Géo Koger et Vincent Telly (paroles), Vincent Scotto (musique), Prosper... (Yop La Boum!), fox-trot, partition pour chant seul, Paris, Salabert, E.A.S. 10362bis, 1935.
Géo Koger et Vincent Telly (paroles), Vincent Scotto (musique), Prosper (Yop La Boum), Maurice Chevalier (chant), orchestre M. Jo Bouillon, 1 disque 78 tours, Gramophone, K-7588, 1935.
1942, Anrath prison
This song is based on the hit Prosper… (Yop la boum!) (lyrics by Géo Koger and Vincent Telly, music by Vincent Scotto) made popular by French singer Maurice Chevalier in 1935. This “sung foxtrot” was a “major success of ‘Parade du monde’, the Casino de Paris’ Revue presented by Henri Varna”, as indicated in the sheet music published by Salabert that same year. In it, Prosper, a Parisian pimp with the face of a “real tough guy” and no scruples, is portrayed in a somewhat deferential and lighthearted manner that is perfectly brought to life by Chevalier’s performance (with his drawling spoken voice on the onomatopoeic “Yop la Boum!”). The choice of this source song is all the more interesting because Maurice Chevalier’s stance during the Occupation was complex; after the Liberation, his reputation was tarnished by his political flip-flops during the war, and especially by a high-profile tour in Germany in 1942.
The transformed version by Oddon and her companions is based on an earlier adaptation of the song: Hitler, Yop la boum, a simple refrain written by French writer and illustrator Maurice Van Moppès who had gone to join Charles de Gaulle in London at the start of the war, as well as appearing on the BBC show Les Français parlent aux Français. Van Moppès capitalized on the phonetic similarity between “Prosper” and “Hitler” to create a highly satirical musical excerpt about the Nazi dictator. The refrain (only four lines) was broadcast on BBC airwaves on December 17, 1941, and the sheet music was included in the little booklet of songs of the BBC – Chansons de la BBC – parachuted into France by the Royal Air Force around 1943, then officially published in 1944: “Hitler, and Yop la boum/ It’s the beginning of your end / Hitler, and Yop la boum / You’ll end up on your as-phalt!”. The women Resistance fighters with Yvonne Oddon must have become aware of this altered refrain before being detained.
The refrain in Oddon’s transcribed version uses Van Moppès’ efficient phrase almost identically: “Hitler, Yop la boum”. The original song remains quite present in their version (much more developed than the one by Van Moppès), which borrows both its structure and its central theme. Hitler is portrayed as the pimp of a pillaged Europe and a population “held hostage” with help from collaborators described as “bastards” and “traitors.” The song’s conclusion also foretells the Führer’s defeat: “we’re waiting [...] for them to deal with you / Yop la boum / Hitler,” sang the prisoners.
Oddon’s typewritten copy specifies that the song was written in 1942, at Anrath Prison. In this context, the ellipsis points in brackets added in the margin of the passage that mentions the moment “that is surely not far off” of Nazi defeat and the purge (“épuration”) of collaborators was likely a reference (added later with self-deprecating irony) to the fact that the Allied victory was, on the contrary, a long time coming for the women of the Resistance.
[Sources: references 36, 61, 64, 78, 123, 124 in the bibliography]
Prosper (Yop la boum!)
(1935)
Quand on voit passer l’grand Prosper sur la plac’ Pigalle,
When we see the great Prosper in Pigalle Square,
Avec son beau p’tit chapeau vert et sa martingale
With his nice little hat and his martingale belt
D’vant son air malabar
With his tough-guy look
Et sa démarche en canard
And his waddling gait
Pas b’soin d’êtr’ bachelier
It doesn’t take a genius
Pour deviner son métier.
To guess his trade.
Refrain
Prosper Yop la boum! C’est le chéri de ces dames
Prosper Yop la boum! He’s the favourite of the ladies
Prosper Yop la boum c’est le roi du macadam’…e
Prosper Yop la boum, he’s the king of the asphalt
Comme il a toujours la flemm’
Since he’s always too lazy
Il n’fait jamais rien lui-mêm’
To do anything himself
Il a son harem
He has his harem
Qui de Clichy à Barbès
From Clichy to Barbès
Le jour et la nuit sans cess’
Non-stop day and night
Fait son p’tit biz’ness
Doing their little business
Et l’soir tous les soirs
And every single night
Dans un coin d’ombre propice
In a handy dark corner,
Faut l’voir faut bien l’voir
You’ve really got to see him
Encaisser les bénéfices
Raking in the profits
Il ramasse les billets
He collects the cash
Et leur laisse la monnaie
And leaves them the coin
Ah! quel sacrifice
Oh! What a sacrifice
En somm’ c’est leur manager
In fact, he’s their manager
Yop la boum! Prosper.
Yop la boum! Prosper.
2
Avec sa bell’ gueul’ d’affranchi là-haut sur la butte,
With his tough-guy face high up on the hill,
Toutes les poul’s sont foll’s de lui et se le disputent.
All the chicks are crazy about him and fight over him.
Y en a qui s’flanquent des gnons,
Some knock each other around,
Et qui se crêp’nt le chignon,
And get into a cat fight,
Pendant c’temps, voyez-vous
And all the while, you see,
Tranquill’ment il compt’ les coups.
He’s calmly counting the blows.
Refrain
Prosper Yop la boum! C’est le chéri de ses dames,
Prosper Yop la boum! He’s the favourite of the ladies,
Prosper Yop la boum c’est le roi du macadam’…e
Prosper Yop la boum he’s the king of the asphalt
Quand un’ femm’ se fait poisser
When a woman gets nabbed
Par les roussins du quartier,
By the local coppers
Pour s’ravitailler,
To top up his supply
Il s’en va immédiatement
He heads right away
Faire son réassortiment
To restock
Dans l’arrondissement.
In the neighbourhood.
Des fois, oui des fois,
Sometimes, yes sometimes,
Quand ell’s n’sont pas à la page,
When they’re not up to snuff,
Voulant fermement
Determined
Faire leur apprentissage,
To train them
Il les envoie en saison
He sends them on retreat
Dans un’ vill’ de garnison faire un petit stage.
To a garrison town for some on-the-job experience.
C’est un garçon qu’a du flair! Yop la boum! Prosper.
That’s a guy with a real flair for it! Yop la boum! Prosper.
Hitler
(ms p. 8)
Quand on voyait Adolf Hitler et sa g[u]eul’ de vache
When we see Adolf Hitler and his pig-face
Avec sa mèch’ de travers et sa p’tite moustache
With his crooked comb-over and little mustache
Sa voix d’fou, l’air idiot
That crazy voice and idiotic attitude
Qu’il prenait à la radio
He used on the radio
Fallait pas êtr’ fakir
No need to be psychic
Pour deviner ses désirs :
To guess what he wants:
[Refrain]
Hitler, Yop la boum, quand tes soldats sur les routes
Hitler, Yop la boum, when your soldiers on the road
Tiraient, Yop la boum sur nos civils en déroute.
Fire, Yop la boum on our fleeing civilians.
Quand, après ceux des voisins
When, after the neighbours’ houses
Ils pillaient nos magasins
They pillage our stores
Pour s’fair’ du butin,
To score some loot
Nous disant : « ce qui vous suce
Telling us: “the thing sucking you dry
Ça doit être le blocus
Must be the blockade
Ou bien c’est les Russes »,
Or maybe the Russians,”
Il fallait les voir
You had to see them
Payer en monnaie de singe
Paying with funny money
Du matin au soir
From morning to night
La boustifaille et le linge :
Food and clothing
Car c’est la loi du « milieu »
That’s the law of the “ghetto”
Les gars qu’ont plus rien chez eux
The folks who have nothing left at home
S’cassent pas les méninges
Don’t rack their brains
Comme toi, roi des gangsters
Just like you, king of the gangsters
Yop la boum, Hitler!
Yop la boum, Hitler!
[2]
Quand on voyait Adolf Hitler agitant ses armes
When we see Adolf Hitler brandishing his weapons
Peupler d’uniformes verts l’Europe en alarmes,
Filling a Europe on high alert with green uniforms
Séquestrer en prison
Confining to prison
Femmes, vieillards, nourrissons,
Women, the elderly, babies
Fallait être un bandit
You’ve got to be a villain
Pour s’allier avec lui :
To side with him:
[Refrain]
Hitler, Yop la boum, pour entrer chez nous en maître
Hitler, Yop la boum, to enter our home like you own it
Fallut pour t’aider tous les salauds et les traîtres,
You needed all those bastards and traitors
Quand tu voulus à tout prix
When you wanted at any cost
Que notre pauvre Paris
That our poor Paris
Devienne Nazi
Become Nazi
Nous vîmes avec horreur
We watched in horror
Tous les collaborateurs
All the collaborators
Se couvrir d’honneurs
Being showered with honours
Oui mais, un beau soir
Yes, but one fine evening
Qui n’est plus très loin sans doute (…..)
That is surely not far off (….)
On pourra les voir
We’ll see them
Tous ces gens qui nous dégo[û]tent
All those who disgust us
À notre place dans les prisons
Taking our place in prison
Où maint’nant nous attendons qu’avec la déroute
Where now we’re waiting for [your] defeat,
On te fasse ton affaire, Yop la boum, Hitler!
For them to deal with you, Yop la boum, Hitler!
