{"id":830,"date":"2018-06-27T14:16:25","date_gmt":"2018-06-27T14:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cherscholar.com\/cherblog\/what-now-my-love\/"},"modified":"2023-02-20T08:16:53","modified_gmt":"2023-02-20T15:16:53","slug":"what-now-my-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cherscholar.com\/cherblog\/2018\/06\/what-now-my-love\/","title":{"rendered":"What Now My Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Whatnow\"<\/a>This is my go-to Cher song when I\u2019m feeling sadsack. I was supremely bored by the song when I was a kid, but experience has given me sympathy for this dirge to dependency.<\/span><\/p>\n

While I was researching this diatribe on Cher's "Carousel Man," I came across the original French version of the song \u201cWhat Now My Love,\u201d which was recorded as \u201cEt Maintenant<\/a>\u201d by Gilbert B\u00e9caud in 1961. I really like that version. Maybe better.<\/span> <\/p>\n

Here are the French lyrics, followed by the more literal English translation.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Et Maintenant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Et maintenant que vais-je faire
<\/span>e tout ce temps que sera ma vie
<\/span>De tous ces gens qui m'indiff\u00e8rent
<\/span>Maintenant que tu es partie
<\/span>Toutes ces nuits, pourquoi pour qui
<\/span>Et ce matin qui revient pour rien
<\/span>Ce c oeur qui bat, pour qui, pourquoi
<\/span>Qui bat trop fort, trop fort<\/span><\/p>\n

Et maintenant que vais-je faire
<\/span>Vers quel n\u00e9ant glissera ma vie
<\/span>Tu m'as laiss\u00e9 la terre enti\u00e8re
<\/span>Mais la terre sans toi c'est petit
<\/span>Vous, mes amis, soyez gentils
<\/span>Vous savez bien que l'on n'y peut rien
<\/span>M\u00eame Paris cr\u00e8ve d'ennui
<\/span>Toutes ses rues me tuent<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Gilbert-becaud-et-maintenant\"<\/a>Et maintenant que vais-je faire
<\/span>Je vais en rire pour ne plus pleurer
<\/span>Je vais br\u00fbler des nuits enti\u00e8res
<\/span>Au matin je te ha\u00efrai
<\/span>Et puis un soir dans mon miroir
<\/span>Je verrai bien la fin du chemin
<\/span>Pas une fleur et pas de pleurs
<\/span>Au moment de l'adieu
<\/span>Je n'ai vraiment plus rien \u00e0 faire
<\/span>Je n'ai vraiment plus rien<\/span><\/p>\n

What Now My Love<\/strong><\/p>\n

And now what am I going to do<\/span>
<\/span>All this time that will be my life<\/span>
<\/span>Of all those people who cared about me<\/span>
<\/span>Now that you're gone<\/span>
<\/span>All these nights, why for who<\/span>
<\/span>And this morning that comes back for nothing<\/span>
<\/span>This heart beats, for whom, why<\/span>
<\/span>Who beats too loud, too loud<\/span>
<\/span>And now what am I going to do<\/span>
<\/span>Toward which nil will slip my life<\/span>
<\/span>You left me the whole world<\/span>
<\/span>But the land without you is small<\/span>
<\/span>You, my friends, be kind<\/span>
<\/span>You know that nothing can be done<\/span>
<\/span>Even Paris is dying of boredom<\/span>
<\/span>All its streets kill me<\/span>
<\/span>And now what am I going to do<\/span>
<\/span>I'm going to laugh at not crying anymore<\/span>
<\/span>I will burn whole nights<\/span>
<\/span>In the morning I will hate you<\/span>
<\/span>And then one evening in my mirror<\/span>
<\/span>I'll see the end of the road<\/span>
<\/span>Not a flower and no crying<\/span>
<\/span>At the time of farewell<\/span>
<\/span>I really do not have anything to do<\/span>
<\/span>I really do not have anything<\/span><\/p>\n

Songwriters: Gilbert Francois Leopold Becaud \/ Pierre Delanoe<\/span><\/p>\n

The lyrics and title in the official English version were written by Carl Sigman. The recurring musical motif in the background is Ravel's "Bolero."<\/span><\/p>\n

You can see this is a very different song in French and English. The English is more sad and depressed. The French more angry, almost vicious.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Sonny-and-cher-what-now-my-love-et-maintenant-atco\"<\/a>The French version was a number one hit in 1961. B\u00e9caud recorded the \u201cWhat Now My Love\u201d translation in 1962 but it was Shirley Bassey\u2019s version that became a #5 hit in the U.K. It\u2019s considered one of Sonny & Cher\u2019s greatest hits, although they only reached #14 with in in the U.S. <\/span>It\u2019s been covered a lot more than I had previously assumed: <\/span>https:\/\/fr.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Et_maintenant<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

And currently the song is still popular on the French singing competition shows, the most arresting being this version by Dominique Magloire: <\/span>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UoDl1duwUOE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

And I also found this: Becaud singing the English with Nina Simone. Wait for it. Becaud he does the French first: <\/span>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kkKQb6izVGQ<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

As I'm looking for these, I'm getting YouTube ads for Mama Mia<\/em> 2 and it's confusing me. What was I searching for again?<\/span> Cher on YouTube: c'est un trou de lapin!<\/span><\/p>\n

Sonny & Cher live performances of "What Now My Love"<\/strong><\/p>\n