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Gilbert Bécaud (, 24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001) was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are " Nathalie" and "Et maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "
What Now My Love What Now My Love may refer to: * "What Now My Love" (song), a popular song, recorded by many artists * ''What Now My Love'' (album), an album by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass 1966, that includes a version of the song {{disambig ...
". He remained a popular artist for nearly fifty years, identifiable in his dark blue suits, with a white shirt and "lucky tie"; blue with white polka dots. When asked to explain his gift he said, "A flower doesn't understand botany." His favourite venue was the
Paris Olympia The Olympia (; commonly known as L'Olympia or in the English-speaking world as Olympia Hall) is a concert venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France, located at 28 Boulevard des Capucines, equally distancing Madeleine church and Opéra ...
under the management of Bruno Coquatrix. He debuted there in 1954 and headlined in 1955, attracting 6,000 on his first night, three times the capacity. On 13 November 1997, Bécaud was present for the re-opening of the venue after its reconstruction.


Biography

Born François Gilbert Léopold Silly in
Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is the ...
, France, Bécaud learned to play the piano at a young age, and then went to the Conservatoire de Nice. In 1942, he left school to join the
French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
during World War II. He began songwriting in 1948, after meeting Maurice Vidalin, who inspired him to write his early compositions. He began writing for Marie Bizet; Bizet, Bécaud and Vidalin became a successful trio, and their partnership lasted until 1950. In 1952, he married Monique Nicholas. They had three children. While touring with Jacques Pills as a pianist, Bécaud met Édith Piaf, Pills' wife at the time. He began singing at her suggestion in 1953, with "Mes Mains" and "Les Croix". His first performance came the year after. His hits in the later part of the decade included "La Corrida" (1956), "
Le Jour où la Pluie Viendra "The Day the Rains Came" or "Am Tag als der Regen kam" or "La pioggia cadrà" is an adaptation of the French song "Le jour où la pluie viendra". The latter is a Popular music, popular song released in 1957, composed and written by Gilbert Bécau ...
" (1957), and "C'est Merveilleux L'amour" (1958). His first hit in the English-speaking world was Jane Morgan's cover version of "Le jour où la pluie viendra" (as "
The Day the Rains Came ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
", with English lyrics by
Carl Sigman Carl Sigman (September 24, 1909 – September 26, 2000) was an American songwriter. Early life Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York to a Jewish-American family, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his bar exams to practice in t ...
) in 1958. He began acting in the same period, starting with "Le Pays D'où Je Viens" (1956). In 1960, he won a Grand Prix du Disque and composed "L'enfant à L'étoile," a
Christmas cantata A Christmas cantata or Nativity cantata is a cantata, music for voice or voices in several movements, for Christmas. The importance of the feast inspired many composers to write cantatas for the occasion, some designed to be performed in church ser ...
. That same year, " Let It Be Me", an English version of his "Je t'appartiens", became a hit for
the Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...
, followed, over the years, by
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blue ...
,
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betw ...
,
Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...
,
Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (born December 8, 1939) is an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and retired politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in ...
, Sam & Dave and James Brown. In 1973 he married Kitty Saint-John, with whom he had two children. He died of cancer at the age of 74.


Career from 1960

In 1961, Bécaud wrote and recorded "Et Maintenant", one of the biggest selling singles in French history. Translated as "
What Now My Love What Now My Love may refer to: * "What Now My Love" (song), a popular song, recorded by many artists * ''What Now My Love'' (album), an album by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass 1966, that includes a version of the song {{disambig ...
", the song became a hit by
Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalist ...
, Sonny & Cher,
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in ''The ...
,
Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...
,
Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...
and Frank Sinatra. In 1962, he completed his largest composition, the 2-act opera ''L'Opéra d'Aran'', which was premiered at the
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while ...
on 25 October 1962 ( Georges Prêtre conductor). The plot of the opera takes place on the
Aran Islands The Aran Islands ( ; gle, Oileáin Árann, ) or The Arans (''na hÁrainneacha'' ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the historic barony of Aran ...
, off the west coast of Ireland, although Bécaud had never been to Ireland before. After the opera's performances, he toured Europe and continued recording a string of pop music hits, including "
Crois-moi ça durera "Crois-moi ça durera" is a 1962 hit song by Gilbert Bécaud, with lyrics by Pierre Delanoë. The lyrics begin "Crois-moi crois-moi ça durera, On s'aimera on s'aimera très fort." The French original was covered by Isabelle Aubret, by Les 3 Mén ...
" and "Tu le regretteras". He also co-wrote "
Love on the Rocks Love on the Rocks may refer to: * "Love on the Rocks" (song), a 1980 song by Neil Diamond, from ''The Jazz Singer'' soundtrack *"Love on the Rocks", a song by Sara Bareilles from her 2007 album '' Little Voice'' *"Love on the Rocks with No Ice", a s ...
" with
Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...
, which was featured on the soundtrack of ''
The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...
'' and was an international hit. In addition, he co-wrote "September Morn" with Diamond.
Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
recorded his "Marie, Marie" and performed it in her stage shows. He wrote the song " Nathalie" to the text by Pierre Delanoë about a Moscow female guide in 1964. Bécaud visited
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
in 1965 allegedly invited by students. The Czech writer Bohumil Doležal commented that the song described the guide as a KGB officer. A Russian blogger claimed that guides reported to KGB officers. The song was used to soften the image of the Soviet Union, despite Pierre Delanoë's anti-Soviet views. His song "Seul sur son étoile" became " It Must Be Him" (with English lyrics by
Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...
), a hit in 1967 for the American singer Vikki Carr, and the following year another Bécaud song, "
L'important c'est la rose "L'important c'est la rose" is a song written by Louis Amade and Gilbert Bécaud. Gilbert Bécaud recorded a version, which was released in 1967. Other recordings * 1967 : Tino Rossi (Columbia ESVF 1082) * 1967 : Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann in ...
" was given an English lyric (by Norman Newell) and became a hit for the British singer Vince Hill under the title "Importance of Your Love". On 19 June 1968, the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an Television in the United States, American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the Disney General Entertainment Content#Current assets, ...
aired a half-hour colour special starring Bécaud that had been taped in
Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...
. Bécaud performed " Nathalie", "Mademoiselle Lise" and "The Day the Rains Came" and sang a duet with Inge Brück, "Sand and Sea". The programme also featured performances by
João Gilberto João Gilberto (born João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira – ; 10 June 1931 – 6 July 2019) was a Brazilian guitarist, singer and composer who was a pioneer of the musical genre of bossa nova in the late 1950s. Around the world, he was of ...
, Lill Lindfors and Hans Koller. Bécaud turned his focus more toward touring than recording in the 1970s. An example was his live performance at the festival The Golden Orpheus in June 1971 in
Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...
. He followed this with some acting work and at last finally took time off in 1973, citing exhaustion. In 1974, he was named Chevalier in the
Légion d'honneur 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 ...
. The following year, he scored his one and only entry on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
with "A Little Love and Understanding", which reached number 10 in the spring. The song also became his first and only chart hit in Australia, spending three weeks at Number One in August. Later in the century, he began writing with Pierre Grosz and then
Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...
, also penning the Broadway musical ''
Roza Roza may refer to: People Last name *Fernando Luiz Roza (b. 1985), Brazilian soccer player *Lita Roza (1926–2008), British singer First name *Roza Anagnosti (born 1943) Albanian actress *Roza Baglanova (1922–2011), Soviet/Kazakh opera ...
'' with Julian More. In 1982, he recorded the duet "L'Amour est mort" with Québécoise singer
Martine St. Clair Martine St. Clair (born Martine Nault, 22 July 1962) is a Canadians, Canadian singer from the province of Quebec. She has released numerous albums in a career that has spanned over two decades. St. Clair was born in Montreal. In 1981, she was c ...
at the start of her career. The 1980s and 1990s, saw a slowdown of Bécaud's activity. He released various compilations and toured occasionally. On 18 December 2001, he died from
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
, aged 74, on his houseboat on the
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plate ...
, and was interred in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Bécaud's song catalogue, running to around 450 songs, is published by BMG Music Publishing. Bécaud's song "L'Orange" was the featured track in one of the trailers of the movie '' Léon'' (aka ''The Professional'') by
Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films ''Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and ''La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the '' ...
.


Discography


Albums


Studio albums

*1953 : Gilbert Bécaud et ses chansons *1954 : Young Man of Paris in Moods of Love (recorded in New York) *1955 : Récital N° 1 – Mes grands succès *1956 : Alors raconte *1958 : Salut les copains *1959 : Pilou... Pilou... hé *1961 : Tête de bois *1962 : Le Bateau blanc *1964 : Le Pianiste de Varsovie *1969 : L'Un d'entre eux inventa la mort *1972 : Gilbert raconte et Bécaud chante *1974 : Hier et aujourd'hui *1975 : Je t'aime mon frère *1976 : L'Amour c'est l'affaire des gens *1978 : C'est en septembre *1980 : Moi, je veux chanter *1981 : Bonjour la vie *1984 : On attend, on attend *1987 : Le Retour *1989 : Fais-moi signe *1993 : Une vie comme un roman *1996 : Ensemble *1999 : Faut faire avec


Live albums

*1955–2002: 15 different albums all live at Olympia Plus rarities: *1957 : À l'Olympia – no 2 *1971 : Récital du festival de l'Orphée d'or 71 (Bulgarian release, with 4 more tracks by Jennifer) *1978 : Au Québec – Récital en direct du Grand Théâtre de Québec *2013 : Concerts inédits 1956–1958


Operas, musical comedies, compositions

*1960 : L'Enfant à l’Étoile (cantate de Noël) (with Orchestre Philharmonique, and choir of ORTF) *1962 : L'Opéra d'Aran – (2-act opera, music by Bécaud. But he didn't sing on the tracks) *1965 : Concerto pour piano *1972 : La Répétition *1976 : Heureux comme un poisson dans l'eau (publicité) *1986 : Roza (musical) *1992 : Aran Opéra (double CD on RCA/BMG, recorded live in 1966, sung by Bécaud)


Soundtracks

*1971 : ''La Maison sous les arbres'' (instrumental) *2007 : ''Roman de gare''


Compilations

*1959 : Croquemitoufle (compilation 1953–1958) *1988 : Bécaulogie (9 CD collection) *1997 : Bécolympia (2 CDs, 38 tracks live, 1955–1983) **2003: Bécolympia (re-released with different order of track list and 1 more bonus) *2002 : 50 Ans en Chansons (Long box 3 CDs, many unreleased materials) *2004 : 100 Chansons d'or (4 CDs, with 6 unreleased tracks) *2009 : Best of (3 CDs, 49 tracks) *2011 : Best of Eternel (2 CDs, 46 tracks remastered) *2011 : Anthologie Gilbert Becaud 1953–1959 (edited by Frémeaux & Associés – 2 CDs, 36 tracks chosen by André Bernard) *2011 : Essentiel (12 CD box, 9 studio albums remastered, plus best singles + 2 CDs live (Best of Olympia 1955–1983) + 1 CD of bonus tracks + 64-page booklet of text and rare photos) *2012 : Best of 3 CD (live at l'Olympia + the album ''Une vie comme un roman'' + parts from album ''Ensemble'' and ''Fais-moi signe'' + 3 bonus tracks in German, Sony Music release) *2012 : 100 Chansons (4 CDs, with 8 unreleased tracks from a concert at L’Olympia in 1960)


Singles

Emblematic songs and compositions:


1950s

*"Mes mains" *"Les Croix" *"Mé qué mé qué" *"
Je t'appartiens "Let It Be Me" is a popular song originally published in French in 1955 as "Je t'appartiens" interpreted by Gilbert Bécaud. It became popular worldwide with an English version by the Everly Brothers and later with the duet by Betty Everett a ...
" *"Les Marchés de Provence" *"
Le jour où la pluie viendra "The Day the Rains Came" or "Am Tag als der Regen kam" or "La pioggia cadrà" is an adaptation of the French song "Le jour où la pluie viendra". The latter is a Popular music, popular song released in 1957, composed and written by Gilbert Bécau ...
" *"La Ballade des baladins" *"Salut les copains"


1960s

*"
Et maintenant "What Now, My Love?" is the English title of a popular song whose original French version, "Et maintenant" (English: "And Now") was written in 1961 by composer Gilbert Bécaud and lyricist Pierre Delanoë. The recurring musical pattern in the ba ...
" *"(Âge tendre et) Tête de bois" *"Dimanche à Orly" *"Quand Jules est au violon" *" Nathalie" *"L'Orange" *"Quand il est mort le poète" *"
L'important c'est la rose "L'important c'est la rose" is a song written by Louis Amade and Gilbert Bécaud. Gilbert Bécaud recorded a version, which was released in 1967. Other recordings * 1967 : Tino Rossi (Columbia ESVF 1082) * 1967 : Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann in ...
" *"Je reviens te chercher"


1970s

*"C'est en septembre" *"La Solitude ça n'existe pas" *"L'Indifférence" *"Un peu d'amour et d'amitié"


1980s

*"Désirée" *"L'Amour est mort" *"Faut faire avec"


International / local versions

*1955: "Je t'appartiens" / " Let It Be Me" (Pierre Delanoë – Gilbert Bécaud) *1957: "Le Jour où la pluie viendra" / "
The Day the Rains Came ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
" (Pierre Delanoë – Gilbert Bécaud) *1961: "Et maintenant" / "
What Now My Love What Now My Love may refer to: * "What Now My Love" (song), a popular song, recorded by many artists * ''What Now My Love'' (album), an album by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass 1966, that includes a version of the song {{disambig ...
" (Pierre Delanoë – Gilbert Bécaud – Elvis Presley) *1966: "Seul sur son étoile" / " It Must Be Him" (Maurice Vidalin – Gilbert Bécaud) *1966: "Plein soleil" / "Sand and Sea" (Maurice Vidalin – Gibert Bécaud) *1972: "Un peu d'amour et d'amitié" / "A Little Love and Understanding" (Louis Amade – Gilbert Bécaud) *1979: "C'est en septembre" / "September Morn" (Neil Diamond – Gilbert Bécaud)


Filmography

*1953: '' Boum sur Paris'' as Himself *1956: ''The Country I Come From'' as Eric Perceval / Julien Barrère *1957: ''Casino de Paris'' as Jacques Merval *1959: ''Croquemitoufle'' as Bernard Villiers *1960: ''In 80 Takten um die Welt'' (TV film) *1962: '' Girl on the Road'' as an Air France pilot *1973: '' Un homme libre'' as Henri Lefèvre *1974: ''Toute une vie'' as Himself *1995: ''Navarro'' as Sarkis (French TV series)


Bibliography

*Paul-Xavier Giannoli: ''Bécaud. Seul sur son étoile'' (Paris: Librairie Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 1970) *Bernard Reval: ''Becaud: L'Homme à la cravate a pois'' (Lattès: Les Éditions du Voyage, 1995), *Kitty Bécaud, Laurent Balandras: ''Bécaud. La Première idole'' (Paris: Éditions Didier Carpentier, 2011),


References


External links

* *
Fan page in German and French
{{DEFAULTSORT:Becaud, Gilbert 1927 births 2001 deaths 20th-century French male singers Actors from Toulon Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Capitol Records artists Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur French Resistance members Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Pathé-Marconi artists Deaths from cancer in France Musicians from Toulon French male singer-songwriters