Jane Birkin Music Video premiere, 20 February 2024

[linzijay]

1 hour ago, mellody said:

it's not "Free, I don't know how to do that", as I had thought, but "I don't know how to be me" ...

This particular part was interesting to me, too. It almost changes the whole song for me a little bit (not in a bad way, just something that makes you think).

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

2 hours ago, mellody said:

I watched the livestream at 7 while preparing dinner, but hadn't seen the subtitles... dunno if they weren't in the livestream or if I just didn't notice them... indeed interesting to get an "official" translation - it's not "Free, I don't know how to do that", as I had thought, but "I don't know how to be me" ... and the "tant pis" in the 2nd verse also wasn't 100% clear in the beginning - although from something he had said somewhere recently (maybe it was an interview, not sure...), it had become clearer already.

 

 

I don't agree with this translation "I don't know how to be me". 

 

This " moi" can be at the end of the line 

Libre, libre, je ne sais pas faire

Moi.

And in French you can add "moi" at the end when you are confused, you underline that "YOU" don't know how to be free.

But you can't say "je ne sais pas faire moi". It would be "je ne sais pas comment etre/rester moi/moi meme"

 

Or if we put this "moi" to the next line,

 

Moi.. J’suis pas à l’aise dans mes Blue Jeans

It underline "me", me, I am not ok in my blue jeans.

 

I think this "moi" has been lost in the translation.

[Arianne921]

3 hours ago, dcdeb said:

 

 

 

I do really love the video -- and I love that they included English subtitles. Thank you, Mika!

 

I really love this video!  

Subtitles? 

I haven't seen subtitles from here! Why? 

[Arianne921]

4 hours ago, Mikasister said:

Love it!!!! 

 

Me too! It has been love at first sight! 

Edited February 20 by Arianne921

[camille*]

40 minutes ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

 

 

I don't agree with this translation "I don't know how to be me". 

 

This " moi" can be at the end of the line 

Libre, libre, je ne sais pas faire

Moi.

And in French you can add "moi" at the end when you are confused, you underline that "YOU" don't know how to be free.

But you can't say "je ne sais pas faire moi". It would be "je ne sais pas comment etre/rester moi/moi meme"

 

Or if we put this "moi" to the next line,

 

Moi.. J’suis pas à l’aise dans mes Blue Jeans

It underline "me", me, I am not ok in my blue jeans.

 

I think this "moi" has been lost in the translation.

I think the 'me' in the subtitles has to be separated from the previous sentence : 'Free, I don't know how to be. Me, I'm not ok in my blue jeans' (as you said, it's possible in familiar French)

It might not be grammatically correct but it's a literal translation of the French lyrics.

 

BTW, I'm glad they translated 'tall' and 'small' for the first verse because this how I immediately understood it from the beginning 

[krysady]

9 hours ago, Arianne921 said:

Subtitles? 

I haven't seen subtitles from here! Why?

Did you click on the CC button?

[CharlotteL]

Ohhh I get the translation now!! Took me a while

I also saw it as "Me, I don't know how to be free". But the other way makes sense as well. It might not be grammatically correct but I think that's the point. If you see Moi as the end of the sentence (Je ne sais pas faire moi) it literally means "I don't know how to do me" (which sounds very bad in English) but it's an awkward way of saying "I don't know how to do this project that is... me?!" which is strange in any language but you do know what he means in the context of the song.

I think it's intentional that it can mean both and they just had to pick one "version" for the translation.

[carafon]

15 minutes ago, CharlotteL said:

Ohhh I get the translation now!! Took me a while

I also saw it as "Me, I don't know how to be free". But the other way makes sense as well. It might not be grammatically correct but I think that's the point. If you see Moi as the end of the sentence (Je ne sais pas faire moi) it literally means "I don't know how to do me" (which sounds very bad in English) but it's an awkward way of saying "I don't know how to do this project that is... me?!" which is strange in any language but you do know what he means in the context of the song.

 

in "Je sais pas faire .....moi"   ;the fact that there is a pause between "moi" and the rest of the sentence shows that the "moi"  is kindda  way to accentuate the "je" at the beginning . Imo the final "moi"  doesn't have to be translated  because as you said it sounds strange in English. 

Same if you put the "moi" at the beginning of the next sentence 

 

 

15 minutes ago, CharlotteL said:

 

I think it's intentional that it can mean both 

I'm quite sure that it's intentional

Edited February 21 by carafon

[mellody]

16 minutes ago, CharlotteL said:

I think it's intentional that it can mean both

 

Yes, I agree. It might be "Mika-French" instead of correct grammar, but double meanings aren't always obvious when you just look at the "correct" way of expressing something.

[carafon]

6 minutes ago, mellody said:

 

Yes, I agree. It might be "Mika-French" instead of correct grammar, but double meanings aren't always obvious when you just look at the "correct" way of expressing something.

It's not Mika French 

It's not grammaticaly totaly right , but it's a very common way when people want to accentuate the "first person personal pronom".

I didn't take care of the translation for obvious reasons ..... but I agree with @Anna Ko Kolkowska , the translator didn't get the right meaning

Edited February 21 by carafon

[CharlotteL]

15 minutes ago, carafon said:

but it's a very common way when people want to accentuate the "first person personal pronom"

Well what I mean is that those are two different ways to read that sentence.
1. "Libre, je ne sais pas faire... moi" --> grammatically correct, the pause before "moi" means that it accentuates the pronoun, meaning "Me... I don't know how to be free". This version is more obvious and makes more sense (to me).

2. "Je ne sais pas faire... moi?!" --> grammatically incorrect, the pause before "moi" expresses this awkwardness and confusion, meaning "I don't know how to do... me / my life?!". I don't even think that's just Mika French, to me it sounds more like when you're talking to a friend and say things like "I'm such a mess, I don't know how to do... life"

I agree that the second version seems strange and wouldn't have considered it if it wasn't for the "new" translation "I don't know how to be me".

 

If you think that's overthinking it and this wasn't intentional and the translator simply got it wrong, I also think that's valid and... very possible!

[holdingyourdrink]

What I really like about Mika’s songs is that they are open to interpretation in any sense: even grammatically and colloquially speaking  

 

I do think he wrote the song with the intention as to how he would speak French. We all know speaking language is different from all the grammatical rules. I do not know any grammar in any language I speak (no joke), but I just do/speak it  I can imagine with Mika it’s similar. 

[mellody]

And/Or the "moi" belongs to the chorus, to emphasize the "J'suis pas l'aise dans mes blue jeans"...

 

Mika replied to some comments on his IG:

So that scene where he falls didn't seem to be meant as I had interpreted it, "even if you fall while trying to be yourself, keep smiling and continue", but it just happened and it really hurt the way it looked. 🙈 Although they might have kept it in the video for that reason, because it emphasizes the meaning of the song. Anyway, ouch. I will never understand how he can keep smiling when something is so hurtful - but I saw him smiling despite tearing a tendon in his foot, so it shouldn't surprise me anymore.

 

edit: And then the, maybe a litte philosophical, question is: When you fall and hurt yourself when trying to be yourself, but you keep smiling, is that continuing trying to be yourself, or is that trying to keep up the appearance to hide your true emotions?

[TinyLove_CJ]

   I'm really in love with the music video, it fits the song so well! I wasn't really expecting a story telling video anyway, I had a feeling it would be somewhat calm and not done in an over the top way. Even with the falls (intentional or not) there's an elegance running through the whole video. I love how at the start it's as though Mika is his awkward self and has to use the ice bear to take control (and at about 36 seconds in I love the shadow affect of the dancers!), but then the dancers appear around him and he's suddenly this more confident person showing another side of him when he changes into that gorgeous jacket! And the final change when he's in the green glitter suit, he's alone again but clearly more himself. Especially standing on the resurfacing machine (the man just can't help himself can he?! 😆), he's free!

   Now with the video to accompany the song it evokes a whole new aspect of self confidence and it's just perfect!

[carafon]

1 hour ago, CharlotteL said:

Well what I mean is that those are two different ways to read that sentence.
1. "Libre, je ne sais pas faire... moi" --> grammatically correct, the pause before "moi" means that it accentuates the pronoun, meaning "Me... I don't know how to be free". This version is more obvious and makes more sense (to me).

2. "Je ne sais pas faire... moi?!" --> grammatically incorrect, the pause before "moi" expresses this awkwardness and confusion, meaning "I don't know how to do... me / my life?!". I don't even think that's just Mika French, to me it sounds more like when you're talking to a friend and say things like "I'm such a mess, I don't know how to do... life"

I agree that the second version seems strange and wouldn't have considered it if it wasn't for the "new" translation "I don't know how to be me".

 

If you think that's overthinking it and this wasn't intentional and the translator simply got it wrong, I also think that's valid and... very possible!

Hooo, I see..... Then my thought is that there is no double meaning, just the translator being wrong. Otherwise it would not be a silence before 'moi"

[mellody]

The text on his jacket says "Blue Jeans" on one side and "Love harder" on the other. I wonder if it'll be one of his tour outfits? Probably... and I suppose for this song, because only in this context the "Blue Jeans" makes sense. Not sure though what he means by "love harder" ... something like love (yourself) more? I saw the word "love" at first and then was surprised about the "harder" - does it make sense to English speakers in the context of the song? I suppose it's hard to express the feeling of love in this song in just 2 words, so maybe that's what comes closest and something like "love more" could be misinterpreted as "make love more often", which I'm sure he doesn't mean ... oh dear, even if I think I know English well, such details in certain expressions still confuse me. 😅🙈

[Sara penny]

In my opinion the clothes also have a role in the story, because at the beginning he has some awkward clothes which perhaps represent him as a child while then with the stage clothes he found his self-confidence.

[dcdeb]

 

 

On 2/21/2024 at 3:54 AM, CharlotteL said:

 

I also saw it as "Me, I don't know how to be free". But the other way makes sense as well. It might not be grammatically correct but I think that's the point. If you see Moi as the end of the sentence (Je ne sais pas faire moi) it literally means "I don't know how to do me" (which sounds very bad in English) but it's an awkward way of saying "I don't know how to do this project that is... me?!" which is strange in any language but you do know what he means in the context of the song.

 

 

You all know that I don't speak French, but I feel pretty sure that he doesn't care about being grammatically correct here. "I don't know how to do (or BE)..." PAUSE. "Me." It makes perfect sense to me when I read it that way, and even moreso when I look at the video at the same time. At that point in the video, when he says, "Me", he's the only thing on the screen, so that, combined with the long pause, makes it clear to me what the meaning is.

 

On 2/21/2024 at 5:07 AM, mellody said:

Mika replied to some comments on his IG:

So that scene where he falls didn't seem to be meant as I had interpreted it, "even if you fall while trying to be yourself, keep smiling and continue", but it just happened and it really hurt the way it looked. 🙈 Although they might have kept it in the video for that reason, because it emphasizes the meaning of the song. Anyway, ouch. I will never understand how he can keep smiling when something is so hurtful - but I saw him smiling despite tearing a tendon in his foot, so it shouldn't surprise me anymore.

 

edit: And then the, maybe a litte philosophical, question is: When you fall and hurt yourself when trying to be yourself, but you keep smiling, is that continuing trying to be yourself, or is that trying to keep up the appearance to hide your true emotions?

 

Well, whether the fall was intentional or not, I'm sure it hurt.

 

But either way I agree that it illustrates the point that it's necessary to push forward in spite of feeling awkard or insecure.

 

 

23 hours ago, mellody said:

The text on his jacket says "Blue Jeans" on one side and "Love harder" on the other. I wonder if it'll be one of his tour outfits? Probably... and I suppose for this song, because only in this context the "Blue Jeans" makes sense. Not sure though what he means by "love harder" ... something like love (yourself) more? I saw the word "love" at first and then was surprised about the "harder" - does it make sense to English speakers in the context of the song? I suppose it's hard to express the feeling of love in this song in just 2 words, so maybe that's what comes closest and something like "love more" could be misinterpreted as "make love more often", which I'm sure he doesn't mean ... oh dear, even if I think I know English well, such details in certain expressions still confuse me. 😅🙈

 

"Love harder" absolutely makes sense. To me it means not just "love more," but to love more intensely, more purposefully, with more intention. Like "try harder" or "work harder", you're not just working more or trying more, but you're doing it with more focus and purpose.

 

But I have absolutely no idea why he calls out "Blue Jeans" because as you say Karin it seems to only make sense in the context of this song. I mean, I get the idea of not being comfortable in your jeans. I never have been, even when I was many pounds lighter (I really was at one time!). I have always felt awkward and unattractive and uncomfortable not only in blue jeans but in my own skin. So maybe that's what blue jeans symbolize for him? I'm really not sure what that term represents, and why it would be included on that jacket, juxtaposed with the phrase "Love Harder." 

[mellody]

13 minutes ago, dcdeb said:

I'm really not sure what that term represents, and why it would be included on that jacket,

 

Well, as you say, it does make sense in the context of the song. We discussed this in the song thread, that blue jeans were typical for Jane Birkin ... so "love harder", probably like he thinks Jane would have (the way you describe it makes more sense to me, thanks!) would be the way to achieve feeling ok in your blue jeans, maybe? 

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

SO on the back of the jacket is a word Apocalypse.

 

And I am not sure over it is a word Club?

 

Apocalypse  Club?

 

 

[CharlotteL]

49 minutes ago, dcdeb said:

"Love harder" absolutely makes sense. To me it means not just "love more," but to love more intensely, more purposefully, with more intention. Like "try harder" or "work harder", you're not just working more or trying more, but you're doing it with more focus and purpose.

Yes and to me it also ties in to the theme of love as a radical form of resistance that has always been present in his music but maybe even more so in this album ("by making love we resist").

So love not just as a gentle, subtle thing but a powerful force or weapon against hate. That feels very Mika to me

 

15 minutes ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

And I am not sure over it is a word Club?

Could it be Cloud? That's what it looks like to me and that's also sth that's on the album cover. Doesn't really make sense together with Apocalypse though.

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

2 minutes ago, CharlotteL said:

Could it be Cloud? That's what it looks like to me and that's also sth that's on the album cover. Doesn't really make sense together with Apocalypse though.

But it looks like 4 letters.

 

It may have sense. Mika is preparing a party. Apocalypse party. He even used a word a ball. Why not to surprise us at the end that we are in Apocalypse Disco Club   (Like Butterfly Lounge)  with a disco ball on the ceiling. 

[Juless]

25 minutes ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

Apocalypse  Club?

 

Just now, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

t may have sense. Mika is preparing a party. Apocalypse party. He even used a word a ball. Why not to surprise us at the end that we are in Apocalypse Disco Club   (Like Butterfly Lounge)  with a disco ball on the ceiling. 

OH YES imagine if the Club Apocalypse is a part of the ACT show!! it could be so cool

[Sara penny]

Does the fact that when it is raised it positions itself like a crucifix have a meaning in your opinion? could the dancers lifting him symbolize the audience following Mika?

[Hero]

That moment where he's standing in front of the dancers, and looks over his shoulder (no pun intended) at the one dancer, who suddenly breaks composure and grins back at him. I don't think that was supposed to happen, but I love they left it in.