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José Deprice - Je N'aurai Pas Le Temps (Funk, Michel Fugain Cover)

4,175 views · Published 9 May 2011 · 3:12 · Indexed 12 October 2026

Channel: CoverVerse · 2011 · Music

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From '' Je N'aurai Pas Le Temps ''
Label: Barclay – 881 165-1
Format: Vinyl, 12", Maxi-Single
Country: France
Released: 1984

Tracklist
A Je N'aurai Pas Le Temps
B Je Voudrais Te Revoir

Notes
Editions Amplitude


🎵 [SONG INFO]

"Je n'aurai pas le temps" is a French song written by Pierre Delanoë, composed and performed by Michel Fugain in 1967.

Origins and History

This was Michel Fugain's first hit.
At the time, he was encouraged and influenced by his friend Michel Sardou to start performing his own material.
The song was released as a single two years after Fugain signed with the Barclay record label, where he had already been writing songs for various French stars including Dalida, Marie Laforêt, Hervé Vilard, and Hugues Aufray.

The melody was composed in a single evening, and Pierre Delanoë wrote the lyrics from his secondary home in Deauville.
When Fugain first read the lyrics, he initially felt that at 25 years old, he wasn't "on the same wavelength" as the song's themes of running out of time. However, influenced by those around him, he ultimately decided to record it.

Influence and Legacy

In 2008, the Canadian astrophysicist and science communicator Hubert Reeves wrote an autobiography titled Je n'aurai pas le temps, referencing Fugain's song. Reeves chose the title because he had heard his son’s choir perform it, and also because his age made him realize he would not be able to continue his research "beyond a few more years." In the first chapter of his book, he quotes the second stanza of the song: "Even in a hundred years, I won't have time to visit all the vastness of such a great universe."

Covers and Adaptations

French Versions

Hervé Vilard (1984): A notable cover by the famous French singer.

Michel Sardou (2000): A live and studio staple for Sardou, who was Fugain’s close friend and the one who originally encouraged him to sing it.

Gérard Lenorman (1996): Featured on his Chante Fugain tribute project.

Claudio Capéo (2017): A modern accordion-driven folk-pop version that brought the song back to the French charts.

The English Version ("If I Only Had Time")

The English lyrics were written by Jack Fishman in 1968.
This version changed the meaning from a philosophical meditation on the vastness of the universe to a more standard romantic longing for more time with a lover.

John Rowles (1968): This is the definitive English version. It was a massive hit (reaching No. 3 in the UK) and is the version most people in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand recognize.

Earl Grant (1968): A soulful American vocal/instrumental version.

Jerry Jones (1970): A popular Reggae/Rocksteady cover that became a cult classic in Jamaica.

Joe Longthorne (1989): A well-known UK ballad version.

International Versions (Other Languages)

The song was translated and released in several other languages shortly after its initial success:

German: "Hätt' ich nur mehr Zeit" by Howard Carpendale (1968).

Italian: "Il tempo di ogni giorno" by I Dalton (1968).

Dutch: "Je n'aurai pas le temps" (recorded in French by Fugain but released as a major single in the Netherlands in 1967).

Czech: "Kdyby nepadal déšť" by Jiří Štaidl (1968).

Croatian (Yugoslavia): "Da je duži moj dan" by Ivica Krajač (1968).

Danish: "Hvis jeg bare får tid" by Thøger Olesen (1970).

Cultural Context Note

While "Je n'aurai pas le temps" literally means "I won't have the time," the song is widely known in the English-speaking world via the John Rowles version, which uses different lyrics focused on "If I Only Had Time." However, the original French text specifically deals with the impossibility of seeing and loving everything in the world even if one lived for a century.

#josédeprice
#jenauraipasletemps
#funk 
#michelfugain

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