There are many rumors about who The Beatles' love ballad Michelle is dedicated to, and even Paul McCartney's explanation couldn't dispel them all.
• Some say it's about a little French girl the Beatles saw in Liverpool.
• Others claim that Michelle was the name of a Beatles fan who died in a stampede at their concert.
• Naturally, many fans are sure that this was the name of the secret lover of one of the band members. However, we have no reason to distrust McCartney, who spoke in sufficient detail about how Michelle was written. Therefore, we will stick to this version.
The creation story and meaning of the song Michelle – The Beatles But all speculation was dispelled by Sir Paul himself in an interview with the Observer Music Monthly in 2007. He stated that the song appeared under the impression of attending parties at Liverpool Art College, where John Lennon studied French. In the late fifties, Paul McCartney was fascinated by French culture and often attended parties at Austin Mitchell, Lennon's teacher at Liverpool Art College. There he once heard a very colorful guy singing something funny in French. There were a lot of girls at these parties, and Paul McCartney, not knowing French, but in order to impress them, came up with a song where instead of words there was a verbal abra-cadabra, which, as it seemed to him, was similar to French words. It is not known whether this song with an imitation of the French language made an impression on the girls, but it certainly amused Paul McCartney's friends a lot. It was back in 1959.
He entertained his friends with it for several years, until in 1965, when recording the album "Rubber Soul" in 1965, John Lennon recalls this melody written by Paul McCartney and suggests refining it and making a full-fledged song out of it, since 12-14 songs were required for the record, plus the album should be accompanied by the release of singles. They decided to recall their hobbies in the French language in the past, and the name of the song "Michelle" was made in the French manner. They also decided to add a few phrases in this language to the lyrics of the song, which they asked the wife of their friend, French teacher Ivan Vaughan, to say. She also wrote the most famous lyrics of the song "Michelle, ma belle" ("Michelle, my beauty") . McCartney later admitted that he tried to pronounce this name imitating Charles Aznavour.
The song was played by Paul as a ballad, and John Lennon brought a bluesy touch to it. So any speculation about Michelle's subtext is probably unfounded. The name Michelle was chosen solely because of its euphony. Lennon suggested adding the words “I love you, I love you, I love you". He borrowed them from Nina Simone's song I Put a Spell on You. The phrase in French is a translation of the line "These are words that go together well" ("These words go so well together"). In 1967, Michelle received a Grammy in the nomination "Song of the Year".
• Who is the Beatles' Michelle song about?
Contrary to popular belief, the heroine of the song did not have a prototype in real life. This is a figment of the authors' imagination. The name Michelle was suggested by the wife of a French teacher who helped the band members work on the lyrics.
Interesting facts
• McCartney still keeps the Zenith guitar on which he composed the melody of Michelle.
• Paul once said that the melody of Michelle is written in the style of Chet Atkins.
• The American singer Michelle Branch was named after the song Michelle.
Текст песни Michelle – The Beatles
Michelle, ma belle
These are words that go together well
My Michelle
Michelle, ma belle
Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble
Tres bien ensemble
I love you, I love you, I love you
That’s all I want to say
Until I find a way
I will say the only words I know that you’ll understand
Michelle, ma belle
Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble
Tres bien ensemble
I need to, I need to, I need to
I need to make you see
Oh, what you mean to me
Until I do, I’m hoping you will know what I mean
I love you…
I want you, I want you, I want you
I think you know by now
I’ll get to you somehow
Until I do, I’m telling you so you’ll understand
Michelle, ma belle
Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble
Tres bien ensemble
And I will say the only words I know that you’ll understand
My Michelle
Перевод песни Michelle – The Beatles
Мишель, ma belle
Эти слова так хорошо сочетаются
Моя Мишель
Мишель, ma belle
Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble
Tres bien ensemble
Я люблю тебя, я люблю тебя, я люблю тебя
Это все, что я хочу сказать
Пока не найду другие слова,
Я буду твердить те единственные, что, я знаю, ты поймешь
Мишель, ma belle
Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble
Tres bien ensemble
Мне нужно, мне нужно, мне нужно,
Мне нужно дать тебе понять,
О, что ты значишь для меня
Пока мне это не удастся, надеюсь, ты поймешь, что я хочу сказать
Я люблю тебя…
Я хочу тебя, я хочу тебя, я хочу тебя
Я думаю, ты уже это знаешь
Ты все равно будешь моей,
А до того я буду говорить с тобой так, чтобы ты понимала
Мишель, ma belle
Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble
Tres bien ensemble
Я буду говорить единственные слова, что, я знаю, ты поймешь,
Моя Мишель