Mmh, according to google-analytics, I have a base readership of about 10 people, mostly from Georgia, US. Guys, I know who you are. I know as well you'll be kind enough to let me indulge in some educational nostalgia. So, let's start a new series, "Frenchies Oldies".1981 was a pivotal year in France. Mitterrand was elected in May, the first socialist president of the Ve Republic. Hopes were high. Would times be a-changing ? What would come next ?
Then, that. Chagrin d'amour, "Chacun fait (c'qui lui plaît)" (which translates as "Everyone does (what they want)").
Written by Philippe Bourgoin and Gérard Presgurvic, performed by Gregory Ken (real name Jean-Pierre Trochu) and Valli Kligerman (a NYC native), remixed by Dominique Blanc-Francard, "Chacun fait" quickly became a hit. Remember that at that time, rap music wasn't popular at all in France, and you would have to wait 1982 and Grandmaster Flash's "The message" for rap to gain some mainstream visibility.
The plot is quite simple : 5:00AM, a lonesome alcoholic suffering from insomnia runs out of booze and cigarettes. He drives through Paris to get a last drink, ends up in a dive bar, where he picks up a hooker. Hotel, he doesn't come, she goes back home.
The story is narrated at the first-person (by the guy on the first three verses, by the girl on the last two, the fifth verse being an almost word-for-word repetition of the first one), with some interruptions by a third party on the mode of interview (or police questioning, as hinted by the video-clip ?) before the chorus, supposed to be playing on the radio. Partly psychological analysis, partly social commentary on a playful yet melancholy tone, "Chacun fait" illustrates a feeling of alienation, foreshadowing the individualism of the 80es. Of course, it's only now that I can understand the content(s) of this song. The lyrics were way over the head of the third grader I was at the time. But I knew some of them by heart, like many of my schoolmates, and they still resonates more than 25 years later...
Unfortunately, Chagrin d'Amour never really made it and remained a one-hit wonder. They released two albums in 1982 and 1984 which never achieved any real commercial success. Gregory Pek was the voice presenting the programs on Canal + in the 90es, a trendie channel at the time, until he passed away in 1996 from a throat cancer. Valli got a solo career in the 80es, before having her own radio show about the music industry. Presgurvic wrote songs for several French artists, composed soundtracks and wrote a musical based on Romeo and Juliet in 2001 (with another based on "Gone with the wind" in preparation) (God help us). Bourgoin also wrote songs for other artists in the 90es. "Chacun fait" remains a classic. It has even been recently covered in Japanese...
The clip (an extract of):
MP3: Chagrin d'Amour: Chacun fait (c'qui lui plaît).
MP3:Tomuya: Chacun fait (Lost in Paris).
2 comments:
Chouette!
I especially love this post! Mmmmwah! <3
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