"Tu manques" is a 1990 song recorded by Carole Fredericks, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Michael Jones. It was the sixth and last single from the album Fredericks Goldman Jones on which it appears as the last track and was released in May 1992. Although the three singers are credited on the single cover, only Goldman performed it. It was a top 15 hit in France.
Music and lyrics According to Goldman, "Tu manques" is a very "intimate song". Composed of three chords, the song was written very quickly during a night.Interview by Philippe Robin, audio cassette, set box Fredericks Goldman Jones, November 1990 It deals with the absence of a loved person and the painful consequences that this situation generates. The song is autobiographical"Jean-Jacques Goldman fait le point", interview by Marc Thirion, Podium, 1991 and refers to Goldman's father who died at the time."Géraldine rencontre Jean-Jacques Goldman", Radio Maguelonne / NRJ Méditerranée, 26 April 1998 In an interview by Nagui on RTL, the singer said that "Tu manques" would never be released as a single and never performed on stage (finally, the song came out, but it was actually never sung live).
According to an analysis, the "rhythm is slow", the "sentences are widely spaced", "there is a wide interval between two verses". "The singer's voice is special : it has a very low voice that shakes a lot, a mixture of sadness and emotion, which reinforces this tragical aspect". The various noises that can be heard in the musical introduction would represent the vacuum and the uncertainty as a result of the absence of the loved person. In a 2004 book entitled Chansons pour les yeux (a reference to Goldman's album Chansons pour les pieds), Cosey, a comic book author, gives his own interpretation of the song.
The album is also available on Goldman's compilation album Pluriel 90/96.
Chart performance and cover versions On 16 May 1992, the single went to number 28 on the French SNEP Singles Chart and reached a peak of number 12 two weeks later. Thereafter, it dropped and totaled nine weeks in the top 50.
In 1999, Florent Pagny covered the song on his cover album RéCréation.
Track listings CD single
CD maxi
Digital download (since 2005)
Credits Bass: Pino Palladino Drum kit : Claude Salmieri Guitars: Basile Leroux and Patrice Tison Keyboards : Erick Benzi Piano and vocals : Goldman
Charts Chart (1992)PeakpositionFrench SNEP Singles Chart12
References