The Fifty // Sixty lyrics, translation, theme, explanation, and interpretation thread

[heyamigo]

it's pretty confusing because central theme of the song somewhat vague. i guess edie can still be part of the song but i see it more on nico's side, but the song isn't really clear about what it's trying to say other than saying andy warhol is full of it. the part that got me stuck since the beginning is the first line because who's the 16 year old they're referring to? edie wasn't relevant at age 16, maybe nico was? so was alizee.

i thought it was odd at first that an american with no real french ties (edie) would be what the song is about, but if it is nico, there's definite french ties so that makes more sense. nico lived in paris and modeled there during the 50's. on wiki it says nico recorded a track produced by serge gainsbourg and says she claims to have worked under coco chanel. i see more reasons for french musicians to refer to nico than edie in a song. also nico (nico papatakis) and lou reed are both names of nico's ex-boyfriends.

ultimately i don't think the female(s) in the songs are what needs to be concentrated on. whether its nico or edie, i don't think that's the point, but the point is more about a conniving andy warhol who fails to deliver on his promises of fame and glory and discards them after their "15 minutes of fame" were up. maybe this song is just a straight up comparison of andy to mylene, and not their respective relationships with their starlet(s).

[RMJ]

Nico was around 16 when she became known. I say around, because there's two dates for her birth... Other references says 1938, whilst others claims 1943. Even the country of origin is not agreed.

But if it was 43, it would make her 16 at 1959. She become know in fashion world 1958 or so. Give or take a year.

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Worksh...3/nicbiog.html

At the age of 15 she became a model, moving to Paris to work for Coco Chanel.

Says 15 but I would say it's rock solid information... So it's still around 16. And technically, it says she became model at 15. Did she start work for Chanel at age of 16 ?

Yes... I'm very sure it's about Nico. The more and more I think about it, it becomes more obvious explanation.

Tho, I do not rule out Edith. Beside, the song may not be just about one person. And I don't think it is anyways. It's more about group of people who lived the change of world at 50s and 60s. Telling just one little story from that time. What did happen to one small group. How they affected the world around them.

[fsquared]

Originally Posted by RMJ

Nico was around 16 when she became known. I say around, because there's two dates for her birth... Other references says 1938, whilst others claims 1943. Even the country of origin is not agreed.

But if it was 43, it would make her 16 at 1959. She become know in fashion world 1958 or so. Give or take a year.

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Worksh...3/nicbiog.html


Says 15 but I would say it's rock solid information... So it's still around 16. And technically, it says she became model at 15. Did she start work for Chanel at age of 16 ?

Yes... I'm very sure it's about Nico. The more and more I think about it, it becomes more obvious explanation.

Tho, I do not rule out Edith. Beside, the song may not be just about one person. And I don't think it is anyways. It's more about group of people who lived the change of world at 50s and 60s. Telling just one little story from that time. What did happen to one small group. How they affected the world around them.

Nooooow it's finally starting to make sense....as someone on mf-international pointed out, Nico had a song called Sixty/Forty. The lyrics are here.

http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/LYRICS/tok04six.html

[theit77]

Originally Posted by fsquared

Nooooow it's finally starting to make sense....as someone on mf-international pointed out, Nico had a big hit with a song called Sixty/Forty. The lyrics are here.

http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/LYRICS/tok04six.html

so what's the significance of that song? any connection?

[Edcognito]

Originally Posted by Cooney

Well, in generally I read // as meaning "does not equal," but I'm not French. Most places I've seen write the title as Fifty-Sixty,

((SNIPPAGE))


Also, Mylène isn't just a producer, she's a singer, and she has a career and legions of fans to attend to. I'm personally very thankful to Mylène for all she did for Alizée, and will remain so unless I hear something straight from Alizée's mouth that says otherwise.

I agree - I've been exposed to various Myléne songs, but i'm not a "FAN". I like her work, and many other french/Quebecois singers. So unless Alizée says something about her relationship with Myléne and LB, then i'm going to have to believe that this is just another example of fan hysteria!




Ed

[Cooney]

Originally Posted by fsquared

Nooooow it's finally starting to make sense....as someone on mf-international pointed out, Nico had a song called Sixty/Forty. The lyrics are here.

http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/LYRICS/tok04six.html

Now how did we miss that...

/slaps self in face

[Leo Sonidus]

Yet another translation......

Pretty Sixteen,
Belle heroïne des sixties,
Tu te dandines,
T'es divine,
Quand tu danses,
Dans les yeux d'Andy

Adieu bee bop, Plus au top,
C'est le pop-art
Qui te sape
A la trappe,
Pop-corn et oola oop...

Rêve de gloire et de fortune,
Chic en Chanel, l'amour est toujours glamour
Aux expos tu poses et t'exposes,
A 4oo ASA tu oses toutes les poses...

Fifty sixty
Né en cinquante,
Sexy soixante,
Si excitante,
C'est extasie
Candide elle croit, tout ce qu’Andy
Qu'Andy dit d'elle ,
Qu’elle est la plus belle
De toutes les modeles
__________________________________

Pretty sixteen,
Beautiful heroine of the sixties,
You shake your body
you feel divine,
when you dance
For the eyes of Andy...

Goodbye bebop,
On the top,
It's pop-art,
That runs you down,
Into the trap,
Pop-corn and hula hoop...

Dream of fame and fortune,
Chic in Chanel, loving always the glamour,
At expos you pose and expose,
With 400ASA you try every pose.


Fifty sixty,
Born in the fifties,
Sexy sixty,
So excited,
It's ecstasy,
Foolishly she believes, all that Andy,
That Andy tells to her,
That she's the most beautiful
Of all the models

[Fusoya]

Thanks for the translation

[espire]

Okay, you'll notice that I've completed the lyrics and translation. I must admit that RMJ beat me to it, but I will one-up him with my native knowledge of English. Mwaha.

[Leo Sonidus]

Originally Posted by espire

Okay, you'll notice that I've completed the lyrics and translation. I must admit that RMJ beat me to it, but I will one-up him with my native knowledge of English. Mwaha.

Heheheheh.... LOL