Edit:
- switched song from same artist
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“Papaoutai”, the lead single from Racine Carrée, was Stromae’s return to fame, after a three-year hiatus. The world last saw him skyrocketing the charts with “Alors On Danse” back in 2010.
While “Alors On Danse” was about the dangers of nightlife, “Papaoutai” (which isn’t a real word but a malapropism of Papa où t’es) seems to be inspired by a particular line from “Alors On Danse”:
Who says loved ones says mourning
Stromae reveals his relationship with his late father, or rather lack thereof. Stromae later revealed that his dad, who was Rwandan, was killed in the 1994 Rwandan genocide when Stromae was a little kid. Stromae’s father’s absence was the inspiration for writing this song, which is about the struggles of growing up without a father figure.
British duo CUT_ recorded an English version (not translation) of “Papaoutai” which charted in France. https://youtu.be/Vy84qfcXY1U
https://genius.com/Genius-english-translations-stromae-papaoutai-english-translation-lyrics
This song was the og reason for the post, but I prefered to share “Dad, Where Are You?” due to story and meaning behind lyrics!
Stromae - Alors on danse (Official Video) [3:54 | Pop Rap, Electro-Pop, Dance-Pop, Electro House]
“Alors On Danse” was Stromae’s first international success and introduced the world to his unique blend of musical styles. The song draws heavily from electro and hip hop, even to the point of lending itself to a rap remix. “Alors On Danse” was the most-played French-language single worldwide of 2010. The song is close in meaning to The Lonely Island’s “After Party”.
The song’s premise is about someone who dances to forget his problems but he soon faces the music and his problems overwhelm him to the point of self-destruction.
Everybody thinks that the only way to forget your problems is having fun, and I don’t think that’s the only way to have fun. You can have fun talking about your problems. Yeah, dance about your problems.
https://genius.com/Genius-english-translations-stromae-alors-on-danse-english-translation-lyrics
This song affected me greatly. Seeing the suffering of a child is possibly the worst form. My dad was always there. He is still alive, thankfully. It just made me really want to be a good father figure to the kids in my life and for my own kids now.
Wow, thank you for sharing that this song had a great impact in your life!
Yes, we must continue to strive to be a wonderful role model to children, while also teaching them about our past mistakes; showing them that we too make many mistakes and try to learn from them, falling and getting back up, never give up!
I wish you well in your fatherhood, I know you are doing the best you can for your family, and that is commendable in itself!
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://piped.video/VHoT4N43jK8
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
My french teacher in HS used to play this song until we started calling it “Pop a booty” and he got so embarrassed he stopped
