But I would give him anything he asked/
If my first love could be my last.
Kiki Dee’s Amoureuse is a beautiful love song—translated from the French song of the same name—written and performed by Veronique Sanson. Sanson’s version may be superior, but Dee’s translated lyrics really hit home for those of us who are not French speakers.
Kiki Dee is most well-known for being the co-singer on one of Elton John’s worst songs, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. It was a huge hit, so someone liked it. Amoureuse is Dee’s best song. In English-speaking countries Sanson is probably most well known for being married to Stephan Stills. Her work is quite good and connects even if you don’t typically listen to foreign music.
Amoureuse (translation: “lover“) tells the story of a woman who is looking back on her first love with regret. The relationship is long over, but she yearns for things to have turned out differently. She remembers lying in her lover’s bed and thinking “this is everything I ever dreamed it could be”; yet the relationship ended. She would do anything to change that, but it isn’t in the cards.
Why did the relationship end? We don’t get the full story, though we get the feeling the narrator took the relationship for granted. She thought, “If my first love is this great, imagine how great the next one will be.” But what if that greater love never comes? You are left with regret, heartache, loneliness and nights spent reminiscing.
The production and overall sound of Dee’s Amoureuse is very Carpenters-esque. Karen Carpenter was a superstar at the time this was released, so I can imagine all the record execs trying to find and create “the Next Karen Carpenter”. This is about as close as it comes-a pure voice that sings about heartbreak in a slightly too-cheery tune…with an overproduced soundtrack (except for the fact that she’s not a drummer…just go with it). Sanson’s version seems to capture the regretful tone more faithfully.
Amoureuse Lyrics
Strands of light upon a bedroom floor,
Change the night through an open door,
I’m awake but this not my home,
For the first time I’m not alone.
Reaching out, I touch another skin.
Breathing out as he is breathing in.
Deep inside I feel my soul aflame,
Can my life ever be the same?
I should have told him,
I’d do anything if I could hold him
For just another day, for just another day.
His love is something I will not forget.
When I am far away, when I am far away,
I feel the rainfall of another planet,
Another planet.
Close together in the afterglow,
I remember how his loving flow.
Turned the key into another world,
Made a woman of a simple girl.
Daylight comes as we both know it must.
Soon my fantasies will turn to dust.
But I would give him anything he asked,
If my first love could be my last.
I should have told him,
I’d do anything if I could hold him
For just another day, for just another day.
His love is something I will not regret.
When I am far away, when I am far away.
I feel the rainfall of another planet.
When I am far away, when I am far away,
I feel the rainfall of another planet, another planet.
written by Veronique Sanson