**“L’ours” paints a vivid picture of a polar bear stranded on a shrinking patch of ice, speaking directly to us with raw frustration and a touch of dark humor. Christophe Maé slips into the bear’s furry skin to describe melting ice caps, suffocating heat and the loneliness of a world that no longer feels like home. His French verses collide with Youssou Ndour’s Wolof refrains, reminding us that what happens at the poles echoes in Africa and everywhere in between. The bear growls, sweats and mourns the “season of love,” warning that one day the only white bears left might be children’s toys.
Beyond its playful groove, the song is a heartfelt plea about climate change. Maé’s gritty metaphors – losing the North, hearing voices from afar, dragging around an unwanted “polaire” coat – highlight how global warming turns natural order upside down. Ndour’s soulful chants widen the horizon: climate is a shared fate crossing oceans and cultures. Together they transform a catchy tune into a call to action, urging listeners to look up from their daily lives and keep our planet from quite literally running out of ice.