Song summaries

1. Quelqu'un m'a dit (Someone Told Me): This melancholy song from which the album draws its name speaks of the sadness of life – "On me dit que nos vies ne valent pas grand chose, / Elles passent en un instant comme fanent les roses." ("They tell me that our lives are not worth very much, / They pass in an instant as roses wilt.") – and that time and fate (destiny) care nothing for us. She forlornly hopes that "you still love me" – "quelqu'un m'a dit / Que tu m'aimais encore," ("Somebody told me / that you loved me still") – recalling that somebody told her, but she cannot remember who.
2. Raphaël: In this lively and playful song, Bruni sings of her love for her then-lover Raphaël Enthoven

Raphaël Enthoven

Raphael Enthoven is a professor of French philosophy. Son of the publisher Jean-Paul Enthoven, he is the former husband of Justine Lévy and former companion of Carla Bruni , with whom he had a son born July 21, 2001...

, first reveling in his name – "Quatre consonnes et trois voyelles / c'est le prénom de Raphaël," ("Four consonants and three vowels / that's the first name of Raphaël") – then delighting in his wickedness and their time together. The middle of the song features mysterious lyrics – "Peau de chagrin, pâtre éternel / Archange étrange d’un autre ciel" ("Shagreen

Shagreen

Shagreen is a type of leather or rawhide consisting of rough untanned skin, formerly made from a horse's back or that of an onager . Shagreen is now commonly made of the skins of sharks and rays....

/Sorrow skin, eternal father / Strange archangel from another heaven/sky"), alluding to the magical skin that is slowly used up in Balzac's novel La Peau de chagrin

La Peau de chagrin

La Peau de chagrin is an 1831 novel by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac . Set in early 19th-century Paris, it tells the story of a young man who finds a magic piece of shagreen that fulfills his every desire. For each wish granted, however, the skin shrinks and consumes a portion of...

. She later sings of their love being in the moment – "Pas de promesse à l’éternel" ("No promises of eternity") – compare the title of her next album, No Promises, and the eventual end of her relationship with Raphaël.
3. Tout le monde (Everyone): This melancholy song tells of how everyone has known disappointment – forgotten childhood memories, remains of dreams ("restes de rêves"), and devastation – and then absurdly suggests that this solitude should be fixed by passing a law – "Il faudrait que tout l'monde réclame auprès des autorités, / Une loi contre toute notre solitude," ("Everyone should demand from the authorities / A law against all our solitude."), musing on French socialism

Socialism

Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...

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4. La noyée (Drowned): This is a cover of a song by Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...

, which Bruni heard on the soundtrack to the movie Romance of a Horsethief (1971); another cover was released near the same time in the 2002 album C’était ici

C’était ici

C'était ici is the second live album of French Avant-Garde/New Age musician and composer Yann Tiersen. It was recorded during three concerts given between December 15 and December 17, 2002, at the Cité de la Musique in Paris, France...

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The song speaks of time and memory separating people, using contrasting images of water – "la rivière du souvenir" ("the river of memory") and "l'océan de l'oubli" ("the ocean of forgetting").

5. Le toi du moi (You of Me): This love song consists of various pairings of the form "You are my X, I am your Y", "I am the X, you are the Y", or "You are the X of my Y", beginning "Je suis ton pile / Tu es mon face" ("I am your tail / You are my head" [We are two sides of the same coin]), passing through over fifty pairs, climaxing 2/3 of the way through and again ending with "T'es le jamais de mon toujours / T'es mon amour t'es mon amour." ("You are the never of my forever / You are my love you are my love.")

Some of the images are playful "T'es la moustache de mon Trotski" ("You are the mustache of my Trotsky"), while some allude to drugs "Toi tu es l’herbe et moi le joint" ("You are the weed and I'm the joint" – marijuana) and "Toi la paille et moi la poudre" ("You the straw and I the powder" – cocaine

Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...

); compare Tu es ma came ("You're My Drug") from her third album, Comme si de rien n'était

Comme si de rien n'était

Comme si de rien n'était is the third album of Italian singer and first lady Carla Bruni. It was released on July 11, 2008, in continental Europe, and on July 14 in the United Kingdom, and on August 5 in the USA....

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6. Le ciel dans une chambre (Heaven in a Room):
7. J'en connais (I Know Some):
8. Le plus beau du quartier (The Most Handsome Boy in Town):
9. Chanson triste (Sad Song):
10. L'excessive (The Excessive):
11. L'amour (Love):
12. La dernière minute (The Last Minute): The last song is one minute long, exactly as it says on the tin.

Certifications

Charts

Chart (2002–2004)	Peak position
Austrian Album Chart	27
Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart	9
Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart	1
French Albums Chart	1
German Albums Chart	14
Italian Albums Chart	4
Portuguese Albums Chart	5
Swiss Albums Chart	4

End of year chart (2002)	Position
French Albums Chart	27
End of year chart (2003)	Position
Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart	53
Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart	1
French Albums Chart	3
Swiss Albums Chart	41
End of the year chart (2004)	Position
Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart	49
French Albums Chart	61