Download Claude Nougaro Armstrong (French - English Subtitles) MP3 Song Free

Official Description & Notes

This 1965 song from the french singer from Toulouse, Claude Nougaro is not only a tribute to Louis Armstrong. But also an exploration of race, identity and human equality. Looking at racial injustice, suffering, and ultimately mortality as the great equaliser

Some of the lyrics are a play on words and made to rhyme:
“Moi, je broie plutôt du noir (I am grinding black)
Du noir en dedans” (Black within myself)
This can only be translated in English as feeling blue, (broie du noir) and inner darkness (du noir en dedans)

Blues music was initially known as “African-American music,” but it has since had a universally influential impact on modern music across all cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Music brings us together and can serve as an equaliser across races and cultures.

And by using the music of “Go down Moses”, an ode to the liberation of black slavery in the USA; and referencing Louis Armstrong’s broad smile, he reinforces the idea of resilience and hope and uses it as a reminder to use music as a tool for spiritual search of freedom and joy.
“Armstrong, tu te fends la poire (Armstrong, you split your pear)
On voit toutes tes dents” (We can see all your teeth)
Se fendre la poire is a French idiom to “laugh one’s head off”

The song also highlights the transient nature of racial identity and the futility of appearances and refuses to make skin colour an sign of his personality:
“Armstrong, un jour, tôt ou tard (Armstrong, one day, sooner or later)
On n'est que des os (We will only be bones)
Est-ce que les tiens seront noirs? (Will yours be black)
Ce serait rigolo” (That would be funny)
“Au-delà de nos oripeaux (Beyond our skin)
Noir et blanc (Black and white)
Sont ressemblants (Look the same)
Comme deux gouttes d'eau” (Like two drops of water)