I don’t always go back and republish the posts but now and again I simply have to draw the reader’s attention. I have just discovered Mina’s cover of Love Me Please Love Me that we must share with the world. It was made in the 1990s, and in the video the imagery kindly mocks Mina’s burgeoning figure.
Original post – 20 March, 2007
As you undoubtedly know, Michel Polnareff performed at Bercy in Paris earlier this month, and on his official website, Polnaweb.com, you can find dates for future concerts. (I wish I lived in France!) The performance was broadcast across the media, including mobile phones, hence it is no wonder YouTube and Google are already full of recorded extracts from the concert.
I highly recommend to visit this website, RTL.fr, where you will find several radio interviews with l’Amiral, as well as short reports from the concerts. The link to follow is Michel Polnareff en concert.
And below there is a video of Polnareff performing live one of his very famous songs, Love Me. I’m totally in love with the opening of the song, but even more so with the lyrics – which you can find below in French and in my English translation (not adapted to the music).
Love me, please love me
Je suis fou de vous
Pourquoi vous moquez-vous chaque jour
De mon pauvre amour?
Love me, please love me
Je suis fou de vous
Vraiment prenez-vous tant de plaisir
A me voir souffrir.
Si j’en crois votre silence
Vos yeux pleins d’ennui
Nul espoir n’est permis.
Pourtant je veux jouer ma chance
Même si, même si
Je devais y brûler ma vie.
Love me, please love me
Je suis fou de vous
Mais vous moquerez-vous toujours
De mon pauvre amour?
Devant tant d’indifférence
Parfois j’ai envie
De me fondre dans la nuit.
Au matin je reprends confiance
Je me dis, je me dis
Tout pourrait changer aujourd’hui.
Love me, please love me
Je suis fou de vous
Pourtant votre lointaine froideur
Déchire mon cœur.
Love me, please love me
Je suis fou de vous
Mais vous moquerez-vous toujours
De mes larmes d’amour?
I am mad about you
Why do you laugh every day
At my unfortunate love?
I am mad about you
Indeed, you take so much pleasure
In seeing me suffer
Your eyes full of boredom
There is no hope for me
And yet I want to take a chance
Even if, even if
It is to ruin my life
I sometimes wish
To disappear in the night
In the morning my confidence returns
I tell myself, I tell myself:
Today everything could change
I am mad about you
However your aloof coldness
Tears me apart
I am mad about you
But will you forever be laughing
At my tears of love?
Thanks for popping over and your lovely comment on my blog, I have clicked on to the link to your poetry and have enjoyed it very much, I try my best to read and remember as much as I can, but sometimes it’s not easy. If I try and think of Russian, French comes and if I try to think of French, Russian comes – still seeing language written down makes it a lot easier.Sorry to waffle. All the best,Linda
Linda, Thank you so much for your kind words about my poetry – I am quite amazed to find out where my readers come from! I can understand what you mean about languages – I sometimes feel the urge to speak English, French and Russian all at once, a sort of linguistic vinaigrette! Thanks again! Julia
It was a thrill for me to see (Michel Polnareff) after all these years, and yet no one here in the USA knows of him! I found him while living in Japan in the middle 70’s! He was so popular and I still have the Gold Disc album as a souvenir; bought on the Japanese economy with Japanese translation. Having 5 years of French in a French Catholic school (now I always wish , I paid more attention ) helped a wee bit..but this today was a treat!
Marie, many thanks for the comment! I’ve got this strange feeling that, as great as an artist Polnareff is, a lot of people don’t know of him. It is amazing, and, as you say, he’s not known in the States in spite of the fact that this is where he’s been living for the last almost 30 years. I first came across his songs through a remake of Goodbye Marylou by a famour Russian singer, Sergei Penkin (again, it may be the case of him not being widely known, but the guy has actually made it into the Guinness Book of Records for his vocal diapason). It was a stunning remake, but back then I didn’t know about YouTube, so I’ve been looking for some MP3s online. Found some Midi files on the way, and then eventually last year I started discovering the videos of his songs on You Tube. Polnareff, mon amour, is brilliant, and the lyrics to his songs always carry a lot of meaning. There’re a few more posts about him on my blog, if you enter “Polnareff” in the search bar, you should find them as well. I’m glad you enjoyed the video – obviously he’s getting older, but a true talent never grows a beard ;-))
Hi-I attended Michel Polnareff’s opening night concert in Paris last winter. I’v been watching a new DVD of that concert, and I keep listening to “Love me, please love me”. I’ve been trying to translate the lyrics, but found your blog about the song and greatly appreciate your wonderful translation. Thanks!Ron in Falmouth, Mainerunslow@maine.rr.com
Hi Ron, Thank you so much for your comment! Just shows how important Michel is for all of us! I’m thrilled my translation was of help, and I can only say that “Love me, please love me” is an amazing song, I’ve loved it myself for ages! And how did you like the concert? Thank you!