Okay, so I’ve written many posts on my favorite French musicians and singers and repeatedly mentioned how much I believe music is one of the best and most interesting ways to learn a foreign language.\u00a0 When I was finally able to understand the lyrics written by Jean Jacques Goldman, I really felt like all the ups and downs of learning a foreign language were for a reason.\u00a0 A good French friend of mine introduced me to Goldman’s moving lyrics.\u00a0 Because of his singing and especially his songwriting, Goldman is extremely popular among French speakers and according to Wikipedia, Goldman was the second highest grossing French pop singer in 2003, just behind Johnny Hallyday.<\/p>\n
Jean Jacques Goldman was born in Paris, France on October 11, 1951 to a Polish father and a German mother.\u00a0 At the age of 11, his parents had him learn how to play the violin and then, the piano.\u00a0 As an adolescent, he was very shy.\u00a0 At the age of 14, he became completely enthralled with music.\u00a0 One of his earliest idols was Aretha Franklin.\u00a0 He then began learning how to play guitar.\u00a0 One of the first groups he formed with his school friends sang gospel at the local church.\u00a0 Although he was completely into his music, he spent plenty of time studying and holds two degrees, one from the \u00c9cole de Hautes \u00c9tudes Commerciales de Lille (Lille Higher School of Business) and another in sociology.\u00a0 After studying, he basically backpacked his way with a friend through Sweden, Turkey, Canada, the USA and Mexico.\u00a0 He recorded an English language album in 1975 with the group Ta\u00ef Phong which was somewhat successful, but Jean Jacques did not feel ready to tour with the group and so, Michael Jones came along to replace him.\u00a0 The two became lifelong friends (Jean Jacques even named his son after him.)\u00a0 Although reluctant at first, Jean Jacques began to go it solo with French songs and an Anglo-Saxon style upon signing a contract for five albums with Epic Records.\u00a0 Inspired by the music of the 70’s, he attained the number 1 spot for the first time on the French charts on May 9, 1981.\u00a0 He had many ups and downs as his career started off with this \u2018Goldman Style’.\u00a0 But, lasting success finally arrived with the single Quand la musique est bonne<\/em>.\u00a0 Many of his songs have a social awareness aspect to them and Goldman’s optimism is particularly appealing.\u00a0 Comme toi <\/em>evokes his personal link to the collective Jewish memory, Je te donne<\/em> is about respecting differences and Rouge<\/em> is about the end of communism, but not the end of the ideals which many believe to be noble.<\/p>\n Jean Jacques has always known well how to surround himself with great people to make beautiful music and create excellent shows including Jones, Bernard Schmidt and Carole Fredericks. In all, Goldman has released twenty-four albums including five as part of the very successful trio he formed in the middle of his solo career Fredericks \/ Goldman \/ Jones.\u00a0 He has written and composed entire albums for Johnny Hallyday<\/a>, Celine Dion<\/a> and others.<\/p>\n Because I was so motivated by them as a French learner, I would like to share some of the lyrics that have touched me most with all of you (although it is difficult to do artistic justice when translating the lyrics, I have provided loose English translations since many of you are beginning French learners):<\/p>\n “Aujourd’hui, on n’a plus le droit, ni d’avoir faim, ni d’avoir froid…”<\/em> (“Today, we don’t have the right anymore neither to be hungry nor to be cold…”) – Les Restos du Coeur<\/em><\/p>\n “Il y a une question dans \u2018je t’aime’ qui demande “et m’aimes-tu, toi?’…”<\/em> (“There’s a question in ‘I love you’ which asks ‘and do you love me?'”) – Sache que je<\/em><\/p>\n “Mais n’\u00eatre plus rien apr\u00e8s tant, c’est pas juste…<\/em>“<\/em> (But, not to be anything anymore after so long is not fair…”) – Quand tu danses<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n “Y aura des jardins, d’l’amour et du pain…des chansons, du vin, on manquera de rien…<\/em>“<\/em> (There will be gardens, love and bread…songs, wine, no one will be in need of anything…”) – Rouge<\/em><\/p>\n “Je suis d’un pays d’un horizon d’une fronti\u00e8re…qui sonne guerre, qui sonne \u00e9ternel hiver…\u00a0Je suis d’une r\u00e9gion d’une langue d’une histoire…qui sonne loin qui sonne bataille et m\u00e9moire<\/em>” (I’m from a country with a horizon, a border…that sounds like war, that sounds like an eternel winter…I’m from a region, a language, a history…that sounds far away, that sounds like a battle and memory”) – Une fille de l’Est<\/em><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WXQO7r8qoJ0<\/a><\/p>\n Jean Jacques Goldman’s official website can be found at www.jjgoldman.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Okay, so I’ve written many posts on my favorite French musicians and singers and repeatedly mentioned how much I believe music is one of the best and most interesting ways to learn a foreign language.\u00a0 When I was finally able to understand the lyrics written by Jean Jacques Goldman, I really felt like all the…<\/p>\n