Garou says...

Garou takes his time


“A self-titled album which reflects exactly what I am.” Fall 2005, Garou starts working on a new album. He then receives over 150 songs from numerous collaborators of which he must pick and choose. Contrary to Reviens, which was produced with a sense of urgency that brought its share of excitement and pleasure, the singer now decides to slow the pace down. He takes time to think about new concepts, time to build bonds with faithful friends as well as time to learn about new collaborators.

“I always hope to find songwriters, composers that are unknown to me and that will impress me. I choose a song, not collaborators. It might sound strange, because on most of my albums, I’ve worked with big names but only because they are who I know, which makes it more natural.”

“Luc is my trade teacher, my spiritual father.” The great respect that Garou gives to Luc Plamondon assures the songwriter a privileged seat by his side as one of the select few with whom Garou feels it natural to work with. The mentor, whose presence dates back to the Notre-Dame de Paris era, gives him the title of dean amongst Garouesque collaborators, penned the legendary Trahison, on notes composed by another long time collaborator: Aldo Nova, a song which evokes the painful universal feeling provoked by the loss of trust. Jacques Vénéruso, who gave us the catchy Passe ta route, is back in a big way with another toe-tapper entitled Le temps nous aime, the very first song that was chosen for the album, even before Reviens reached the stores’ shelves! In order “to expel the sadness I have of not being able to be with my daughter”, in addition of being one of the rare insights in his personal life, was the inspiration to Vénéruso, a close friend who knows Garou well, to compose Quand je manque de toi, a ballad which brings us to the singer’s secret garden. Jacques Vénéruso also composed the music for Viens me chercher, with lyrics signed by Jean-Jacques Goldman. Fun fact, this marks the first ever collaboration between these two men who have been friends forever.

“When I auditioned for the role of Quasimodo in Notre-Dame de Paris, the first song I learned was Dieu que le monde est injuste. The theme of injustice has since been an idea that particularly interested me.”

Pascal Obispo offers him this chance with L’injustice, a song exposing a number of different occasions either due to bad luck or Murphy’s Law. Both singers knew each other for many years, especially because of the Enfoirés, but they never had the pleasure to collaborate with one another. Anyway, Pascal Obispo is also credited for the song Même par amour, the result of collaboration with Patrice Guirao, as well as Plus fort que moi, from Frederic Doll and David Gategno, two members of Pascal’s team. These two rock songs seem to have been written to be performed on stage.
”There’s no use in changing a winning team, but we can always add to it.” Garou’s album also introduces Tino Izzo, a Quebec composer with whom he wanted to work with for a long time, and he composed the music of Je suis le même with lyrics from Diane Cadieux. Of course, let us not forget to mention the appearance of Sandrine Roy and Sylvain Michel, an efficient French/Quebec duo who wrote Que le temps, a heavy ballad with powerful lyrics.

Without being dubbed as a concept album, Garou’s new opus was born with the background idea of a thought on time. When he takes a moment to stop and look at the hectic life that the XXI century brings, time then offers Garou the chance to go back in time, to think about what he is, what he was and what he has accomplished. This self-examination, done by an authentic and honest man, gives way to the album whose title was inspired simply by what it contains: Garou.

Source: The official web