New Mika Song in French: "Elle me dit"

[sariflor]

I just wanted to say a couple of things about this even though I love the French language and I've seen Yelle quite a few times so I can appreciate a bit of French pop. I also really loved his versions of Champs-Élysées, etc. I love his accent and his phrasing and the rhythm of EMD is perfect for the language.

 

But for me (and perhaps others as well) Mika is an English artist. In my mind he is an American and a Brit. He only lived in France for a few years and perhaps I would have thought it natural for him to make French songs if he'd done it long before now since he has been making music since he was a young teen and he's almost 28.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is that his French is not really on par with his English skills and his vocabulary is lacking. That doesn't exactly make for great lyrics. The fact that he needs someone to assist him to write IMO means it's not exactly "natural" for Mika to be writing songs in French.

 

But anyway that is just my opinion and perhaps Mika sees it as a challenge or just has always wanted to express himself in French and is only now getting the opportunity...but as an English speaker who got into Mika because he's an English artist, I had no expectation nor interest in him doing French songs.

 

And the truth is I don't want to follow a French artist. It makes me feel disconnected from what he is doing because I don't share the French culture and more importantly I do not understand the nuances of the language. Without the assistance of MFC I would have no real sense of what he was saying in interviews and now even in some of his songs.

 

But even with MFC's great translations I don't trust the interpretations especially if it's a written interview. In these articles I rarely hear Mika's "voice" and it tells me that either the translations are not really accurate or that Mika is not able to express himself the same way in French or maybe that there is just no way to imagine what someone would have said if they'd said it in English instead.

 

When this was a novelty and Mika was just doing a couple of really great French interviews in the midst of a million other English ones it was fascinating to watch. But now I can't even remember the last time Mika gave an interview in English. It is always in French or translated from Spanish, etc. and for me it leaves a gaping hole that is not much different than him hiding away and not giving interviews at all.

 

I'm sure there are many other fans who have this same problem with Mika's English, but the truth of the matter is that if Mika wasn't an English artist I never would have been interested in him, most likely would not have even heard of him. So it's disappointing to see him going in a different direction. (I am not saying I'm disappointed in Mika, just the way his popularity is turning out in various countries that is creating this shift.)

 

I think Mika is wise to nurture markets where he is popular because they are his bread and butter and if he doesn't keep them happy and interested he will struggle for the resources to branch out into other markets. But I also wonder if the English markets have turned away from Mika BECAUSE he is catering to the tastes of other European countries like France and not that Mika has to turn to France because he's not getting enough attention from the English markets. I started to notice this as soon as he gave up the Converse, hoodies and skinny jeans for the Louboutins, tight jackets and the even tighter curls.

 

Maybe Mika is just doing what Mika loves and who he is and what he loves appeals to France and other Euro countries but it's never going to appeal to British and American culture. But it still makes me sad because I just had a totally different sense of Mika and a vision of his future and things are looking very different now. When the only new music from him in a year or two is a French song, it really drives that point home.

 

 

He wasn't raised in France. He left when he was 8 or 9 years old and has been raised by American parents who are anglophones. I don't know about you but, condensed altogether, I can barely remember an hour of my life up to that point. I didn't start developing a real sense of self and forging proper relationships with my peers, etc. until I was at least 11 years old.

 

Anyway I am not disputing whether France is important to Mika or not. It's just that I don't perceive him as a French artist at all because up to this point he has not produced any work in French. When I discovered Mika he was touted as a British American, his work was entirely in English and he was performing in London and NYC every 3 months. Now we are looking at 2 or 3 years between his gigs in the US and UK. That was just unfathomable to me in 2007 and it's obviously a huge disappointment. I don't want to have to go to France to see Mika.

 

 

 

I just wanted to quote these, becuase they express 100% how I feel about things. So thank you for doing such a great job at writing it all up for me

On the song...Well...I just think that it's 'ok'. Not great by any means, and it really doesn't grip me. It's not a Mika song, in my opinion, and it doesn't even show his lovely voice in its full glory.

When I say that it's not a Mika song, what I mean is that it sounds WAY too ripped off from something that Yelle for example would do. I understand influences, etc... but I do find this case too drastic to call it an influence. And, sadly, I think that Yelle does Yelle better than Mika does Yelle.

Besides that, I also think that it's excessively produced, and his voice is too altered. Also, the singing in such a 'fast' tempo already makes his voice sound strained in the recording, so I cannot even bare to think how strained it will sound when he's running and jumping around on stage.

I actually don't even mind the electronicky stuff, cause I love some artists that do that type of music, but in this song's case it just sounds like a 'wannabe' song to me. Like it wants to be a certain genre, a certain type, a certain tempo, and it fails at everything and ends up being just a weird blob that is nothing in particular.

Of course it's majorly catchy, which is its saving grace, and I had it in my head all day after listening to it once first thing in the morning, but I still don't really like it or find it 'good'. Just a passable effort, which really disappoints me coming from Mika, as I had expected much more from him.

[A. Clay]

He is not an international megastar . . .

SO beg to differ:

 

MIKA: "Elle Me Dit’

"International pop star MIKA is currently doing a special promo tour in Europe as he finishes his third studio album, The Origin of Love, due out later this year . . ."

http://popboi.com/2011/07/02/mika-elle-me-dit/

 

"International pop singing sensation Mika is set to play to a sell-out crowd on Sunday when he stages his first concert in Beirut, the city of his birth."

 

International pop star Mika 2nd concert in Korea

http://koreanupdates.com/2010/04/07/international-pop-star-mika-2nd-concert-in-korea/

"'The Boy Who Knew Too Much' has ranked within the top 10 in Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland in its first week of its release."

 

International music star Mika sets sights on U.S.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/09/19/us-mika-idUSTRE58I09520090919

 

Mika takes Nice by storm - How long before they rename it the Palais Mikaia?

"International pop phenomenon Mika brought the house down at the Nice Palais Nikaia on Saturday with a superb set of songs delivered with panache and showmanship and a simple enough message - the world is more fun with love in it. From his entrance as a spaceman right through to the riotous series of encores, Mika and his band delivered high-quality pop and a spectacle bursting with energy and charisma."

http://www.fr2day.com/arts/mika_takes_nice_by_storm

Edited July 2, 2011 by A. Clay

[ilseh1983]

as far as the french song is concerned, there is NO way to make it sounds good or make any sense of it via translation.

 

i believe that if something is done in a certain language, it shouldn't be translated at all. the meaning, the feeling, the quirkiness is gone. Elle me dit sounds good in french, but when i read the english translation, it's awful (of course there is always exceptions to this)

 

(for the record, i do not watch english movies translated in french & i don't watch french movies translated in english. the original meaning is gone. that being said, yes, i do have the advantage of understanding both, so this is perhaps just relevant to me )

 

But the same applies to Grace Kelly. It should have NEVER been translated to french. it's awful, makes no sense & the "je ne sais quoi" that appealed to so many when sang in english, is gone. to my ears, it sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.

same goes for "elle me dit" the "word on play" fun element of this song is gone. if i didn't speak french, i think i would just prefer knowing the basic meaning of it & then enjoy the rhythm.

 

about the gai/gay thing.... i will never know for sure what he meant, but since he is english, he probably meant "gay"... but gay also has the meaning of "being lame", as scg pointed out & to me, that makes more sense.

 

I still think that "Elle me dit" was probably not meant to be released so soon, but it was decided to do so, in order to help ticket sale for Compiegne. I think the French media made it into something alot bigger then it really is, as far as french versus english music for Mika.

I think in this case, it was a great marketing move for France. no more, no less.

 

With my Quebec french, i noticed 3 mistakes... now maybe in France, some of these are acceptable, i don't know.

1) chanson contente .... a song can't be contente... a person can be "contente" but not a song. it should have been "joyeuse", but that doesn't rime. so my alternative word would have been "dansante" (which means a dancy song) that would have worked.

2) taper dans un ballon ... i would have said "taper sur un ballon" we do not hit "in" a ball, but "on" a ball

3) sur internet .... i would have said "sur l'internet" like we go "on the internet"

 

but like i said, maybe it's different in France

 

i'm a non french-speaker, but i learned french in school for about 8 year, cause well there's 3 official languages in Belgium; of which the two main ones are french and Dutch

and i would also have though it was "sur un ballon":teehee:

[Shine]

That's precisely one of the things I like so much about the voice. His lower than usual voice:wink2:

 

I also adore his lower range but in this song his voice isn't that low. It sounds nasal and a bit artificial due to the demands of electro production

 

Me too ! And also his speaking voice

 

That's right thing

[Trix the Mubbin]

SO beg to differ:

"International pop singing sensation Mika is set to play to a sell-out crowd on Sunday when he stages his first concert in Beirut, the city of his birth."

 

International pop star Mika 2nd concert in Korea

http://koreanupdates.com/2010/04/07/international-pop-star-mika-2nd-concert-in-korea/

 

Media. They tend to say things like that. They exaggerate often. I thought you'd know that?

 

He is pretty famous - but not really super famous. And people all over the world know him, but not as much as he COULD have.

 

EDIT: Also, "international" and "sensation" together don't always mean super famous.

Edited July 2, 2011 by Trix the Mubbin

[tiibet]

I like discussing the lyrics with people but I do not like having to substitute my own judgements and perceptions for someone else's, which is what you are forced to do in a situation like that. If someone brings up a point I'd never considered about an English lyric (or a statement he's made in an interview) then I can assess it and determine whether there is any merit in what they are saying. If it's in another language I just have to take their word for it.

 

The discussion about gai/gay is a case in point. Does it mean happy? Somehow I doubt it but how can I really say when I have never even heard of the word "gai" muchless educated in its meanings and usage? I saw Cath (I think) saying that "gai" means the same thing in Quebecois French as it does in English but then she deferred to the French for their interpretation. But do we even know that Mika would use whatever is correct or common in French French? He has said that he has left his mistakes included and since (I've heard) that Mika's vocabulary is a bit limited can we not expect him to use some direct English translations rather than the proper French term?

 

I understand this. Sadly I'm forced to do it also with English songs, although I can understand them mostly (but not little nuances or every tone etc) so it's different for me.

 

as far as the french song is concerned, there is NO way to make it sounds good or make any sense of it via translation.

 

i believe that if something is done in a certain language, it shouldn't be translated at all. the meaning, the feeling, the quirkiness is gone. Elle me dit sounds good in french, but when i read the english translation, it's awful (of course there is always exceptions to this)

 

I totally agree. For me the idea of translations is to understand meanings, not to make songs sound good in foreign language. It's never the same as the original, of course.

[guylainem123]

I also don't think he is an International Megastar!

 

Media writes what media wants. If he was an International Megastar, his gigs on this side of the pond would not be for 3000, 4000 people at 2 to 3 years interval. He goes where the demand is, as he should of course, but he has to create the demand. Unless he makes himself more visible on this side of the pond, gives interviews here & caters to us as much as he does in Europe, he will never be.

 

 

As an example... in 2009, he gave multiple interviews to french TV/radio stations in Quebec... Nothing in english! NOTHING! not a radio station not a tv appearance. Lots of international stars appear on Canada AM, which is seen across Canada by english speakers. That would have been perfect for him.

 

Now, should he promote "Elle me dit" in Quebec??? Hell yes!

The fact that Mika is considered english and makes the effort to speak french when he comes here, makes him more endearing to us. And french people will love this song. I don't particularly like french music and i love it

[Christine]

Alice (I meant to quote here) I am not saying that Mika has had no success around the world, just that he is not a mega star. Madonna is a mega star, Bon Jovi are mega stars, U2 are mega stars, even Gaga but I really don't think Mika is in that category even in France. (the French can correct me if I'm wrong)

 

If having a top 10 album in a country makes someone a megastar then Mika is a mega star in Canada because LICM went platinum here, but I can say unequivocally that he is not. 9 out of 10 people I speak to have never heard of him.

[mandilambi]

He is not an international megastar. And if he persists with a focus on France and French tastes it's going to stay that way.

 

He wasn't raised in France. He left when he was 8 or 9 years old and has been raised by American parents who are anglophones. I don't know about you but, condensed altogether, I can barely remember an hour of my life up to that point. I didn't start developing a real sense of self and forging proper relationships with my peers, etc. until I was at least 11 years old.

 

Anyway I am not disputing whether France is important to Mika or not. It's just that I don't perceive him as a French artist at all because up to this point he has not produced any work in French. When I discovered Mika he was touted as a British American, his work was entirely in English and he was performing in London and NYC every 3 months. Now we are looking at 2 or 3 years between his gigs in the US and UK. That was just unfathomable to me in 2007 and it's obviously a huge disappointment. I don't want to have to go to France to see Mika.

 

I agree with you 100%, Christine.

 

Honestly, I have felt quite estranged in regard to Mika for a while now and this new song only added to that feeling. I guess I thought the song was fun and it was nice to even hear something new from Mika, but at the same time I sat there and thought to myself how different it was. I've felt very disconnected recently because most everything he has done in the last few years has been so "distant" that I haven't felt the need to keep up. (Which, even though I've felt that way, I still visit the MFC almost every day just to still feel a part of something I've loved for many years.) This isn't to say I'm disappointed he's done lots of shows in other countries -- the more the merrier for everyone and that's certainly a plus.

 

However, it feels like he has kind of given up on the UK/Canada/US...and who knows? Maybe it is just me thinking that. The way I look at it is by thinking of another band I love: Queen. When Queen didn't do so great with their release of Hot Space in the early 80's, they got fairly apathetic towards the US and stopped touring there. Even today, Queen is not nearly as popular as they are in the UK and Europe.

 

Obviously, these are two different situations...but when I think of Mika catering to one particular area and leaving out a lot of the rest, this is what it reminds me of. I think if someone stops pursuing something...well, then doesn't it just disappear into thin air? Just my thoughts....

[Christine]

Guy I totally agree about the songs being more or less untranslatable which is what I meant when I said that it's really not possible to imagine what he would have said if he'd said it in English instead. It would just be a different song had it been conceived in English and I feel like I'll never connect to these French songs or even be able to judge whether they are brilliant or crap.

 

I see this with non native English speakers favouring some of Mika's weaker efforts because they don't understand how lame the lyrics are. A blessing in disguise I suppose but I am a know it all and want to know it all for myself

[sienna]

I just wanted to say a couple of things about this even though I love the French language and I've seen Yelle quite a few times so I can appreciate a bit of French pop. I also really loved his versions of Champs-Élysées, etc. I love his accent and his phrasing and the rhythm of EMD is perfect for the language.

 

But for me (and perhaps others as well) Mika is an English artist. In my mind he is an American and a Brit. He only lived in France for a few years and perhaps I would have thought it natural for him to make French songs if he'd done it long before now since he has been making music since he was a young teen and he's almost 28.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but my understanding is that his French is not really on par with his English skills and his vocabulary is lacking. That doesn't exactly make for great lyrics. The fact that he needs someone to assist him to write IMO means it's not exactly "natural" for Mika to be writing songs in French.

 

But anyway that is just my opinion and perhaps Mika sees it as a challenge or just has always wanted to express himself in French and is only now getting the opportunity...but as an English speaker who got into Mika because he's an English artist, I had no expectation nor interest in him doing French songs.

 

And the truth is I don't want to follow a French artist. It makes me feel disconnected from what he is doing because I don't share the French culture and more importantly I do not understand the nuances of the language. Without the assistance of MFC I would have no real sense of what he was saying in interviews and now even in some of his songs.

 

But even with MFC's great translations I don't trust the interpretations especially if it's a written interview. In these articles I rarely hear Mika's "voice" and it tells me that either the translations are not really accurate or that Mika is not able to express himself the same way in French or maybe that there is just no way to imagine what someone would have said if they'd said it in English instead.

 

When this was a novelty and Mika was just doing a couple of really great French interviews in the midst of a million other English ones it was fascinating to watch. But now I can't even remember the last time Mika gave an interview in English. It is always in French or translated from Spanish, etc. and for me it leaves a gaping hole that is not much different than him hiding away and not giving interviews at all.

 

I'm sure there are many other fans who have this same problem with Mika's English, but the truth of the matter is that if Mika wasn't an English artist I never would have been interested in him, most likely would not have even heard of him. So it's disappointing to see him going in a different direction. (I am not saying I'm disappointed in Mika, just the way his popularity is turning out in various countries that is creating this shift.)

 

I think Mika is wise to nurture markets where he is popular because they are his bread and butter and if he doesn't keep them happy and interested he will struggle for the resources to branch out into other markets. But I also wonder if the English markets have turned away from Mika BECAUSE he is catering to the tastes of other European countries like France and not that Mika has to turn to France because he's not getting enough attention from the English markets. I started to notice this as soon as he gave up the Converse, hoodies and skinny jeans for the Louboutins, tight jackets and the even tighter curls.

 

Maybe Mika is just doing what Mika loves and who he is and what he loves appeals to France and other Euro countries but it's never going to appeal to British and American culture. But it still makes me sad because I just had a totally different sense of Mika and a vision of his future and things are looking very different now. When the only new music from him in a year or two is a French song, it really drives that point home.

 

So very true Christine! And especially the part about nuances getting lost in translation!

 

I just wanted to quote these, becuase they express 100% how I feel about things. So thank you for doing such a great job at writing it all up for me

On the song...Well...I just think that it's 'ok'. Not great by any means, and it really doesn't grip me. It's not a Mika song, in my opinion, and it doesn't even show his lovely voice in its full glory.

When I say that it's not a Mika song, what I mean is that it sounds WAY too ripped off from something that Yelle for example would do. I understand influences, etc... but I do find this case too drastic to call it an influence. And, sadly, I think that Yelle does Yelle better than Mika does Yelle.

Besides that, I also think that it's excessively produced, and his voice is too altered. Also, the singing in such a 'fast' tempo already makes his voice sound strained in the recording, so I cannot even bare to think how strained it will sound when he's running and jumping around on stage.

I actually don't even mind the electronicky stuff, cause I love some artists that do that type of music, but in this song's case it just sounds like a 'wannabe' song to me. Like it wants to be a certain genre, a certain type, a certain tempo, and it fails at everything and ends up being just a weird blob that is nothing in particular.

Of course it's majorly catchy, which is its saving grace, and I had it in my head all day after listening to it once first thing in the morning, but I still don't really like it or find it 'good'. Just a passable effort, which really disappoints me coming from Mika, as I had expected much more from him.

 

Even his voice got lost in this over-worked version imo!

[Christine]

Guy I totally agree about the songs being more or less untranslatable which is what I meant when I said that it's really not possible to imagine what he would have said if he'd said it in English instead. It would just be a different song had it been conceived in English and I feel like I'll never connect to these French songs or even be able to judge whether they are brilliant or crap.

 

I see this with non native English speakers favouring some of Mika's weaker efforts because they don't understand how lame the lyrics are. A blessing in disguise I suppose but I am a know it all and want to know it all for myself

[sariflor]

 

 

Even his voice got lost in this over-worked version imo!

 

 

Oh, for sure, that was what I was saying. I can't even say: "oh, but his voice sounds lovely", cause it doesn't

 

 

Guy I totally agree about the songs being more or less untranslatable which is what I meant when I said that it's really not possible to imagine what he would have said if he'd said it in English instead. It would just be a different song had it been conceived in English and I feel like I'll never connect to these French songs or even be able to judge whether they are brilliant or crap.

 

I see this with non native English speakers favouring some of Mika's weaker efforts because they don't understand how lame the lyrics are. A blessing in disguise I suppose but I am a know it all and want to know it all for myself

 

Guy I totally agree about the songs being more or less untranslatable which is what I meant when I said that it's really not possible to imagine what he would have said if he'd said it in English instead. It would just be a different song had it been conceived in English and I feel like I'll never connect to these French songs or even be able to judge whether they are brilliant or crap.

 

I see this with non native English speakers favouring some of Mika's weaker efforts because they don't understand how lame the lyrics are. A blessing in disguise I suppose but I am a know it all and want to know it all for myself

 

 

It's ok, Christine, you made your point on IdenticalPost#1 No need to keep posting it, we got it the first time

#Spammer

:roftl:

[guylainem123]

Guy I totally agree about the songs being more or less untranslatable which is what I meant when I said that it's really not possible to imagine what he would have said if he'd said it in English instead. It would just be a different song had it been conceived in English and I feel like I'll never connect to these French songs or even be able to judge whether they are brilliant or crap.

 

I see this with non native English speakers favouring some of Mika's weaker efforts because they don't understand how lame the lyrics are. A blessing in disguise I suppose but I am a know it all and want to know it all for myself

 

I understand what you mean, it's always nice to make your mind up on your own, without having to rely on others.

 

The lyrics in "Elle me dit" are not lame, but they are not deep by no means & are quite repeatative.

Will we (french speakers) remember this song as a great achievement in Mika's career? No! We'll remember this song as quirky & catchy... no more, no less. This song does have a tad of darkness in them. Now i know Mika always says his lyrics are "dark", but i never agreed with him on that. This time, it's ME saying they are a tad dark.

Part of Mika's appeal to me is because he is english & different. I think French people may find 1 or 2 songs endearing, but i don't think they would prefer him singing in french all the time. Though i find it cute and flattering, it's not the Mika i know!

 

I'd like a french person from France to double check me/correct me on this, but the incorrect lyrics i pointed out earlier... are they also incorrect in France? If so, how could that gentleman who told him that he "must" release that song let it slip by? He should have been told from the start & not once the song is recorded

 

When i think of British artists who are brilliant with lyrics and popular (or used to be anyways) in Canada, i think of Chris de Burgh. I know younger members probably don't know him, but you should really give him a listen

Now, he has done a few french songs, translated from english & surprisingly, they work! I understand that Chris de Burgh also has some attachment to France. If i remember correctly, he owns a chateau or a mansion or an estate or some kind of bungalow somewhere in France.

 

He has a song called "when i think of you" which was translated in french and it works perfectly! Not sure if he wrote it himself or someone helped him. Now, when he sings it in french, he kept a few lines in english, which gives it a cute element to it. But, unlike Mika, his french accent is huge! Even english speakers can hear his english accent when he speaks french.

He also translated a song of his called "Lonely sky" which he sang as a duo with Marie-Helene Thibert, a Quebec artist & it sounds great, together. But i don't think he could pull it off on his own.

 

So to me, it is ok for Mika to have a few hits in french, but i wouldn't want him to take the highway in that direction.

 

ok... i rambled on... what was my point again? just to share this i guess

[guylainem123]

 

 

It's ok, Christine, you made your point on IdenticalPost#1 No need to keep posting it, we got it the first time

#Spammer

:roftl:

 

That's because she knows my mother tongue is french. I always have to read things twice to make sure i understand everything... she was not spamming

[A. Clay]

Media. They tend to say things like that. They exaggerate often. I thought you'd know that?

 

He is pretty famous - but not really super famous. And people all over the world know him, but not as much as he COULD have.

 

EDIT: Also, "international" and "sensation" together don't always mean super famous.

 

I also don't think he is an International Megastar!

 

Media writes what media wants. If he was an International Megastar, his gigs on this side of the pond would not be for 3000, 4000 people at 2 to 3 years interval. He goes where the demand is, as he should of course, but he has to create the demand. Unless he makes himself more visible on this side of the pond, gives interviews here & caters to us as much as he does in Europe, he will never be.

 

 

As an example... in 2009, he gave multiple interviews to french TV/radio stations in Quebec... Nothing in english! NOTHING! not a radio station not a tv appearance. Lots of international stars appear on Canada AM, which is seen across Canada by english speakers. That would have been perfect for him.

 

Now, should he promote "Elle me dit" in Quebec??? Hell yes!

The fact that Mika is considered english and makes the effort to speak french when he comes here, makes him more endearing to us. And french people will love this song. I don't particularly like french music and i love it

 

Alice (I meant to quote here) I am not saying that Mika has had no success around the world, just that he is not a mega star. Madonna is a mega star, Bon Jovi are mega stars, U2 are mega stars, even Gaga but I really don't think Mika is in that category even in France. (the French can correct me if I'm wrong)

 

If having a top 10 album in a country makes someone a megastar then Mika is a mega star in Canada because LICM went platinum here, but I can say unequivocally that he is not. 9 out of 10 people I speak to have never heard of him.

OH wait . . .

I know nothing;

I'm as dumb as a stump!

Edited July 2, 2011 by A. Clay

[guylainem123]

OH wait . . .

I know nothing;

I'm as dumb as a stump!

 

Alice, don't take it like that, we are just saying our point of view too.

If you think he is a mega star & by writing a title that media in Europe and other parts of the world write, then that's fine.

 

But to me, he isn't an International Megastar.

 

 

I'm actually enjoying this discussion we are having.

Edited July 2, 2011 by guylainem123

[basicamenteyo]

Alice (I meant to quote here) I am not saying that Mika has had no success around the world, just that he is not a mega star. Madonna is a mega star, Bon Jovi are mega stars, U2 are mega stars, even Gaga but I really don't think Mika is in that category even in France. (the French can correct me if I'm wrong)

 

If having a top 10 album in a country makes someone a megastar then Mika is a mega star in Canada because LICM went platinum here, but I can say unequivocally that he is not. 9 out of 10 people I speak to have never heard of him.

 

Exactly the same here in Spain. No one NO ONE of my friends know who Mika is.

 

I don´t need to quote all your posts and Guy´s and tiibet´s, I totally agree what with you are saying.

 

And of course it´s not UK´s fault that he needs to "move" to France... it´s Mika´s fault that UK is not loving him...

 

Anyway, he´ll do what he wants, but there are too many people saying that "maybe" he is not doing the correct. Only frenchies are not complaining so,as we were saying on msn the other day, "well, yeah Mika, if you want to sell 6 millions again, make sure Sarkozy gets one or two albums....."

[macboll]

With my Quebec french, i noticed 3 mistakes... now maybe in France, some of these are acceptable, i don't know.

1) chanson contente .... a song can't be contente... a person can be "contente" but not a song. it should have been "joyeuse", but that doesn't rime. so my alternative word would have been "dansante" (which means a dancy song) that would have worked.

2) taper dans un ballon ... i would have said "taper sur un ballon" we do not hit "in" a ball, but "on" a ball

3) sur internet .... i would have said "sur l'internet" like we go "on the internet"

 

but like i said, maybe it's different in France

 

Guy, you're totally right about the problems of translation and the different layers a word can have in its own language.

 

Now a few answers to your post:

We don't say "contente" for a song in France neither, even if we can understand what he means. A person is contente, not something abstract.

But we do say "taper dans un ballon" and not "sur un ballon" and we do say "sur internet" in France. There are a few differences between Canadian French and French French

[willywonka]

Guy I totally agree about the songs being more or less untranslatable which is what I meant when I said that it's really not possible to imagine what he would have said if he'd said it in English instead. It would just be a different song had it been conceived in English and I feel like I'll never connect to these French songs or even be able to judge whether they are brilliant or crap.

 

I see this with non native English speakers favouring some of Mika's weaker efforts because they don't understand how lame the lyrics are. A blessing in disguise I suppose but I am a know it all and want to know it all for myself

 

Guy I totally agree about the songs being more or less untranslatable which is what I meant when I said that it's really not possible to imagine what he would have said if he'd said it in English instead. It would just be a different song had it been conceived in English and I feel like I'll never connect to these French songs or even be able to judge whether they are brilliant or crap.

 

I see this with non native English speakers favouring some of Mika's weaker efforts because they don't understand how lame the lyrics are. A blessing in disguise I suppose but I am a know it all and want to know it all for myself

 

Ok, ok, we got your point by now...

 

:roftl:

[RAK1]

I understand what you mean, it's always nice to make your mind up on your own, without having to rely on others.

 

The lyrics in "Elle me dit" are not lame, but they are not deep by no means & are quite repeatative.

Will we (french speakers) remember this song as a great achievement in Mika's career? No! We'll remember this song as quirky & catchy... no more, no less. This song does have a tad of darkness in them. Now i know Mika always says his lyrics are "dark", but i never agreed with him on that. This time, it's ME saying they are a tad dark.

Part of Mika's appeal to me is because he is english & different. I think French people may find 1 or 2 songs endearing, but i don't think they would prefer him singing in french all the time. Though i find it cute and flattering, it's not the Mika i know!

 

I'd like a french person from France to double check me/correct me on this, but the incorrect lyrics i pointed out earlier... are they also incorrect in France? If so, how could that gentleman who told him that he "must" release that song let it slip by? He should have been told from the start & not once the song is recorded

 

When i think of British artists who are brilliant with lyrics and popular (or used to be anyways) in Canada, i think of Chris de Burgh. I know younger members probably don't know him, but you should really give him a listen

Now, he has done a few french songs, translated from english & surprisingly, they work! I understand that Chris de Burgh also has some attachment to France. If i remember correctly, he owns a chateau or a mansion or an estate or some kind of bungalow somewhere in France.

 

He has a song called "when i think of you" which was translated in french and it works perfectly! Not sure if he wrote it himself or someone helped him. Now, when he sings it in french, he kept a few lines in english, which gives it a cute element to it. But, unlike Mika, his french accent is huge! Even english speakers can hear his english accent when he speaks french.

He also translated a song of his called "Lonely sky" which he sang as a duo with Marie-Helene Thibert, a Quebec artist & it sounds great, together. But i don't think he could pull it off on his own.

 

So to me, it is ok for Mika to have a few hits in french, but i wouldn't want him to take the highway in that direction.

 

ok... i rambled on... what was my point again? just to share this i guess

I think he's Irish isn't he?

Lady In Red, and Spaceman Came Travelling. I remember him:wink2:

 

[guylainem123]

Exactly the same here in Spain. No one NO ONE of my friends know who Mika is.

 

I don´t need to quote all your posts and Guy´s and tiibet´s, I totally agree what with you are saying.

 

And of course it´s not UK´s fault that he needs to "move" to France... it´s Mika´s fault that UK is not loving him...

 

Anyway, he´ll do what he wants, but there are too many people saying that "maybe" he is not doing the correct. Only frenchies are not complaining so,as we were saying on msn the other day, "well, yeah Mika, if you want to sell 6 millions again, make sure Sarkozy gets one or two albums....."

 

But i don't think anyone should feel offended by him doing a french song or 2. nobody said he is taking that road yet.

 

To me, this is just like a sidedish you get in a restaurant. It may not be what you prefered, but it was included with the price of your meal

 

**NOW BEFORE WONKA GETS ON MY CASE, I AM NOT SAYING THAT MIKA IS EDIBLE**

[A. Clay]

Alice, don't take it like that, we are just saying our point of view too.

If you think he is a mega star & by writing a title that media in Europe

and other parts of the world write, then that's fine.

 

But to me, he isn't is not an International Megastar.

 

I'm actually enjoying this discussion we are having.

'ROGER'

[willywonka]

But i don't think anyone should feel offended by him doing a french song or 2. nobody said he is taking that road yet.

 

To me, this is just like a sidedish you get in a restaurant. It may not be what you prefered, but it was included with the price of your meal

 

**NOW BEFORE WONKA GETS ON MY CASE, I AM NOT SAYING THAT MIKA IS EDIBLE**

 

Who?

 

Me?

 

Je sais pas meme ce quoi edible veut dire...

 

[willywonka]

'ROGER'

 

???