C’is known: Michel Sardou is a right-wing singer in an environment, the song, rather on the left. Guy Bedos, one of his best friends, didn’t he have this pretty formula: “Michel sings right, but thinks wrong. However, when we study Sardou’s repertoire, we realize that the singer should not be confined to the right of the chessboard. The proof ? Some of his fans are on his left. During the 2017 campaign, some songs were played at meetings of La France insoumise. Indeed, Alexis Corbière, LFI deputy, knows the work of the artist and has even converted his wife: Raquel (from Saturday) Garrido. Interview.
Point : How did you discover Michel Sardou?
Rachel Garrido:My husband, Alexis Corbière, converted me. I arrived in France after the waves of popularity of Michel Sardou. I didn’t know who it was. I was unaware of the controversies which touched it. When Alexis put on a song, I listened to the text and let myself be carried away by the emotions. I was far from what will be said leftists. Alexis also converted our children. In addition, in “The popular balls” [sorti en 1970, voir pochette ci-dessous, NDLR], he talks about the “Saturday Raquel”. I said to myself: “Finally a song that talks about me. It was like a naturalization.
What about controversial songs? He’s a right-wing singer!
There are some that are open to criticism, such as “I am for” or “The Sergeant’s laugh”. I have a lot of trouble with these, they cause discomfort in me. For the other songs, it’s more debatable. For example, in “Cities of Solitude”, he plays a character. He does not glorify rape, but takes a very severe look at man and society. This song places the individual in his human condition of being oppressed. He has a desire for insubordination, but never takes action. He’s frustrated. In “Le temps des colonies”, I see only irony. He openly mocks the settler. It’s a huge joke, like the title “They’ve got the oil!… but that’s it”. Michel Sardou makes fun of the French while being franchouillard.
READ ALSOMichel Sardou, the popular bard
What do your Insoumis friends think?
Thanks to us, they have dropped the mask: everyone loves Sardou. Alexis freed the floor and our friends came out pro-Sardou [rires]. No one remains indifferent to his songs. His titles are part of the French repertoire. In Latin America there is one of 200 songs that everyone knows. Music is a unifying cultural fact. Sardou, it’s the same!
How is Michel Sardou on the left?
I don’t care if he’s on the left. I don’t want to give it a partisan identity. Sardou is his songs. In the man, I like his spirit, free, his subversive side. What a rebellious! In recent years, he has been very hard on Nicolas Sarkozy and very kind to [Jean-Luc] Melenchon.
What is your favorite song ?
” I come from the south “. I come from South America. I recognize myself in it. This song makes me want to cry. It is to return to the earth. There is something very circular.
Find our special issue “All about Sardou” on sale at newsstands and in our digital store.