Papaoutai is the arguably the most popular song by Stromae ever. While the overall vibe and tone might seem somewhat merry the song is actually based on a tragedy – the loss of the Stormae’s father.
His father Pierre Rutare died during the Rwandan genocide which happened from 7th April – 19th July in 1994 as part of the Rwandan civil war.
The song is about Stromae yearning for his father who is not there but in a way it also sheds light on the crisis which happened against the Tutsi community.
His father was actually in the Belgian army. He grew up with his mum because his father wasn’t there most of the time. Later, his father died during the genocide and he never got to see him after that. The song’s lyrics suggest that his mother couldn’t bear to tell him the truth so she said that he was working most of the time.
The music video depicts his feelings where he sees other kids enjoying their father’s company. He feels angry and resentful that his father is not with him.
Stromae definitely felt very strongly about not having his father around for most of his childhood and teen years growing up and nearly 20 years later he decided to express these feelings through this song.
Overall, the song is quite tragic, even though it is one of my favorite songs to listen to. Let me know your opinions in the comments. Have fun, take care and bye.
