Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics to nearly a thousand songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These include "

Boum! "Boum!" (, onomatopoeia similar to "boom" in English) is a popular 1938 song by the French singer/songwriter Charles Trenet which won him the Grand Prix du Disque. Its light, irreverent lyrics express a ''joie de vivre'' typical in French popular ...

" (1938), " La Mer" (1946) and "Nationale 7" (1955). Trenet is also noted for his work with musicians Michel Emer and

Léo Chauliac Léo Chauliac, real name Léon Chauliac (6 February 1913 – 27 October 1977), was a French jazz pianist, composer and conductor. A jazz pianist in the 1930s, Léo Chauliac was the accompanist of Charles Trenet from 1941 to 1943, a singer for wh ...

, with whom he recorded "Y'a d'la joie" (1938) for the first and "La Romance de Paris" (1941) and "Douce France" (1947) for the latter. He was awarded an Honorary Molière Award in 2000.

History

Trenet's best-known songs include "

", " La Mer", "Y'a d'la joie", " Que reste-t-il de nos amours?", "Ménilmontant" and "Douce France". His catalogue of songs is enormous, numbering close to a thousand. Some of his songs had unconventional subject matter, with whimsical imagery bordering on the surreal. "Y'a d'la joie" evokes joy through a series of disconnected images, including that of a subway car shooting out of its tunnel into the air, the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "' ...

crossing the street, and a baker making excellent bread. The lovers engaged in a

minuet A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form that accomp ...

in "Polka du Roi" reveal themselves at length to be "no longer human": they are made of wax and trapped in the

Musée Grévin The ''Musée Grévin'' (; ) ( en, Grévin Museum) is a wax museum in Paris located on the Grands Boulevards in the 9th arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine, at 10, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris, France. It is open daily; an admission fee ...

. Many of his hits from the 1930s and 1940s effectively combine the melodic and verbal nuances of French song with American swing rhythms. His song " La Mer", which according to legend he composed with

on a train in 1943, was recorded in 1946. Trenet explained in an interview that he was told that "La Mer" was not ''swing'' enough to be a hit, and for this reason it sat in a drawer for three years before being recorded., at 1:33. "La Mer" is Trenet's best-known work outside the French-speaking world, with more than 400 recorded versions. The tune, given unrelated English words and the title " Beyond the Sea" (or sometimes "Sailing"), was a hit for

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...

in the early 1960s, and

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

in the mid-1980s. "Beyond the Sea" was used in the ending credits of '' Finding Nemo''. Besides "La Mer", the other Trenet song to receive numerous recordings in English is " Que reste-t-il de nos amours?", which lyricist Albert Beach adapted as "I Wish You Love". "I Wish You Love" was first recorded by Keely Smith in 1957, and since then by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Sam Cooke to

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

. Another of Trenet's songs, "Formidable", was written as impressions of a trip to the U.S. Other Trenet songs were recorded by French singers such as Maurice Chevalier,

Jean Sablon Jean Sablon (Nogent-sur-Marne 25 March 1906 – Cannes 24 February 1994) was a French singer, songwriter, composer and actor. He was one of the first French singers to immerse himself in jazz. The man behind several songs by big French and Amer ...

and

Fréhel Fréhel (; born Marguerite Boulc'h; 13 July 1891 – 3 February 1951) was a French singer and actress. Biography Born in Paris to a poor and dysfunctional Breton family, Marguerite Boulc'h was a child left to a life on the streets in the sord ...

Early life

Trenet was born in Avenue Charles Trenet,

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

, France, the son of Françoise Louise Constance (Caussat) and Lucien Etienne Paul Trenet. When he was seven years old, his parents

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

d and he was sent to boarding school in Béziers, but he returned home just a few months later, suffering from

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

. It was during his convalescence at home that he developed his artistic talents, taking up music, painting and sculpting. In 1922, Trenet moved to Perpignan, this time as a day pupil. A water-colourist friend of the family,

André Fons-Godail André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French language, French-s ...

, the "Catalan Renoir", used to take him out painting. His poetry is said to have the painter's eye for detail and colour.Sleeve notes of CD of Trenet's hits ''The Extraordinary Garden'' Many of his songs had references to his surroundings such as places near Narbonne, the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

and the

Mediterranean coast The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the eas ...

. He passed his baccalauréat with high marks in 1927. After leaving school he left for

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, where he studied art, and later he also briefly studied at art schools in France. When Trenet first arrived in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in the 1930s, he worked in a movie studio as a props handler and assistant, and later joined up with the artists in the

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

neighbourhood. His admiration of the surrealist poet and Catholic mystic

Max Jacob Max Jacob (; 12 July 1876 – 5 March 1944) was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic. Life and career After spending his childhood in Quimper, Brittany, he enrolled in the Paris Colonial School, which he left in 1897 for an artistic ca ...

(1876–1944) and his love of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

were two factors that influenced Trenet's songs.

Before World War II

From 1933 to 1936, he worked with the Swiss pianist Johnny Hess as a duo known as Charles and Johnny. They performed at various Parisian venues, such as Le Fiacre, La Villa d'Este, the Européen and the Alhambra. They recorded 18 discs for Pathé, the most successful of which was "Quand les beaux jours seront là/Sur le Yang-Tsé-Kiang". The Charles and Johnny records feature Hess on piano, with the two frequently singing in two-part harmonies with quickly alternating solo spots for the two. Around 1935, the duo appeared regularly on the radio on a broadcast called ''Quart d'heure des enfants terribles''. The duo continued until 1936 when Trenet was called up for

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

. After performing this, he received the nickname that he would retain all his life: "Le Fou chantant" (The Singing Madman). He began his solo career in 1937, recording for Columbia, his first disc being "Je chante/Fleur bleue". The exuberant "Je chante" gave rise to the notion of Trenet as a "singing vagabond", a theme that appeared in a number of his early songs and films. He shot to stardom very quickly; as

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

put it, when Trenet sang, "He was so young, so fresh that the bar yielded to a rustic decor, the projectors became the stiff branches of a cherry tree, the microphone a hollyhock, the piano a cow."

World War II

At the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Trenet was called up. He was in barracks at Salon-de-Provence until he was demobilized in June 1940, when he moved back to Paris. There he performed at the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

or at the

Gaîté Parisienne ''Gaîté Parisienne'' (literally, "Parisian Gaiety") is a 1938 ballet choreographed by Léonide Massine (1896-1979) to music by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) arranged and orchestrated many decades later by Manuel Rosenthal (1904-2003) in collabo ...

(two famous cabarets) in front of a public often consisting of German officers and soldiers. The collaborationist press tried to compromise his name and published that "Trenet" was the anagram of "Netter" – a Jewish name. He was able to show his family tree to the authorities, proving that he had no Jewish origin. Like many other artists of the time, he chose to go on entertaining the occupying forces rather than sacrifice his career. He agreed, when asked by the Germans, to go and sing for the French

prisoners-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

in Germany. The ''

Épuration légale The ''épuration légale'' (French "legal purge") was the wave of official trials that followed the Liberation of France and the fall of the Vichy regime. The trials were largely conducted from 1944 to 1949, with subsequent legal action continu ...

'' ("legal purge"), the wave of official trials that followed the

Liberation of France The liberation of France in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany inv ...

and the fall of the

Vichy Regime Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

, examined whether Trenet was guilty of collaboration but the inquiry resulted in a mere reprimand without any further consequences.

After World War II

After the end of hostilities, he moved to the United States where he lived for a few years and where he quickly became a success. After a few concerts at the Bagdad in New York City, Trenet became a big hit and was approached by Hollywood. He met Louis Armstrong and began a long-lasting friendship with Charlie Chaplin. On 14 September 1951, Trenet returned to Paris and made a comeback at the Théâtre de l'Étoile. He incorporated ten new songs into his act, including "De la fenêtre d'en haut" and "La Folle Complainte". In 1954 he performed at the Olympia music-hall in Paris for the first time. The following year he wrote the famous "

Route nationale 7 The Route nationale 7, or ''RN 7'', is a trunk road (Route Nationale (France), nationale) in France between Paris and the border with Italy. It was also known as ''Route des vacances'' (The Holiday Route), ''Route bleue'' (The Blue Route), and &md ...

", a tribute to the introduction of paid holidays. In 1958, Trenet was the headlining act at the Bobino and the Alhambra. In 1960, he returned to the Théâtre de l'Étoile, appearing on stage for the very first time without the famous

trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...

hat which had for so long been part of his act. In 1963, Trenet spent 28 days in prison in Aix-en-Provence. He was charged with corrupting the morals of four young men under the age of 21 (they were 19). His chauffeur claimed that Trenet was using him as a pimp. The charges were eventually dropped, but the affair brought to public light the fact that Trenet was homosexual. He was never particularly public about the episode and spoke of it rarely. In his authorized

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

of Maurice Chevalier, author David Bret claims that Chevalier and

Mistinguett Mistinguett (, born Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois; 5 April 1873 – 5 January 1956) was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Early life The daughter of Antoine Bourgeois, a 31-year- ...

were the ones who first "shopped" Trenet to the police for consorting with underage boys, around 1940. Trenet never learned of their action.

1970s

In 1970, Trenet flew to Japan to represent France at the Universal Exhibition in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

. The following year he left Columbia, his longtime record label, and recorded "Fidèle" and "Il y avait des arbres." He also made a memorable appearance at the Olympia. In 1973, Trenet, who had just celebrated his 60th birthday, recorded a new album, ''Chansons en liberté''. The twelve songs on this album were a mix of old and new compositions. His 60th birthday was celebrated in grand style by the French media. Trenet made a surprise announcement in 1975, declaring that he was retiring from the music world. At the end of his final concert at the Olympia, he bade his audience an emotional farewell. Following the death of his mother in 1979, he shut himself away from the world for the next two years.

Later career and death

Nevertheless, in 1981, Trenet made a comeback with a new album devoted to sentimental memories of his childhood. Trenet then returned to his peaceful semi-retirement in Occitanie, occasionally reappearing for a special gala performance in France or abroad. After giving farewell concerts in France, Trenet was persuaded out of retirement by a French-Canadian lawyer, Gilbert Rozon, in 1983 for a farewell concert in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

. Rozon became Trenet's manager thereafter, and as a result Trenet performed many more concerts including a series every night for three weeks at the Palais des Congrès in Paris in 1986. On 21 May 1999, he returned to the music scene with his album ''Les poètes descendent dans la rue'' (''Poets Take to the Streets''). Following the release of the album, Trenet returned to the live circuit. In April 2000, Trenet was rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke. The singer was forced to spend several weeks in the hospital while recovering, but by the autumn of that year, he was well enough to attend the dress rehearsal of

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

's show at the Palais des Congrès on 25 October. This was his final public appearance. In November 2000, the Narbonne house in which Trenet was born – which had become 13 Avenue Charles Trenet – was turned into a small museum. Visitors were able to view souvenirs from Trenet's childhood and family life (especially those belonging to his mother, who had spent most of her life in the house), as well as original drafts of the songs which had made his career. Trenet died three months later on 19 February 2001 after suffering another stroke. In 2017, a service centre on the

A9 autoroute The A9 autoroute (La ''Languedocienne''/''La Catalane'') is a motorway in southern France. The road forms part of the European route E15, as does the A9 road (Scotland). The road runs between Orange and Perthus, in the Pyrénées-Orientale ...

between Narbonne and Béziers was renamed in his honour and contains an exhibition evoking his life and work and sculptures by Pascale et Thierry Delorme.

Honors and awards

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commandeur ribbon

Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1982) * Palmes academiques Officier ribbon

Officer of the

Ordre des Palmes académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

(1989) *

Ordre national du Merite Commandeur ribbon

Commander of the

Ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's estab ...

(1995) *

Commander of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

(1998)

Discography

Some of Charles Trenet's best-known songs include: * 1933: "L'école buissonnière" (music co-written with Johnny Hess) * 1936: "Vous oubliez votre cheval" * 1937: "Je chante" * 1937: "Fleur bleue" * 1937: "J'ai ta main" * 1937: "Vous qui passez sans me voir" (music co-written with Johnny Hess) * 1937: "Y a d'la joie" * 1938: "

" * 1938: "J'ai connu de vous" * 1938: "Ménilmontant" * 1938: "La polka du roi" * 1939: "Il pleut dans ma chambre" * 1939: "Mam'zelle Clio" * 1941: "Swing troubadour" * 1941: "Un rien me fait chanter" (music co-written with

) * 1942: " Que reste-t-il de nos amours?" (music co-written with

) * 1943: "Douce France" (music co-written with

) * 1945: "La folle complainte" * 1945: " La mer" * 1947: "Revoir Paris" * 1948: "France-Dimanche" * 1948: "Grand-maman, c'est New York" * 1949: "Mes jeunes années" * 1951: "L'ame des poetes" (performed with Son Quartette Ondioline) * 1951: "Le serpent python" * 1954: "Coin de rue" * 1955: "La java du diable" * 1955: "Moi j'aime le music-hall" * 1955: "Route Nationale 7" * 1957: "Le jardin extraordinaire" * 1961: "Kangourou" * 1963: "La famille musicienne" * 1969: "Il y avait des arbres" * 1970: "Au bal de la nuit" * 1970: "L'oiseau des vacances" * 1970: "Le revenant" * 1971: "Fidele"

References

External links

* *
International Jose Guillermo Carrillo Foundation
*
Fond In mémory of Charles TrenetLe portail des amis de Charles Trenet
In French. Provides a complete biography and discography.
Radio France Internationale
In French. Biography and discography.
Google Music: Charles TrenetCharles Trenet's 100th Birthday
– Google Doodle {{DEFAULTSORT:Trenet, Charles 1913 births 2001 deaths French male singer-songwriters French pop singers Pathé-Marconi artists Capitol Records artists Collaboration with the Axis Powers French collaborators with Nazi Germany People from Narbonne LGBT singers from France LGBT songwriters Gay musicians 20th-century French male singers 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people French military personnel of World War II