{"id":31054,"date":"2019-01-31T19:59:44","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T18:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=31054"},"modified":"2019-01-31T19:59:44","modified_gmt":"2019-01-31T18:59:44","slug":"singing-happy-blue-songs-moana-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/singing-happy-blue-songs-moana-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Singing Happy Blue Songs – Moana In French"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s no secret how much I think taking a moment to chanter une chanson<\/strong> (sing a song) is great for practicing French. What may be a bit of surprise, even more than singing along to French pop songs<\/a>, is how I often use les chansons de Disney<\/a><\/strong> as well!<\/p>\n

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Image from Pixabay. Licensed under CC0.<\/p><\/div>\n

Mon film pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9 de Disney<\/strong> (my favorite Disney film), at least for the past few years, has to be Vaiana<\/strong> <\/em>(the hit movie Moana<\/em> is titled Vaiana<\/strong> <\/em>en France<\/strong>). It’s a beautiful film that’s amazingly animated, but more interesting for language learners is how les paroles<\/strong> (the lyrics), like with all Disney movies<\/a>, are carefully translated into many languages, including of course le fran\u00e7ais<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What makes this doubly special is how knowing la chanson<\/strong> in English only helps get you part of the way. Often les paroles<\/strong><\/a> are slightly altered to better reflect the culture or better fit les sons<\/strong> (the sounds) of the language.<\/p>\n

Getting back to Vaiana<\/strong> <\/em>and its music, ma chanson pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9e du film<\/strong> really shows how different la m\u00eame chanson<\/strong><\/a> can be in French and English. Le titre<\/strong> (the title) in English is How Far I’ll Go<\/em> and the famous refrain<\/strong> (chorus) everyone remembers goes like this:<\/p>\n

See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me<\/em>
\nAnd no one knows, how far it goes<\/em><\/p>\n

Tu vois la ligne o\u00f9 le ciel rencontre la mer ? Elle m’appelle<\/strong>
\nEt personne ne sait jusqu’o\u00f9 elle va<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cependant<\/strong> (however), the same song en fran\u00e7ais<\/strong> is called Le bleu lumi\u00e8re<\/strong><\/em> (the blue light)<\/em>, which seems odd at first glance for un anglophone<\/strong> like myself. There’s an easy connection to make between l’oc\u00e9an<\/strong> and le couleur bleu<\/strong>, but there’s a deeper cultural aspect as well. En fran\u00e7ais<\/strong>, le couleur bleu<\/strong> is not associated with sadness, but instead brings up more positive feelings of being relaxed and at peace with the world.<\/p>\n

There are smaller traps in les paroles<\/strong> that can catch un anglophone<\/strong> off guard if they are thinking in English<\/a>. Common mistakes<\/a> like forgetting that ignorer<\/strong><\/em> can mean to ignore<\/em> but it also means to not know<\/em> or how l’histoire<\/strong><\/em> can mean both history<\/em> or story<\/em>. These easy to mix up words are not always clear, even with context, but when that’s done on purpose, it adds new meaning to les paroles<\/strong> that can be lost in translation.<\/p>\n

Ignorer<\/strong> – To ignore, to not know
\nL’histoire<\/strong> – History, story<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Take a moment and sing along to Le bleu lumi\u00e8re<\/strong><\/em> and have some fun<\/a> practicing French!<\/p>\n

Voici la chanson avec les paroles et une traduction anglaise<\/strong> (here’s the song with lyrics and an English translation):<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Bk7jSnqG2r4<\/p>\n

Le bleu lumi\u00e8re<\/strong>
\nThe blue light<\/em><\/p>\n

Le bleu du ciel n\u2019est pas le bleu de la mer,<\/strong>
\nCe bleu que moi je pr\u00e9f\u00e8re,<\/strong>
\nSans vraiment savoir pourquoi<\/strong>
\nJ\u2019aimerais tant rester fid\u00e8le \u00e0 ma terre<\/strong>
\nOublier le vent \u00e9ph\u00e9m\u00e8re<\/strong>
\nJ\u2019ai essay\u00e9 tant de fois<\/strong><\/p>\n

The blue of the sky is not the blue of the sea<\/em>
\nThe blue I prefer<\/em>
\nNot really knowing why<\/em>
\nI\u2019d wish so much to stay true to my land<\/em>
\nForget the ephemeral wind<\/em>
\nI\u2019ve tried so many times<\/em><\/p>\n

J\u2019ai beau dire \u00ab je reste, je n\u2019 partirai pas \u00bb<\/strong>
\nChacun de mes gestes, chacun de mes pas<\/strong>
\nMe ram\u00e8ne sans cesse, malgr\u00e9 les promesses<\/strong>
\nVers ce bleu lumi\u00e8re<\/strong><\/p>\n

I may well say \u201cI will stay, I won\u2019t leave\u201d<\/em>
\nEvery move of mine, every step of mine<\/em>
\nLeads me incessantly back, despite all of my promises<\/em>
\nToward that blue light<\/em><\/p>\n

L\u2019horizon o\u00f9 la mer touche le ciel et m\u2019appelle<\/strong>
\nCache un tr\u00e9sor que tous ignorent<\/strong>
\nC\u2019est le vent, doucement, qui se l\u00e8ve et me r\u00e9v\u00e8le<\/strong>
\nLe bleu de l\u2019eau<\/strong>
\nSi je pars, j\u2019irai plus loin et toujours plus haut<\/strong><\/p>\n

The horizon where the sea touches the sky and calls me<\/em>
\nHides a treasure nobody is aware of<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s the wind rising gently and showing me<\/em>
\nThe blue of the water<\/em>
\nIf I leave, I\u2019ll go further away, higher and higher<\/em><\/p>\n

Il faut aimer mon \u00eele et son histoire<\/strong>
\nPour ceux qui veulent encore y croire<\/strong>
\nOublier le temps qui passe<\/strong>
\nIl faut aimer mon \u00eele et son histoire<\/strong>
\nEt garder encore l\u2019espoir,<\/strong>
\nUn jour je trouverai ma place<\/strong><\/p>\n

I need love my island and its history<\/em>
\nFor those who still want to believe it<\/em>
\nForget the time going by<\/em>
\nI need love my island and its history<\/em>
\nAnd keep guarding hope,<\/em>
\nSomeday I\u2019ll find my place<\/em><\/p>\n

Je peux les guider, les rendre plus grands<\/strong>
\nLes accompagner, je prendrai le temps<\/strong>
\nMais cette voix cach\u00e9e pense tout autrement<\/strong>
\nJe ne comprends pas<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can lead them, make them greater<\/em>
\nGuide them, I\u2019ll take time<\/em>
\nBut this hidden voice has a totally different mind<\/em>
\nI don\u2019t understand<\/em><\/p>\n

Le soleil vient danser sur la mer \u00e9ternelle<\/strong>
\nMais tous ignorent ses reflets d\u2019or<\/strong>
\nElle m\u2019attend sous un tapis de lumi\u00e8re, la mer m\u2019appelle<\/strong>
\nMoi, je veux voir<\/strong>
\nDerri\u00e8re les nuages, des nouveaux rivages<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sun comes and dances on the eternal sea<\/em>
\nBut everybody ignores1 its golden glare<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s waiting for me under a carpet of light, the sea is calling for me<\/em>
\nI want to see<\/em>
\nNew shores behind the clouds<\/em><\/p>\n

L\u2019horizon o\u00f9 la mer touche le ciel et m\u2019appelle<\/strong>
\nCache un tr\u00e9sor que tous ignorent<\/strong>
\nC\u2019est le vent doucement qui se l\u00e8ve et me r\u00e9v\u00e8le<\/strong>
\nQue j\u2019ai le droit d\u2019aller l\u00e0-bas<\/strong><\/p>\n

The horizon where the sea touches the sky and calls me<\/em>
\nHides a treasure nobody is aware of<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s the wind rising gently and telling me<\/em>
\nI\u2019ve got a right to go over there<\/em><\/p>\n

Translation from LyricsTranslate<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

It’s no secret how much I think taking a moment to chanter une chanson (sing a song) is great for practicing French. What may be a bit of surprise, even more than singing along to French pop songs, is how I often use les chansons de Disney as well! Mon film pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9 de Disney (my…<\/p>\n

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