Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (1933-1987), professionally known as Dalida, was a French singer and actress, born in Egypt to Italian parents. She won the Miss Egypt beauty contest in 1954 and began a 31-year singing career in 1956, selling 170 million albums and singles worldwide. She died by suicide in 1987.

In the late 1972, Dalida recorded duet “Paroles… paroles…” with her longtime friend Alain Delon who she picked on her own. Lyrics tell a story of a man offering a woman “caramels, bonbons et chocolat” and repeats “que tu es belle” (how beautiful are you), to what she answers with “paroles, paroles” (words, words) indicating that his words are nothing but hollow. The single released on 17 January with B side “Pour ne pas vivre seul”, topped charts in France, Japan, Mexico and Portugal, and had a fair performance in several other countries. Receiving a triple gold certification, it also spawned a dozen of international covers, inspiring foreign singers to record it in their native languages. In the future decades, “Paroles paroles” went on to become one of the most famous songs in France of all time and a signature track of Dalida. Like that, the expression “paroles, paroles” entered everyday language and, as Pessis mentioned: “is often used to evoke those who make promises and never hold them”.

– C’est étrange, je ne sais pas ce qui m’arrive ce soir
Je te regarde comme pour la première fois
– Encore des mots, toujours des mots, les mêmes mots…
– Je ne sais plus comment te dire…
– Rien que des mots…
– … mais tu es cette belle histoire d’amour que je ne cesserai jamais de lire
– Des mots faciles, des mots fragiles, c’était trop beau
– Tu es d’hier et de demain…
– Bien trop beau
– … de toujours, ma seule vérité
– Mais c’est fini le temps des rêves, les souvenirs se fanent aussi quand on les oublie

– It’s strange, I don’t know what’s happening to me tonight
I look at you like as for the first time
– Words again, always words, just words, those same words
– I don’t know how to tell it to you…
– Nothing but words…
– …But you are this beautiful love story that I will never stop reading
– Easy words, fragile words, it was too beautiful
– You are, yesterday and tomorrow,
– Too much beautiful
– You have always been my only truth
– But time for dreams is over, and also memories wither as we forget them

– Tu es comme le vent qui fait chanter les violons et emporte au loin le parfum des roses
– Caramels, bonbons et chocolats…
– Par moments, je ne te comprends pas
– Merci, pas pour moi, mais tu peux bien les offrir à une autre, qui aime le vent et le parfum des roses
Moi, les mots tendres, enrobés de douceur se posent sur ma bouche, mais jamais sur mon cœur

– You are like the wind that makes violins sing and spread the fragrance of roses
– Caramel, candy and chocolates…
– Sometimes I can’t understand you
– Thank you, but that’s not for me, but you can offer them to some other woman, though; the one who likes the wind and the fragrance of roses
For me, those tender words, covered in sweetness, they touch my mouth, but never my heart

– Une parole encore
– Paroles, paroles, paroles…
– Écoute-moi
– Paroles, paroles, paroles…
– Je t’en prie
– Paroles, paroles, paroles…
– Je te jure
– Paroles, paroles, paroles, paroles, paroles, encore des paroles que tu sèmes au vent

– Just one more word
– Words, words, words
– Listen to me
– Words, words, words
– Please
– Words, words, words
– I swear
– Words, words, words, words, words
and still more words that you sow into the wind

– Voilà mon destin : te parler…te parler comme la première fois
– Encore des mots, toujours des mots, les mêmes mots…
– Comme j’aimerais que tu me comprennes…
– Rien que des mots…
– … que tu m’écoutes au moins une fois
– Des mots magiques, des mots tactiques, qui sonnent faux
– Tu es mon rêve défendu…
– Oui, tellement faux
– … mon seul tourment et mon unique espérance

– That’s my destiny: talk to you…talk to you like the first time
– Words again, always words, those same words
– If you just could understand me…
– Nothing but words
– …(if you could just) listen to me at least on more time
– Magic words,Tactic words that sound false
– You are my forbidden dream…
– Oh, yes: so false.
– …My only torment and my only hope

– Rien ne t’arrête quand tu commences. Si tu savais comme j’ai envie d’un peu de silence…
– Tu es pour moi la seule musique qui fait danser les étoiles sur les dunes
– Caramels, bonbons et chocolats…
– Si tu n’existais pas déjà, je t’inventerais
– Merci, pas pour moi, mais tu peux bien les ouvrir à une autre, qui aime les étoiles sur les dunes
Moi, les mots tendres, enrobés de douceur se posent sur ma bouche, mais jamais sur mon cœur

– There’s no stopping you when you start
I wish you knew how much I need, a little silence
– You are for me the only music that makes stars dance above the dunes
– Caramel, candy and chocolates.
– If you didn’t exist I would invent you
Thank you; but that’s not for me
– You can offer them to some other woman, though; the one who likes stars over the dunes
– For me, those tender words, covered in sweetness, they touch my mouth, but never my heart

– Encore un mot, juste une parole…
– Paroles, paroles, paroles…
– Écoute-moi
– Paroles, paroles, paroles…
– Je t’en prie
– Paroles, paroles, paroles…
– Je te jure
– Paroles, paroles, paroles, paroles, paroles,
encore des paroles que tu sèmes au vent
– Que tu es belle ! – Paroles, paroles, paroles… x 4
– Paroles, paroles,
encore des paroles que tu sèmes au vent…
– Que tu es belle! Je le pensais; on s’est beaucoup aimé…

– One more word! Just a word!
– Words, words, words
– Listen to me
– Words, words, words
– Please
– Words, words, words
– I swear that
– Words, words, words, words, words
And still more words that you sow in the wind
– You are so beautiful – Words, words, words x 4
– Words, words,
And still more words, that you sow in the wind…
– You are so beautiful! I meant it; we loved each other very much…