It was during my first trip to France (May 2007) that i visited Avenue Champs-Elysses, this very famous road in Paris. Literally meaning the Elysian/Blessed Fields. The pronouncation best exemplifies the fact that what you write in French in not what you speak and what you speak is not what you write and didn't get it right till i heard this song which stuck in my head !
Having songs stuck in your head is bad enough, but when it’s in a foreign language you can’t speak and can’t look up in Google it’s even worse! (quoting from Ruben Shades blog).
Two months later and back in France i rediscover the song and the singer. Its a classic from Joe Dassin a French Speaking American expatriate musician. Thanks to the French course i can make some sense of the lyrics :) Here is the translation from ParoleLyrics.
Je m'baladais sur l'avenue le cœur ouvert à l'inconnuI strolled on the avenue, open to everything
J'avais envie de dire bonjour à n'importe qui
N'importe qui et ce fut toi, je t'ai dit n'importe quoi
Il suffisait de te parler, pour t'apprivoiser
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées
Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
Tu m'as dit "J'ai rendez-vous dans un sous-sol avec des fous
Qui vivent la guitare à la main, du soir au matin"
Alors je t'ai accompagnée, on a chanté, on a dansé
Et l'on n'a même pas pensé à s'embrasser
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées
Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
Hier soir deux inconnus et ce matin sur l'avenue
Deux amoureux tout étourdis par la longue nuit
Et de l'Étoile à la Concorde, un orchestre à mille cordes
Tous les oiseaux du point du jour chantent l'amour
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées
Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
I wanted to say hello to anyone
No matter who - and it was you, I said anything to you
It was enough to speak to you, to calm down.
On the Champs-Elysées, on the Champs-Elysées
With the sun, under rain, at midday or midnight
There is everything you want on the Champs-Elysées
You told me "I’ve got an appointment in a basement with the nutjobs"
Who live with guitar in hand, from evening to morning
Then I accompanied you, we sang, we danced
And we didn’t think of kissing
On the Champs-Elysées, on the Champs-Elysées
With the sun, under rain, at midday or midnight
There is everything you want on the Champs-Elysées
Yesterday night, two strangers and this morning we’re on the avenue
Two lovers dazed by the long night
And the star at the place de Concorde, an orchestra of a thousand chords
All the morning birds sing the love
On the Champs-Elysées, on the Champs-Elysées
With the sun, under rain, at midday or midnight
There is everything you want on the Champs-Elysées
Looking forward to visiting Paris again and Champs-elysees ofcourse !
