Forgotten Movie Songs #1: "Je T'aime Tant" from BEFORE SUNSET

Welcome to the first in what is meant to be a very long series of short posts dedicated to my favorite forgotten songs in movies--that is, the songs that did not become hits or get nominated for Oscars. In my heart, I'm as much of a music fan as I am one of the movies. In fact, one of the things that helped me LOVE movies is that they combined so well with music. The two loves have gone round and round my entire life feeding off of each other probably since I saw Norman Jewison's Fiddler on the Roof on TV in 1973; if not then, certainly since I fell in love with Ken Russell's Tommy in 1975. That movie definitely hooked me. Kubrick and Scorsese, with their combining of film and music, sealed the deal.

This series will cover songs only, and not themes to films. That would be a whole other series. I will limit myself only to 150 songs that did not become hits or that did not get nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar. Some of these are not forgotten songs, but ARE forgotten in the context of the movies in which they first appeared. My lofty goal here is to have completed at least 150 of these posts upon the arrival of 2012. Let's see if I can keep it going. With that, I commit myself to my first choice.

Richard Linklater's sequel to his already profound and more youthfully hopeful Before Sunrise is energetically infused with honesty, wisdom, and complex emotions. Written by Linklater and his two stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, it increasingly seems to be a guidebook for millennial romantic maturity. It, and its predecessor, still are ranked by most cinephiles as two landmark film offerings from the last decade. I won't go into plot details here: if you haven't seen them, do so immediately.

But I'm here to talk about the song "Je T'aime Tant." It's written and performed by Delpy, who plays another song of hers, "Waltz for a Night," for her beloved Jesse onscreen earlier in the film. This song I'm picking, however, appears as the closing credits accompaniment, and as such, it might seem like a throwaway. But it isn't. First off, it's Celine's deepest feelings about Jesse--so deep that they are delivered in a French he cannot understand. And it comes at the apex of a powerful moment--after the final, memorable fade-out. As such, it provides answers maybe some viewers may still to this day be seeking. (Then again, perhaps it raises more questions than it answers, which deepens its impact.)

Maybe one of the reasons that this distinctive Euro-rock tune, punctuated by a tuneful American-tinged banjo, did not get an Oscar nomination (even though Linklater, Hawke and Delpy did, as screenwriters) was because Before Sunset as a whole got lost in the jumble of the awards season (it was an early-year release). Or maybe it's just because that category, and the people voting for it, are out of their minds anyway. But never mind that. The song stands as a heartfelt and worldly achievement, particularly when you see what the lyrics convey.

So, here, as I will do for all the movie songs I profile, I'll be providing the lyrics to readers as well, following the song. Again, these will be the French lyrics, followed by the English lyrics in all caps (the translation was kindly provided to me by someone out there in the internet ether, and I ironed out the kinks in the English). So here is "Je T'aime Tant," music and lyrics by, and performed by Julie Delpy.




Tu me suis tu me souris dans la nuit tu me seduis
YOU FOLLOWED ME AND MADE ME SMILE THE NIGHT YOU SEDUCED ME
Je sais que tu sais que je ne sais plus qui je suis
I KNOW YOU KNOW THAT I NO LONGER KNOW WHO I AM
Je t'aime tant, je t'aime tant pourtant
I LOVE YOU A LOT, I LOVE YOU NEVERTHELESS
Comme le temps qui passe et ment j'attends
LIKE THE TIME THAT PASSES AND LIES, I WAIT

Toujours perdante tu me tourmentes
ALWAYS LOSING, YOU TORMENT ME
Et tes desirs me prirent pour me detruire
AND YOUR DESIRES BROUGHT ME TO MY DESTRUCTION
Je prends un certain plaisr a souffrir
I TAKE A CERTAIN PLEASURE IN SUFFERING
A me punir a me repentir
PUNISH ME AND I REPENT

Toujours soumise tu me meprises tu me rejettes tu me maltraites
ALWAYS YOU TOOK ME, YOU REJECTED ME, YOU MISTREATED ME
Douleur et desir sont synonymes de mon plaisir
PAIN AND DESIRE ARE SYNONYMS OF MY PLEASURE
Je m'abandonne aux hommes sans souci ni tourment
I HAVE ABANDONED MEN WHO DON'T CARE OR ARE MEAN
Je me suis perdue sans retenue pour un jeune homme
I AM LOST WITHOUT THE SEARCH FOR A YOUNG MAN
Un peu hors de la norme
A BIT OUTSIDE THE NORM

Tu me cherches tu me guettes tu me tiens et je me sens bien
YOU LOOK FOR ME, YOU WAIT FOR ME, YOU HOLD ME AND I FEEL GOOD
Tu me prends si lentement je desapprends
YOU TAKE ME SO SLOWLY AND LET GO,
Puis tu me rends mon tourment
THEN RETURN ME TO MY AGONY

Je serai ce qui te plait la lumiere sur ta peau
I WILL BE THE ONE THAT PUTS THE LIGHT ON YOUR SKIN
Celle qui t'attend a la porte
THE ONE THAT WAITS FOR YOU AT THE DOOR
Et celle qui peu importe je serai ce que tu veux
AND THE ONE THAT DOESN'T CARE, I WILL BE WHAT YOU WANT
La sueur sur ton front la brise dans tes cheveux
THE SWEAT ON YOUR FOREHEAD BREAKS IN YOUR HAIR
Ou celle qui te brisera le cou
OR WILL BE THE THING THAT BREAKS YOUR NECK

Je te souris je te nuis je t'aime, je t'aime
I SMILE FOR YOU, I HURT YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU
Je te detruis je te tiens et tu viens
I DESTROY YOU AND I HOLD YOU AND YOU COME
Tout est bien qui finit bien
ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL
Tu sais que je sais que tu ne sais plus qui tu es
YOU KNOW I KNOW THAT YOU NO LONGER KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
Depuis que tu t'adonnes a nos petits jeux hors de la norme
SINCE YOU HAVE DEVOTED YOURSELF TO OUR LITTLE GAME, A BIT OUTSIDE THE NORM

Je te plais tu me plais
I PLEASE YOU, YOU PLEASE ME
Nous sommes les amants du tourment
WE ARE THE LOVERS OF AGONY
La nuit nous tuons l'ennui l'amour toujours nous suit
THE NIGHT KILLS US, THE BOREDOM. THE LOVE ALWAYS FOLLOWS US
L'amour toujours nous fuit, l'amour toujours nous detruit
LOVE ALWAYS ESCAPES US, LOVE ALWAYS DESTROYS US
Comme la pluie et l'oubli comme des cris dans la nuit
LIKE THE RAIN, AND FORGETFULNESS CRIES IN THE NIGHT
Je t'aime tant je t'aime tant pourtant
I LOVE YOU A LOT. I LOVE YOU A LOT, NEVERTHELESS
Je t'aime tant, je t'aime tant
I LOVE YOU A LOT. I LOVE YOU A LOT.
Je t'aime tant pourtant
I LOVE YOU A LOT, NEVERTHELESS
Je t'aime tant, je t'aime tant
I LOVE YOU A LOT. I LOVE YOU A LOT.
Je t'aime tant pourtant
I LOVE YOU A LOT, NEVERTHELESS.