neil Armstrong’s luck
I’m not built like King Kong
Having more strings on my fiddle
The Rosa Park’s fervor
Nor Mandela’s courage.

(refrain x2)
Je ne suis qu’un soulman
Écoute ça, baby
Je suis pas un superman
Loin de là
Juste moi, mes délires
Je n’ai rien d’autre à offrir
Mais je sais qu’en vrai c’est déjà ça

(chorus x2)
I’m only a soulman
Listen here, baby.
I’m not a superman
Far from it
Just me, my delusions
I don’t have anything else to offer
But I already knew that was true

Moi j’aurais aimé être comme eux
Être hors du commun
J’ai bien essayé
J’ai fait de mon mieux
Mais quoi que je fasse
A la fin :

I would have liked to be like them
To be extraordinary.
I tried hard
I did my best
But no matter what I do
In the end:

(refrain x2)
Je ne suis qu’un soulman
Écoute ça, baby
Je suis pas un superman
Loin de là
Juste moi, mes délires
Je n’ai rien d’autre à offrir
Mais je sais qu’en vrai c’est déjà ça

(chorus x2)
I’m only a soulman
Listen here, baby.
I’m not a superman
Far from it
Just me, my delusions
I don’t have anything else to offer
But I already knew that was true

Non, non, non, non
Juste moi, mes délires
Mais je sais qu’en vrai c’est déjà ça

No, no, no, no
Only me,
My delusions
But I already knew that was true

Translation from LyricsTranslate.