Francis Albert Lai (; 26 April 19327 November 2018) was a
French composer, noted for his
film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
s. He won the 1970
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
for
Best Music, Original Score and the
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications ...
for the film ''
Love Story''. The soundtrack album went to No. 2 in the
''Billboard'' album charts and the film's theme, "
Where Do I Begin", was a hit single for
Andy Williams.
Life and career
Lai was born on 26 April 1932, in
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
, France, the son of
market garden
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to ...
ers of Italian origin.
From a very early age, Lai was fascinated by music and he played first in his local regional orchestras. In Marseilles he discovered
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 ...
and met Claude Goaty, a singer of popular songs in the 50s.
While in his twenties, Lai left home and followed Goaty to
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 ...
, where he became part of the lively
Montmartre
Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...
music scene. The "Taverne d'Attilio" on the
Place du Tertre
The Place du Tertre is a square in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France. Only a few streets away from Montmartre's Basilica of the Sacré Cœur and the Lapin Agile, it is near the summit of the city's elevated Montmartre quarter. Place du Te ...
in Montmartre, was a favorite place for the young talented with whom Lai composed his first song. Their song-writing partnership would extend to a hundred or so. After a short period with the orchestra of
Michel Magne
Michel Magne (20 March 1930 in Lisieux, Calvados, France – 19 December 1984 in Cergy-Pontoise, Val-d'Oise) was a French film and experimental music composer.
Early life
He was the fifth child in a family of eight. As young as age five, he ...
, Lai became an accompanist for
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars.
Pia ...
and composed for her.
[
In 1965, he met filmmaker ]Claude Lelouch
Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish Family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained criti ...
and was hired to help write the score for the film '' A Man and a Woman''. Released in 1966, the film was an international success, earning a number of Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
. The young Lai received a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Original Score". This initial success brought more opportunities to work for the film industry both in his native France, where he continued to work with Lelouch on scores to films such as '' Vivre pour vivre'' (1967), '' Un homme qui me plaît'' (1969), ''Le voyou
''Le Voyou'', also known as ''The Crook'', is a highly stylized French action film which follows Simon the Swiss during his largest heist. Directed by Claude Lelouch in 1970, and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, the movie makes use of several ci ...
'' (1970) and '' La bonne année'' (1973), as well as in Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
and the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.[ He was known for his support of ]Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide.
Biography and career
Early years
Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...
in many compositions and recordings.[ In 1970 he wrote the score for director René Clément's film, '']Rider on the Rain
''Rider on the Rain'' (French: ''Le passager de la pluie'') is a 1970 French mystery thriller film starring Marlène Jobert and Charles Bronson, directed by René Clément and scripted by Sébastien Japrisot, produced by Serge Silberman, with ...
'' ("Le passager de la pluie"). It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
in September 1971.
In 1970, Lai won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications ...
for the film '' Love Story''. In the United States, the soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
album reached No. 2 in the ''Billboard'' album charts and the film's theme, " Where Do I Begin", was a hit single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
with lyrics by Carl Sigman for singer Andy Williams. The song would also be recorded successfully by Lai himself, with a full orchestra, and by Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
and Shirley Bassey. Lai's "Love Story" theme was heard in the 1978 ''Love Story'' sequel titled ''Oliver's Story
''Oliver's Story'' is a 1978 American romance film, romantic drama film and a sequel to ''Love Story (1970 film), Love Story'' (1970) based on a novel by Erich Segal published a year earlier. It was directed by John Korty and again starred Ryan O ...
'', although the main score was composed by Lee Holdridge.
His movie scores included films as diverse as ''Mayerling
Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), southwest of Vienna. From 1550, it was in t ...
'', '' Three into Two Won't Go'', '' International Velvet'', ''Édith et Marcel
''Édith et Marcel'' is a 1983 French film directed by Claude Lelouch.
Plot
In 1947, the singer Édith Piaf and the boxer Marcel Cerdan are both at the peak of their respective careers. Their encounter gives birth to a passionate love affair la ...
'', and Michael Winner
Robert Michael Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was a British filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several c ...
films such as ''I'll Never Forget What's'isname
''I'll Never Forget What's 'Isname'' (title on the original British posters and on the DVD cover) or ''I'LL NEVER FORGET WHAT'S 'iSNAME'' (title on the original print, trailer and soundtrack album) is a 1967 British comedy-drama film directed a ...
'' and '' Hannibal Brooks''. Lai also had success with music written for softcore erotic films like ''Emmanuelle 2
''Emmanuelle 2'' (aka ''Emmanuelle, The Joys of a Woman'', original title ''Emmanuelle: L'antivierge'') is a 1975 French softcore erotica film directed by Francis Giacobetti and starring Sylvia Kristel. The screenplay was written by Bob Elia a ...
'' (1975) and '' Bilitis'' (1977). Reviewing the soundtrack for ''Bilitis'' for AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
, Thom Jurek said: "The result would be hilarious if it weren't so predictable. This music is light to the point of almost not being there... Lai uses synthesizers, acoustic guitars, and a truckload of strings to weave what is supposed to be the "perfect" setting for two young lovers to do what young lovers do, but has it all coming out of the wash sounding like a commercial for those laundry detergents that are airy fresh, or a silent movie score where the music is supposed to tell you that this is a pensive moment."
His composition "Aujourd'hui C'est Toi" (Today It's You) is probably best known in the UK as the theme music for the long-running BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''.
In a career spanning forty years, Lai also wrote music for television programs and alone or in collaboration with others has composed music for more than one hundred films and personally wrote more than six hundred songs. He wrote the music for the
.
In 1968 Lai married Dagmar Puetz. The couple had two sons and one daughter.