Michel Berger (born Michel Jean Hamburger; 28 November 1947 – 2 August 1992) was a French singer and songwriter. He was a leading figure of France's pop music scene for two decades as a singer; as a songwriter, he was active for such artists as his wife

France Gall Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French ''yé-yé'' singer. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg. Between 1973 and 1992, ...

Françoise Hardy Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; born 17 January 1944) is a French former singer and songwriter. Mainly known for singing melancholic sentimental ballads, Hardy has been an important figure in French pop music since her debut, spanning a career o ...

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

. He died of a heart attack at age 44.

Biography

Berger was born as Michel Jean Hamburger on 28 November 1947 in the Parisian suburb of

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...

, the son of Jewish parents, Dr.

Jean Hamburger Jean Hamburger (15 July 1909 – 1 February 1992) was a French physician, surgeon and essayist. He is particularly known for his contribution to nephrology, and for having performed the first renal transplantation in France in 1952. Biography ...

and Annette Haas, a concert pianist of Swiss-Jewish origin. Berger first became known to the French public in the 1960s as singer of hit song ''Salut les copains'', after which he became record producer and songwriter for

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

and where he wrote amongst others ''Les Girafes'' for

Bourvil André Robert Raimbourg (; 27 July 1917 – 23 September 1970), better known as André Bourvil (), and mononymously as Bourvil, was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy films, most notably in his collaboration with Louis ...

in 1967. In the early 1970s, he moved to

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

where he produced the early albums of

Véronique Sanson Véronique Marie Line Sanson (; born 24 April 1949) is a three-time Victoires de la Musique award-winning French singer-songwriter and record producer with an avid following in her native country. Ten years after Barbara, Véronique Sanson beca ...

, and ''Allah'' once again in 1989. In 1973, he was responsible for producing the album '' Message personnel'', the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

of which relaunched

's career. He also produced the single ''Je suis moi'' for Hardy. Berger started writing for

in 1974, produced all her albums from 1975 on, and married her on 22 June 1976. In 1978, he composed the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

: '' Starmania'', with lyrics by

Luc Plamondon Luc Plamondon, OC, CQ (b. March 2, 1942 in Saint-Raymond, Quebec), is a French-Canadian lyricist and music executive. He is best known for his work on the musicals ''Starmania'' and ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He is the brother of Louis Plamondo ...

. The musical starred Gall,

Claude Dubois Claude André Dubois (born 24 April 1947) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Dubois was an early star of the Francophone musical '' Starmania''. He was a vocalist in the Canadian famine relief song " Tears Are Not Enough" and was nominated Most ...

Daniel Balavoine Daniel Xavier-Marie Balavoine (; 5 February 1952 – 14 January 1986) was a French singer and songwriter. He was hugely popular in the French-speaking world in the early 1980s; he inspired many singers of his generation such as Jean-Jacques Gol ...

Diane Dufresne Diane Dufresne, (born 30 September 1944) is a French Canadian singer and painter, and is known for singing a large repertoire of popular Quebec songs. Dufresne was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She lived in Paris from 1965 to 1967 where ...

Nanette Workman Nanette Joan Workman (born 20 November 1945, Brooklyn, New York, United States) is a singer-songwriter, actress and author, who has been based in Quebec, Canada, during much of her career. She holds dual citizenship of both the United States and ...

Éric Estève Éric Estève (born 14 July 1951) is a French author, composer and singer. Originally discovered by Véronique Sanson ( Stephen Stills' former wife) at the age of 17, Estève recorded on Epic. Veronique offered Éric the first part of her show an ...

and Fabienne Thibeault. It was a big success in France in the 1980s and 1990s. An English version, entitled ''

Tycoon A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

'', was released in 1991 with lyrics by

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ...

, but it did not achieve the success the original version had in France. Unfortunately, the two musicals Berger worked on immediately after '' Starmania'' did not fare well. In 1980, Berger partnered with producer

Jérôme Savary Jérôme Savary (27 June 1942 – 4 March 2013) was an Argentinian-French theater director and actor. His work has democratized and widened the appeal of musical theater in France, drawing together and blending such genres as opera, operetta, and ...

and lyricist

to produce the musical ''La Légende de Jimmy'', inspired by the life of

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

. However, this bombed. Berger's next musical project, '' Dreams in Stone'', was conceived as an American musical, co-arranged with Michel Bernholc, and recorded in the United States, with lead vocals by singers

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto Cash Distin, Johnny Cash's first wife. Although she is often classified as a country art ...

Bill Champlin William Bradford Champlin (born May 21, 1947) is an American singer, musician, arranger, producer, and songwriter. He formed the band Sons of Champlin in 1965, which still performs today, and was a member of the band Chicago from 1981–2009. ...

Lynn Carey Lynn Catherine Carey (born October 29, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress best known as the lead vocalist in the band Mama Lion. She is also the daughter of actor Macdonald Carey. Biography Born in Los Angeles, Calif ...

Jennifer Warnes Jennifer Jean Warnes (born March 3, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter. She has performed as a vocalist on a number of film soundtracks. She has won two Grammy Awards, in 1983 for the Joe Cocker duet "Up Where We Belong" and in 1987 for ...

, and

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including " Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (197 ...

among others. Though the show itself never saw the light of day, the album was nevertheless released in 1982. The album was a complete flop, and is not generally known outside of a few fansites. Berger also scored several film projects over the years, which included ''Mektoub'', a 1970 film by Algerian Director

Ali Ghalem ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

Robert Benayoun Robert Benayoun (12 December 1926 in Kenitra, Morocco – 20 October 1996, Paris) was a French film critic and author, and one-time member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival of 1980. He wrote books on Tex Avery, Woody Allen, Buster Keaton, the ...

's '' Sérieux comme le plaisir'' in 1975,

Jean-Paul Rappeneau Jean-Paul Rappeneau (born 8 April 1932) is a French film director and screenwriter. Career He started out in film as an assistant and screenwriter collaborating with Louis Malle on ''Zazie dans le métro (film), Zazie dans le métro'' in 1960 a ...

's ''

Tout feu, tout flamme ''All Fired Up'' () is a 1982 French comedy film directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau, starring Yves Montand and Isabelle Adjani. It tells the story of a man who works with shady casino operations abroad. When he returns to Paris in need of money, he is ...

'' in 1982 and ''

Rive droite, rive gauche ''Rive droite, rive gauche'' (also known as "Right Bank, Left Bank") is a French film directed by Philippe Labro, starring Gérard Depardieu, Nathalie Baye and Carole Bouquet. Bouquet received Best Supporting Actress nomination. Plot Paul ...

'' the 1984 film by

Philippe Labro Philippe Labro (born 27 August 1936) is a French author, journalist and film director. He has worked for RTL, ''Paris Match'', TF1 and Antenne 2. He is a laureate of the Prix Interallié, a French literary distinction founded in 1930, which ...

. He was known for his

Orangina Orangina () is a lightly carbonated beverage made from carbonated water, 12% citrus juice (10% from concentrated orange, 2% from a combination of concentrated lemon, concentrated mandarin, and concentrated grapefruit juices), as well as 2% ora ...

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...

. Berger was one of a handful of French artists who participated readily and actively in humanitarian acts: in 1985, he worked exclusively for ''Action Écoles'' alongside Gall, Richard Berry and

, then later for

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

with

Renaud Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (), known as Renaud (), born 11 May 1952, is a French singer, songwriter and actor. His characteristically 'broken' voice makes for a very distinctive vocal style. Several of his songs are popular classics in F ...

(''Chanteurs Sans Frontières'') and for Les Restos du cœur with comedian

Coluche Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci (, ; 28 October 1944 – 19 June 1986), better known under his stage name Coluche (), was a French stage comedian and cinema actor. He adopted ''Coluche'' as a stage name at age 26, when he began his entertainment ca ...

Death

On 2 August 1992, weeks after the release of his first album of duets with France Gall and six months after the death of his father, Berger suffered a fatal heart attack after a tennis match at

Ramatuelle Ramatuelle (; Provençal: ''Ramatuela'') is a commune in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2016, it had a population of 2,077. History Ramatuelle lies near St-Tropez, Sainte-Maxime and Ga ...

Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...

. His death came as a shock to many as he had been one of the most popular French singer-songwriters of the 1970s and 1980s. Moreover, unlike many pop stars, he came across as a nice and simple man, more interested in music and family life than in

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

excesses. Indeed, his marriage to Gall was remarkably stable. Berger was buried in Paris, in the

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 ...

cemetery. His daughter Pauline, who died of

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a rare genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestine. Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections. O ...

in 1997 aged only 19, is buried close by. He was also the father of French music supervisor,

Raphaël Hamburger Raphaël Michel Hamburger (born 2 April 1981) is a French producer and a soundtrack music supervisor. Career After studying sound engineering, Hamburger produced albums for several French artists, including the pop-rocke singer Adrienne Pauly, ...

Tribute

On 28 November 2019,

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

celebrated his 72nd birthday with a

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

Discography

Albums

;Studio albums * 1973: '' Michel Berger (Le coeur brisé)'' * 1974: '' Chansons pour une fan'' * 1975: ''

Que l'amour est bizarre QUE or que may refer to: * Quebec (Que.), as the traditional abbreviation, though the postal abbreviations are now QC and previously PQ * Que Publishing, a company which first began as a publisher of technical computer software and hardware suppo ...

'' * 1976: ''

Mon piano danse Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * Ang ...

'' * 1980: '' Beauséjour'' * 1981: '' Beaurivage'' * 1981: ''Tout feu tout flamme'' (instrumental movie soundtrack) * 1982: ''Dreams in Stone'' ** With

on "Apple Pie

; background vocals Denise DeCaro on "Innocent Eyes" (instrumental) * 1983: '' Voyou'' * 1984: ''Rive droite - Rive gauche'' (instrumental movie soundtrack) * 1985: '' Différences'' * 1990: '' Ça ne tient pas debout'' * 1992: ''

Double jeu A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

'' (with

) ;Live albums * 1980: ''Au Théâtre des Champs-Élysées'' * 1983: ''En public au Palais des Sports'' * 1986: ''Au Zénith'' ;Compilation albums * 2014: ''Pour me comprendre - Best of''

Singles

For comprehensive list, see lescharts.com website ;Selective * "Quelques mots d'amour" * "Seras-tu là?" * "Le paradis blanc" * "La groupie du pianiste" * "Diego, libre dans sa tête" * "

Chanter pour ceux qui sont loin de chez eux "Chanter pour ceux qui sont loin de chez eux" (English: Sing for those who are far from home) is a 1985 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Michel Berger on his album ''Différences''. It was released as a single one year later. Lââm ver ...

" ;Selective (charted singles with

) * 1992: "Laissez passer les rêves" (FR #37) * 1992: "Superficiel et léger" (FR #42)

Booklets

* Plamondon & Berger : Full Text of the Rock Opera, ''La Légende de Jimmy'', Éditions Le Cherche Midi, Paris, 1990, * Plamondon & Berger : Full Text of the Rock Opera, ''Starmania'', 1995 Éditions Le Cherche Midi, Paris,

Filmography

* Berger, alongside fellow musicians

Michel Fugain Michel Fugain (; born 12 May 1942) is a French singer and composer. He was born in Grenoble, Isère. He started composing after quitting medical school, and became a solo artist releasing his first album, ''Je n'aurai pas le temps'', in 1967. T ...

and

Michel Sardou Michel Charles Sardou (; born 26 January 1947) is a French singer and occasional actor. He is known not only for his love songs ("La maladie d'amour", "Je vais t'aimer"), but also for songs dealing with various social and political issues, su ...

, appeared as extras (uncredited roles) in the 1966

René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. Life and career Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...

film '' Paris brûle-t-il?'' (English title ''Is Paris Burning?''). Berger played the role of "Chef des explosifs", whereas Fugain and Sardou appeared as student protestors.

References

Biographies

* Hugues Royer & Philippe Seguy: ''France Gall – Michel Berger, Deux destins pour une légende'', Éditions du Rocher, 1994, * Jean-François Brieu & Éric Didi: ''Michel Berger – Quelques mots d'amour'', Éditions Jean-Claude Lattès, 1997, * Jacques Pessis: ''Michel Berger'', Collection ''Les Lumières du Music-Hall'' – Éditions Vade Retro, 2001,

Essays

* France Gall & Jean Brousse: ''Michel Berger – Si Le Bonheur Existe'', 2002 Éditions Le Cherche Midi, Paris,

External links

Biography of Michel Berger
from

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berger, Michel 1947 births 1992 deaths People from Neuilly-sur-Seine 20th-century French Jews French people of Swiss-Jewish descent Jewish songwriters Jewish singers Burials at Montmartre Cemetery 20th-century French male singers French male singer-songwriters Deaths from heart disease