Dutronc feels “pained” – literaally “spiked” (pique) – to know that all around him there are negative intentions and soulless consumerism: “ Moi je me pique de le savoir.” He expressed the negative results of the economic boom, referring to the masses’ hearts and their wallets in direct succession: “ Dans leurs coeurs il y a des cactus, Dans leurs porte-feuilles, il y a des cactus.” The lyrics then read, “Dans leur bonjou il y a des cactus.” There are cacti in people’s hellos, which metaphorically means that people greet each other in a passive-aggressive way. Dutronc creates an apt metaphor for the aggression and greed he experiences in changing, capitalist France. This does not literally mean that everything looks like a cactus, of course. The lyrics mention that cacti are pretty much everywhere: “Le monde entire est un cactus” (The entire world is a cactus). This interplay is particularly felt by the regular refrain of, “ Aïe aïe aïe, ouille, aïe aïe aïe.” Both “ aïe” and “ ouille” are typical French onomatopoeic terms for “pain,” suggesting the sensation of being hurt by cactus spikes. When hearing “Les Cactus” for the first time, listeners will immediately feel a contrast between the insistently shouted lyrics and the music’s head-bopping and playful garage rock. The messages in Dutronc’s songs often made insightful remarks about (and for) 1960s youth, although his career never really took off outside of French-speaking countries, except for a cult following in the UK. French music from the 1960s and 70s often borrowed from American and British styles, and some of it may remind listeners of The Kinks, because of its playful tone and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. “Les Cactus” was a very popular rock/psychedelic song released by Jacques Dutronc in 1966.
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