Tout va très bien madame la marquise is a 1935 song, with lyrics and music by Paul Misraki (1908-1998), published by Ray Ventura.
The story of the song
The song tells of a telephone conversation between an elderly aristocrat (la Marquise) and her valet James, who tells her of the disasters that have occurred in her chateau during her two-week absence (from the death of her mare to the suicide of her husband, each of which is a direct consequence of the previous, more serious one).
Paul Misraki by Harcourt in 1948
A proverbial expression
The title of the song has become a proverbial expression for an attitude of blindness in the face of a desperate situation and a clumsy attempt to hide the reality of it.
Indeed, Tout va très bien madame la marquise has become a historical shorthand for the immediate pre-war period (1935-1939) in France, and perhaps most notably the Munich Agreement (September 1938).
Already in the year following its recording (22 May 1935), the phrase was popular with journalists.
The expression "Tout va très bien monsieur Herriot" was used at the time of the strikes in June 1936. Then it was "Tout va très bien Monsieur Mussolini". And finally "Tout va très bien mon Führer" on Radio-Londres.
Tout va très bien Madame la Marquise
Lyrics, music, free download... let's learn more about the popular song:
The lyrics in French
Other versions
The song performed by Sacha Distel:
The instrumental version:
