Cette Année-Là Lyrics in English Claude François

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Cette Année-Là by Claude François from French to English.

That year

I was singing for the first time

The audience didn't know me

What a year that year was

That year

Rock 'n' roll had just spread its wings

And in my corner

I was singing "Belle, belle, belle"

And the audience loved it

The Beatles were already four boys

In the wind

And me

My song said "walk straight ahead"

That year

What joy to be the idol of the young

For fans who were smashing the seats

The more I think about it, the less I forget

I discovered my first my last love

The only, the great, the unique

And forever the audience

That year

In the sky a melody drifted

A bird they called Sputnik

What a year that year was

That's when

We said goodbye to Marilyn

With a heart of gold

While

West Side was breaking every record

That year

Guitars were firing at violins

We thought a revolution

Was coming that year

It was yesterday, but today nothing's changed

It's the same job

Starting again tonight

It was the year

Sixty-two

It was the year

Sixty-two

It was the year

Sixty-two

It was the year

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SONG MEANING

Hop in our musical time machine and zoom back to 1962. Claude François is reminiscing about the electric moment he first stepped onstage, an unknown young singer swept up in the brand-new tide of rock’n’roll. The world around him is buzzing: The Beatles are just taking off, Spoutnik is soaring overhead, and moviegoers are lining up for West Side Story. Amid the cultural fireworks, Claude belts out “Belle, belle, belle,” wins over rowdy fans who break theater seats, and suddenly becomes l’idole des jeunes – the idol of the youth.

The song is both a celebration and a love letter to that breakthrough year. Claude lists the era’s icons – from Marilyn Monroe’s farewell to guitars overtaking violins – while declaring that his one true, lasting romance is with the public itself. Even though decades have passed, he insists the thrill of performing is still the same every night. “Cette Année-Là” is pure nostalgia wrapped in upbeat rhythm, inviting listeners to relive the excitement of a cultural revolution and remember that first rush of finding your voice.

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Claude François Cette Année-Là Lyrics