Now playing on my French song playlist:

Title: Je pense à toi
Songwriter: Amadou Bagayoko
Performed by Amadou & Mariam

Lyrics I like:

Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie
Je pense à toi, mon amour, ma bien aimée
Ne m’abandonnes pas, mon amour, ma chérie
Certains t’ont promis la Terre
D’autres promettent le Ciel
Y’en a qui t’ont promis la Lune
Et moi je n’ai rien que ma pauvre guitare

Translation:

I’m thinking of you, my love, my beloved
Don’t abandon me, my love, my darling
I’m thinking of you, my love, my beloved
Don’t abandon me, my love, my darling
Some have promised you the Earth
Others promise Heaven
Some have promised you the Moon
And I have nothing but my poor guitar

* music & lyrics | all rights reserved *

🎶

Call me a romantic, but I’ll take the guitar over the Earth, heaven, or moon any day!

Amadou Bagayoko wrote this love song for his wife and musical partner, Mariam Doumbia. They met in 1976 at the Bamako Institute for Young Blind People and married in 1980. As a musical duo, they performed songs in their home country of Mali, neighboring African countries, and around the world. The song, « Je pense à toi » was recorded and featured on their 1998 album, Sou Ni Tilé.

Sadly, Amadou Bagayako passed away in April 2025 at the age 70. After the mourning period, Mariam embarked on a world tour with their son in support of Amadou & Mariam’s last album together, L’Amour à la Folie (Mad Love), which was released in October 2025.

I like to listen to songs en français, so I won’t forget the French I learned in school!

Until next Music Monday, have a good week ahead.

Thanks for reading Bonjour: A Francophile Blog!