Paroles, Paroles is a playful yet bittersweet conversation between two famous French icons: singer Dalida and actor Alain Delon. Throughout the song, Delon showers Dalida with velvety compliments, comparing her to swirling violins, star-lit dunes, and the scent of roses. Dalida listens, but instead of melting, she rolls her eyes: “Encore des mots, toujours des mots…” — “Just more words, always the same words.” The music glides along like a romantic waltz, while the lyrics reveal a tug-of-war between smooth-talking charm and a woman who has heard it all before.
Beneath the sugary images of “caramels, bonbons et chocolats,” Dalida exposes how sweet talk can turn hollow when actions never follow. Her refrain “Paroles, paroles” (“Words, words”) becomes a catchy, almost teasing accusation: your promises scatter like seeds in the wind. Delon keeps insisting “Que tu es belle !” (“You are beautiful!”) and Dalida keeps replying that pretty phrases land on her lips but never reach her heart. The duet captures:
By the final echo of “Paroles, paroles,” we feel Dalida’s mix of nostalgia and liberation. She still loves the story, but she is done letting it lull her into complacency. The song remains a witty reminder that love, like good chocolate, must be savored with more than just words.