AFRICAN TOUR

[Jean Pierre]

Influenced by Bob Dylan, Francis Cabrel, along with Jean-Jacques Goldman, symbolizes the American spirit of French music in the 1980s.
Very influenced, he says, by American music, his 2008 album "des roses et des orties" contains, among its original songs:
"she belongs to me" by Bod Dylan
"Born on the bayou" by Creedence Clear Water
"Mama Don't" by JJ Cale

and there's also this beautiful song where he tackles the subject of immigration and current migratory flows, the causes of which are well known: global warming, the misery of Third World countries, persecution, war and violence.

A lot of work went into setting up this revival:
I started from the studio version of the song,

I took the chord grid with Chordify, the lyrics and chords from the Internet
I laid down this harmonic grid in BIAB, chose a style that suited me
and used the instruments:
-drums,
- piano,
- accordion
I made the guitars
strum track with Takamine and DI
-- 3 Telecaster takes (Harley Benton and guitar rig)

I made 4 percussion tracks

- Bodhran
- shaker
- bongo
- Rain stick

- vocals

12 tracks mixed and mastered on Reaper with Ozone 11

....my computer was screaming "Help!..I can't take it anymore".

TRANSLATION OF THE LYRICS

Already our villages are slipping away
A few ghosts accompany me
There will be deserts, mountains
To cross to Spain
And afterwards
Inch'allah
We've got bad shoes
Money sewn into our linings
The smugglers must be waiting, what little we've got they'll take
And afterwards
Is Europe well guarded? I don't know
Are the customs officers armed? We'll have to see
If I'm told it's every man for himself, I'd be all for it, except for my place
Except there's nothing at home
No living room, no kitchen
Children chew roots
Just a patch of dust
A mattress on the floor
Above
Inch'allah
You may imagine
That I've come all these miles
All that hope, all that courage
To stop against a fence?
Is Europe well guarded? I've no idea
Will the customs officers shoot? We'll see
If I'm told it's every man for himself, I'm all for it, except for my place
Except there's nothing at home
Half a scaffold
That's all I ask
Nothing, a word, a gesture
Give me all you've got
And afterwards
After, I don't know
And then, then
We'll see
I'd like to, except
Except that there's nothing back home
Already our villages are drifting apart

[StephenM]

amazing and beautiful work JP...

bravo

[the physics teacher]

Heavy lyrics nicely played.

[Jean Pierre]

Heavy lyrics

yes indeed...it's not really a festive song for the end of the year, but as the ostrich says, "let's not kid ourselves".


with the video, I made a few adjustments to the lead guitar tuning and changed the final solo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN6IZy_hrX4

[Ted]

A wonderfully complex and layered song. Congrats.

Can I tell a story? Try and stop me. Over the last 10 years in Madagascar, there have been a couple of extended periods where I was stuck in the USA; specifically in Arizona specifically; more specifically in a conservative and xenophobic part of the Phoenix metroplex.

I made daily calls to my fiancé in Madagascar, and sometimes I would be in public place, such as a grocery store. I'd be pushing around the grocery cart speaking French, and knowing that many people would get irritated hearing a language other than English spoken their presence. Also knowing that many (most?) Americans can't tell the difference between French, Hindi, Arabic, or any other language. So sometimes I would interject inshalla or Allahu Akbar into my conversations hoping to be even more annoying.

On my fourth listen. Wonderful sounds in this song.

[Jean Pierre]

Indeed, it's a funny story...I don't know deep America, in fact I've only been to New York once, in transit from a humanitarian mission in Haiti...
and what I remember is the deep contempt of the customs officers for those who didn't speak their language...and strangely enough I experienced the same contempt from the Israeli customs officers when I went to gaza, also for a humanitarian mission

[Pru]

very nicely done, Jean Pierre. the instrumentation is excellent and the French language is so beautiful!

[Ted]

I've only been to New York once, in transit

That was my story with France for many years – I'd passed through CDG many times – even managed to leave the airport once or twice, but had never spent a full day or spent the night in Paris. Finally, in 2015, I arranged a 3 day layover. And I did it again in 2016. Some Parisians even said my French was pretty good.

Wait! Is this you?

[Jean Pierre]

Merci Pru c'est toujours un plaisir d'avoir un avis favorable de votre part

Ted

Wait! Is this you?

Ah ah ah you didn't mean to say Ted so well because these days I was urgently hospitalized for violent abdominal pain with thermal chills
actually a residual gallstone that has migrated and infected the pancreas
And really this painting looks a lot like me these days:D

[Ted]

I was urgently hospitalized for violent abdominal pain with thermal chills
actually a residual gallstone that has migrated and infected the pancreas

Goodness! Will you be de-gallstoned? (See what I did there?)

I hope are feeling better soon.