Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: goth
Song Meaning of “Le Manège Déchanté” by Kells
Le Manège Déchanté is an intimate lament that speaks to the bittersweet feeling of longing for love, despite its disappointments. Throughout the song, the narrator reflects on his past relationships and muses on wanting it all, yet realizing the impossibility of it and the inevitable sobering of his emotions. With a gentle but melancholic chorus that echoes the feeling of infinite yet unfulfilled desire, the song captures the emotional turmoil of parting ways and finding a way out of the amusement park of love.
The carnival atmosphere of the song’s lyrics lends itself to a cycle of endless searching and pursuit, without ever finding satisfaction. With lines like “the way you used to care for me has long been torn apart” and “every night I look for you, yet it’s hard to find,” the narrator’s desperate longing for a lasting connection is clearly present. Despite being aware of the futility of his endeavors, the narrator is also taken by the heartbreaking beauty and power of love, an ambivalence expressed through lines like “the magic of the night is hiding in me, I can’t escape it…you and I, we’ll never find our destiny.” In the face of such an unattainable dream, the narrator takes solace in the memories of his beloved, and the song reaches its climax with the realization that no matter how fleeting, some beauty is worth clinging to:
“Though nothing’s left of all these days, I won’t forget about the way
you used to show me love and grace, and I will keep that in my soul.”