Carla Bruni is an unbelievably hot French supermodel and heiress. You might know her from her modeling days, or perhaps from her well-publicized affairs with Mick Jagger, Donald Trump, Kevin Costner and Eric Clapton. But that’s not important right now. What is important is that she left the fashion world in 1998 to become a singer and songwriter. Her first album, the mostly French Quelqu’un m’a dit (Someone Told Me), was a huge hit in Europe. Three songs from the album were featured in Hans Canosa’s excellent 2005 film Conversations with Other Women, which is how I came to know Carla Bruni as a brilliant chanteuse.
“Quelqu’un M’A Dit” is the title track from the album. It’s a mostly acoustic affair, with some violins and cellos thrown in for good measure. Of course, the song’s entirely in French, so I have no idea of what she’s saying. Here’s a brief translation of the first stanza:
On me dit que nos vies ne valent pas grand chose,
Elles passent en un instant comme fanent les roses.
On me dit que le temps qui glisse est un salaud que de nos chagrins il s’en fait des manteaux pourtant quelqu’un m’a dit…
Someone told me that our lives aren’t worth a thing,
They pass by in an instant like roses wilting.
Someone told me that times slides by like a bastard,
That he makes his blankets from our grief.
At least someone told me…
OK, so it’s not a very happy song. It’s about how short our lives are, how quickly time passes… and someone still being in love with someone else. But it’s so pretty! Have a listen for yourself:
[audio:bruni.mp3]