When your dad posts a French song on Facebook and says how much he likes it, even if he can’t understand a word, and you have a site translating lyrics, you’re obligated to translate that song, right? So here it is. Dad, this one is for you!

“Je veux” is a song by French singer Zaz. Released in May 2010 as the first song off of her first album, it was also her breakthrough hit. It won “Original Song of the Year” at the Victoires de la musique music awards in 2011.

Song information from Wikipedia.

About the Artist

Isabelle Geffroy, who performs as Zaz, is a singer from Tours, France. She sings a mixture of French pop, jazz, folk and soul.

Zaz started studying music when she was just five years old, entering the Tours Conservatory, where she studied until she was eleven. Here she learned piano, guitar, and choral singing. In 1994 her family moved to Libourne, near Bordeaux, where she continued to take singing lessons. In 2000 she won a scholarship from the Aquitaine Regional Council that allowed her to attend CIAM (Centre d’information et d’activités musicales or Musical Information and Activity Center) in Bordeaux. From 2001 to 2006 she would participate in numerous musical groups of different styles.

In 2006 she moved to Paris, and spent a year and a half singing in a Cabaret. In 2007 she responded to an internet ad from Kerredine Soltani, a songwriter looking for a new artist with a “husky, a little broken” voice. He wrote “Je veux” for her, the song that would become her breakout single. She continued singing with groups and touring.

In January 2009 she won the third “Le Tremplin Génération” (The Tremplin Generation) competition. The 5,000 euros she won allowed her to record and promote her first album, which she would release 14 months later. In this time she would again continue to tour, including playing at the “Fuji Rock Festival” in Japan. In May of 2010 she released her first album entitled Zaz. The first sing released was “Je veux”, which was chosen as French television channel TF1’s hit of the summer for 2010. The album was very popular in France, reaching number one in sales with more than a million copies sold, and was certified diamond. It also saw success internationally, with more than 845,000 copies sold worldwide.

Her following albums have also seen success, being certified diamond, triple platinum and platinum. Her 2014 album of covers around the theme of the pleasures of living in the French capital, entitled Paris, contained duets with Nikki Yanofsky, Thomas Dutronc and Charles Aznavour.

Her music has appeared in several films. She wrote and sang “Cœur-volant, sur une musique de Howard Shore” for the Martin Scorsese film Hugo Cabret, as he thought the timbre of her voice fit well with 1930s Paris. Her song “Éblouie par la nuit” was used in the movie Dead Man Down. She say two song “Belle” and “L’oiseau”” for the movie Belle et Sébastien.

In 2010 Télérama magazine named her the Best New Artist of the Summer. She was awarded “Best new Song by the Académie Charles-Cros and Song of the Year at the Victoire de la muisique music awards. She also won the European Border Breakers Award, an award given to new artists who have success in countries other than their own. She was part of the Enfoirés from 2001 to 2016 and 2018.

Biographical information from Wikipedia.

Cultural References, Idioms and Explanations

‘Ritz’ – A luxury hotel in the 1st arrondissement in central Paris, overlooking the Place Vendôme.

‘Chanel’ –  A fashion brand founded by French fashion designer Coco Chanel.

‘Neufchâtel’ – Neufchâtel-en-Bray is a region of Normandy, the northwesternmost part of France. It is famous for its cheese of the same name.

‘Tour Eiffel’ – A wrought-iron lattice tower in Paris, France, constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair, and named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. It has become a cultural icon of France, and is the most-visited paid monument in the world.

‘en avoir marre’ – This phrase means ‘to be fed up’ or ‘to have had it with’. The word ‘marre’ has no meaning on its own and only appears in this phrase.

‘se casser’ – The verb ‘casser’ means to break. While ‘se casser’ can also mean ‘to break’ when speaking of an item being broken rather than speaking of a person breaking something, it also has a slang meaning of ‘to leave’ or ‘to be out of here’.

‘langue de bois’ – Translating literally as ‘tongue of wood’, this phrase means ‘doublespeak’.

‘de toute manière’ – Translating literally as ‘of any manner’, this phrase means ‘anyway’ or ‘anyhow’.

‘en vouloir’ – While the verb ‘vouloir’ means ‘to want’, this phrase has the slang meaning of ‘to be annoyed with’ or ‘to be angry with’.

Song Lyrics with Grammatical Breakdown

Mouse over a term for grammatical information. A chart of the terms and grammatical information can be found here.

JejeI|pron|first pers sing veuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres

[Verse 1]
Donnezdonnerto give|verb|sec pers pl or sing form impera–moimoime|pron|dir, indir obj uneunea|indef art|fem sing suitesuitesuite, room; rest, sequel, consequence, result; entourage|noun|fem sing auà + leat the, to the|prep + def art|masc sing RitzRitzRitz|prop noun|masc sing|hotel name, jejeI|pron|first pers sing n’nenot, no|adv|used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas'|shortened to n' before vowelsenento, in|prep veuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres pasne … pasnot|adv|the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech
Desdessome|indef art|masc and fem pl bijouxbijouxjewelry|noun|masc sing dedeof; from|prep chezchezhome, at s.o.'s house; where s.o. lives, in s.o.'s area; with; among|prep ChanelChanelChanel|prop noun|company name, jejeI|pron|first pers sing n’nenot, no|adv|used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas'|shortened to n' before vowelsenento, in|prep veuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres pasne … pasnot|adverb|the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech
Donnezdonnerto give|verb|sec pers pl or sing form impera–moimoime|pron|dir, indir obj uneunea|indef art|fem sing limousinelimousinelimousine|noun|fem sing, j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowelsenento, in|prep feraisfaireto do, to make|verb|first pers sing cond quoiquoiwhat|pron?
Offrezoffrirto give, to offer|verb|sec pers pl or sing formal impera–moimoime|pron|dir and indir obj, first pers sing dude + lefrom, of the|prep + art personnelpersonnelstaff|noun|masc sing, j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowelsenento, in|prep feraisfaireto do, to make|verb|first pers sing cond quoiquoiwhat|pron?
Ununa|indef art|masc sing manoirmanoirmanor, mansion, small chateau|noun|masc sing ààat, to, in|prep NeufchâtelNeufchâtelNeufchâtel|prop noun|noun, masc|region in France, cecethis, that|pron|masc sing n’nenot, no|adv|used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas'|shortened to n' before vowelsestêtreto be|verb|third pers sing pasne … pasnot|adv|the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech pourpourto; for|prep|to' before verbs, 'for' before nouns or prons moimoime|pron|dir and indir obj, first pers sing
Offrezoffrirto give, to offer|verb|sec pers pl or sing formal impera–moimoime|pron|dir and indir obj, first pers sing lalathe|def art|fem sing Tour EiffelTour EiffelEiffel Tower|prop noun|fem sing, j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowelsenento, in|prep feraisfaireto do, to make|verb|first pers sing cond quoiquoiwhat|pron?

[Chorus]
JejeI|pron|first pers sing veuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres d’deof; from|prep|used before vowelsl’le, lathe|def art|masc or fem sing, shortened to l' before vowelsamouramourlove|noun|masc when sing, fem when pl, d’deof; from|prep|used before vowelslalathe|def art|fem sing joiejoiejoy|noun|fem sing, dedeof; from|prep lalathe|def art|fem sing bonnebongood; right, correct|adj|fem sing humeurhumeurmood, spirits, humor|noun|fem sing
Cecethis, that|pron|masc sing n’nenot, no|adv|used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas'|shortened to n' before vowelsestêtreto be|verb|third pers sing pasne … pasnot|adv|the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech votrevotreyour|poss adj|masc and fem sing argentargentmoney; silver|noun|masc sing quiquiwho, which, |that|pron|interr or rel f’rafaire (fera)to make|verb|third pers sing fut monmonmy|poss adj|masc sing bonheurbonheurhappiness, joy, pleasure, delight|noun|masc sing
Moimoime|pron|dir and indir obj, first pers sing j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowels, consonants in colloquial languageveuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres crevercreverburst, puncture; kill; die, kick the bucket; get a flat tire|verb|infin lalathe|def art|fem sing mainmainhand|noun|fem sing sursuron, upon; on top of, above|prep lelethe|def art|masc sing cœurcœurheart|noun, masc
Allonsallerto go|verb|first pers pl impera ensembleensembletogether|adv, découvrirdécouvrirto discover, find out|verb|infin mamamy|poss adj|fem sing libertélibertéfreedom; liberty|noun|fem sing
Oubliezoublierto forget|sec pers pl or formal sing impera doncdonctherefore, so|conj, adv toustousall, all of, every|adj vosvosyour|poss adj|masc and fem pl clichésclichécliché; picture, snapshot|noun|masc pl, bienvenuebienvenuewelcome|interj dansdansin|prep mamamy|poss adj|fem sing réalitéréalitéreality|noun|fem sing

[Verse 2]
J’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowelsenento, in|prep||en avoir marre = to be fed up, have had it with aiavoirto have|verb|first pers sing pres|en avoir marre = to be fed up, have had it with marremarreno meaning alone|adv||en avoir marre = to be fed up, have had it with dedeof; from|prep vosvosyour|poss adj|masc and fem pl bonnesbongood; right, correct|adj|fem pl manièresmanièresmanners, behavior, conduct|noun|fem pl, c’cethis, that, it|pron, adj|shortened to c' before a vowelestêtreto be|verb|third pers sing troptroptoo, too much, too many, excessively|adv pourpourto; for|prep|to' before verbs, 'for' before nouns or prons moimoime|pron|dir and indir obj, first pers sing
Moimoime|pron|dir and indir obj, first pers sing jejeI|pron|first pers sing mangemangerto eat|verb|first pers sing pres avecavecwith|prep leslesthe|def art|masc and fem pl mainsmainhand|noun|fem sing etetand|conj j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowelssuisêtreto be|verb|first pers sing pres commecommelike, as; because, since|conj çaçathis, that, it|pron
J’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowelsparleparlerto speak|verb|third pers sing pres fortfortstrong; loudly|adj etetand|conj jejeI|pron|first pers sing suisêtreto be|verb|first pers sing pres franchefancfrank, open, candid; evident, clear|adj|fem sing, excusezexcuserexcuse, forgive, pardon|verb|sec pers pl or sing formal impera–moimoime|pron|dir, indir obj
Finiefiniover, past; finished, completed|adj|fem sing l’le, lathe|def art|masc or fem sing, shortened to l' before vowelshypocrisiehypocrisiehypocrisy|noun|fem sing moimoime|pron|dir and indir obj, first pers sing j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowelsmemepron|dir obj, indir obj, reflex, first pers sing cassecasserbreak, crack, rip|verb|first pers sing pres|se casser = to break; to leave, be out of here dedeof; from|prep làlàthere; here|adv
J’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowelsenento, in|prep||en avoir marre = to be fed up, have had it with aiavoirto have|verb|first pers sing pres|en avoir marre = to be fed up, have had it with marremarreno meaning alone|adv||en avoir marre = to be fed up, have had it with desdessome|indef art|masc and fem pl langueslanguelanguage; tongue|noun|fem pl|langue de bois = doublespeak dedeof; from|prep boisboiswood; woods|noun|masc sing|langue de bois = doublespeak
Regardezregarderlook at, watch|verb|sec pers pl or formal sing impera–moimoime|pron|dir, indir obj, toutetoutall|adj|fem sing|de toute manière = anyway, anyhow manièremanièresway, manner, fashion, style|noun|fem pl|de toute manière = anyway, anyhow j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowels, and sometimes consonants in colloquial speechvousvousyou|pron|sec pers pl, also used for sec pers sing formal enento, in|prep||en vouloir = be annoyed/angry with veuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres|en vouloir = be annoyed/angry with pasne … pasnot|adv|the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech
Etetand|conj j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowels, and sometimes consonants in colloquial speechsuisêtreto be|verb|first pers sing pres commecommelike, as; because, since|conj çaçathis, that, it|pron
J’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowels, and sometimes consonants in colloquial speechsuisêtreto be|verb|first pers sing pres commecommelike, as; because, since|conj çaçathis, that, it|pron

[Chorus]
JejeI|pron|first pers sing veuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres d’deof; from|prep|used before vowelsl’le, lathe|def art|masc or fem sing, shortened to l' before vowelsamouramourlove|noun|masc when sing, fem when pl, d’deof; from|prep|used before vowelslalathe|def art|fem sing joiejoiejoy|noun|fem sing, dedeof; from|prep lalathe|def art|fem sing bonnebongood; right, correct|adj|fem sing humeurhumeurmood, spirits, humor|noun|fem sing
Cecethis, that|pron|masc sing n’nenot, no|adv|used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas'|shortened to n' before vowelsestêtreto be|verb|third pers sing pasne … pasnot|adv|the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech votrevotreyour|poss adj|masc and fem sing argentargentmoney; silver|noun|masc sing quiquiwho, which, |that|pron|interr or rel f’rafaire (fera)to make|verb|third pers sing fut monmonmy|poss adj|masc sing bonheurbonheurhappiness, joy, pleasure, delight|noun|masc sing
Moimoime|pron|dir and indir obj, first pers sing j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowels, consonants in colloquial languageveuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres crevercreverburst, puncture; kill; die, kick the bucket; get a flat tire|verb|infin lalathe|def art|fem sing mainmainhand|noun|fem sing sursuron, upon; on top of, above|prep lelethe|def art|masc sing cœurcœurheart|noun, masc
Allonsallerto go|verb|first pers pl impera ensembleensembletogether|adv, découvrirdécouvrirto discover, find out|verb|infin mamamy|poss adj|fem sing libertélibertéfreedom; liberty|noun|fem sing
Oubliezoublierto forget|sec pers pl or formal sing impera doncdonctherefore, so|conj, adv toustousall, all of, every|adj vosvosyour|poss adj|masc and fem pl clichésclichécliché; picture, snapshot|noun|masc pl, bienvenuebienvenuewelcome|interj dansdansin|prep mamamy|poss adj|fem sing réalitéréalitéreality|noun|fem sing

[Chorus] x 2
JejeI|pron|first pers sing veuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres d’deof; from|prep|used before vowelsl’le, lathe|def art|masc or fem sing, shortened to l' before vowelsamouramourlove|noun|masc when sing, fem when pl, d’deof; from|prep|used before vowelslalathe|def art|fem sing joiejoiejoy|noun|fem sing, dedeof; from|prep lalathe|def art|fem sing bonnebongood; right, correct|adj|fem sing humeurhumeurmood, spirits, humor|noun|fem sing
Cecethis, that|pron|masc sing n’nenot, no|adv|used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas'|shortened to n' before vowelsestêtreto be|verb|third pers sing pasne … pasnot|adv|the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech votrevotreyour|poss adj|masc and fem sing argentargentmoney; silver|noun|masc sing quiquiwho, which, |that|pron|interr or rel f’rafaire (fera)to make|verb|third pers sing fut monmonmy|poss adj|masc sing bonheurbonheurhappiness, joy, pleasure, delight|noun|masc sing
Moimoime|pron|dir and indir obj, first pers sing j’jeI|pron|first pers sing|shortened to j' before vowels, consonants in colloquial languageveuxvouloirto want|verb|first pers sing pres crevercreverburst, puncture; kill; die, kick the bucket; get a flat tire|verb|infin lalathe|def art|fem sing mainmainhand|noun|fem sing sursuron, upon; on top of, above|prep lelethe|def art|masc sing cœurcœurheart|noun, masc
Allonsallerto go|verb|first pers pl impera ensembleensembletogether|adv, découvrirdécouvrirto discover, find out|verb|infin mamamy|poss adj|fem sing libertélibertéfreedom; liberty|noun|fem sing
Oubliezoublierto forget|sec pers pl or formal sing impera doncdonctherefore, so|conj, adv toustousall, all of, every|adj vosvosyour|poss adj|masc and fem pl clichésclichécliché; picture, snapshot|noun|masc pl, bienvenuebienvenuewelcome|interj dansdansin|prep mamamy|poss adj|fem sing réalitéréalitéreality|noun|fem sing

Lyrics with Translation

Songs in any language often leave room for multiple interpretations. Following is my interpretation of the song lyrics.

Je veux
I want

[Verse 1]
Donnez-moi une suite au Ritz, je n’en veux pas
Give me a suite at the Ritz, I don’t want it
Des bijoux de chez Chanel, je n’en veux pas
Some Chanel jewelry, I don’t want it
Donnez-moi une limousine, j’en ferais quoi?
Give me a limousine, what would I do with it?
Offrez-moi du personnel, j’en ferais quoi?
Offer me some staff, what would I do with them?
Un manoir à Neufchâtel, ce n’est pas pour moi
A mansion in Neufchâtel, that’s not for me
Offrez-moi la Tour Eiffel, j’en ferais quoi?
Offer me the Eiffel Tower, what would I do with it?

[Chorus]
Je veux d’l’amour, d’la joie, de la bonne humeur
I want love, joy, good mood
Ce n’est pas votre argent qui f’ra mon bonheur
It’s not your money that will create my happiness
Moi j’veux crever la main sur le cœur
I want to die with my hand on my heart
Allons ensemble, découvrir ma liberté
Let’s go together, to discover my freedom
Oubliez donc tous vos clichés, bienvenue dans ma réalité
So forget all your clichés, welcome to my reality

[Verse 2]
J’en ai marre de vos bonnes manières, c’est trop pour moi
I’m sick of your good manners, it’s too much for me
Moi je mange avec les mains et j’suis comme ça
I eat with my hands and I’m like that
J’parle fort et je suis franche, excusez-moi
I speak loudly and I am frank, pardon me
Finie l’hypocrisie moi j’me casse de là
The hypocrisy is over, I’m out of here
J’en ai marre des langues de bois
I’m sick of doublespeak
Regardez-moi, toute manière j’vous en veux pas
Look at me, anyway I’m not annoyed with you
Et j’suis comme ça
And I’m like that
J’suis comme ça
I’m like that

[Chorus]
Je veux d’l’amour, d’la joie, de la bonne humeur
I want love, joy, good mood
Ce n’est pas votre argent qui f’ra mon bonheur
It’s not your money that will create my happiness
Moi j’veux crever la main sur le cœur
I want to die with my hand on my heart
Allons ensemble, découvrir ma liberté
Let’s go together, to discover my freedom
Oubliez donc tous vos clichés, bienvenue dans ma réalité
So forget all your clichés, welcome to my reality

[Chorus] x 2
Je veux d’l’amour, d’la joie, de la bonne humeur
I want love, joy, good mood
Ce n’est pas votre argent qui f’ra mon bonheur
It’s not your money that will create my happiness
Moi j’veux crever la main sur le cœur
I want to die with my hand on my heart
Allons ensemble, découvrir ma liberté
Let’s go together, to discover my freedom
Oubliez donc tous vos clichés, bienvenue dans ma réalité
So forget all your clichés, welcome to my reality