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Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French ''
yé-yé ''Yé-yé'' () (''yeyé'' in Spanish) was a style of pop music that emerged in Western-Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term "''yé-yé''" was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music bands such as ...
'' singer. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg. Between 1973 and 1992, she collaborated with singer-songwriter
Michel Berger 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 ...
.


Early years

Gall was born in Paris on 9 October 1947, to a highly musical family. Her father, the lyricist Robert Gall, wrote songs for Édith Piaf and
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 ...
. Her mother, Cécile Berthier, was a singer as well and the daughter of Paul Berthier, the co-founder of Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois. The only daughter of her family, France had two brothers: Patrice and Philippe. In spring 1963, Robert Gall encouraged his daughter to record songs and send the demos to the music publisher
Denis Bourgeois Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), baron in the Kingdom of Hungary * Denis the Carthusian (1402–1 ...
. That July, she auditioned for Bourgeois at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, after which Bourgeois wanted to sign her immediately. France was subsequently signed to
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
. At the time, Bourgeois was working for the label as artistic director for Serge Gainsbourg and assumed this role for Gall as well. He encouraged her to record four tracks with the French
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 ...
musician, arranger and composer Alain Goraguer.


Early career

The first
airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
of France's first single, "''Ne sois pas si bête''" ("Don't Be So Stupid"), occurred on her 16th birthday. It was released in November and became a hit, selling 200,000 copies. Gainsbourg, who had released several albums and written songs for singers including
Michèle Arnaud Michèle Arnaud (, born Micheline Caré; 18 March 1919 – 30 March 1998), was a French singer, recording artist, and director. She was buried on 18 September 1998 at Montparnasse Cemetery. She is the mother of the singer Dominique Walter a ...
and
Juliette Gréco Juliette Gréco (; 7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by Serge Gainsbourg for Gréco) and "Désh ...
, was asked by Bourgeois to write songs for Gall. Gainsbourg's "''N'écoute pas les idoles''" ("Don't listen to the idols") was Gall's second single; it reached the top of the French charts in March 1964 and stayed there for three weeks. At the same time, Gall made her live debut, opening for
Sacha Distel Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, " Scoubidou" ...
in Belgium. She teamed up with Distel's business manager,
Maurice Tézé Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...
, a lyricist, which allowed her to create an original repertoire, unlike the majority of her contemporaries who sang adaptations of Anglophone hits. Elaborate orchestrations by Alain Goraguer blended styles, permitting her to navigate between
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 ...
, children's songs, and anything in between. Examples of this mixed-genre style included "Jazz à gogo" (by Alain Goraguer and Robert Gall) and "Mes premières vraies vacances" (by
Jacques Datin Jacques Datin (14 June 1920 – 24 August 1973) was a French composer. After his musical training he met songwriter Maurice Vidalin, and they wrote many songs for several performers. Since 1954, they wrote "On en dira" (written with Marc Lanje ...
and Maurice Vidalin). Gall and Gainsbourg's association produced many popular singles, continuing through the summer of 1964 with the hit song "''
Laisse tomber les filles "Laisse tomber les filles" (English: "Drop it with the girls" i.e., "Stop messing around with the girls") is a French song written by Serge Gainsbourg and originally performed by France Gall in 1964. The song was a major hit in France, peaking at ...
''" ("Leave the girls alone") followed by "''Christiansen''" by Datin-Vidalin. Gainsbourg also secretly recorded Gall's laughter to use on "", a track on his 1964 album ''Gainsbourg Percussions''.''France Gall par France Gall'', autoportrait télévisé (
France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info. It is made up of a network of regional television services provi ...
, 2001), quoted in the French Wikipedia article about France Gall. Original quote: "''C’est quelqu’un que j’avais du plaisir à voir parce que je l'admirais et j’aimais ce qu’il écrivait. Et j’aimais bien sa timidité, son élégance et son éducation. C’était très agréable comme relation. ..J'étais très impressionnée que cet homme travaille pour moi et s'intéresse à moi ...''"


1965

Having previously resisted, Gall gave in to her managers at the end of 1964 and recorded a single intended for children. The song "'' Sacré Charlemagne''", written by her father, and set to the music of George Liferman, was a hit in 1965, peaking at number one in France and number five in Turkey.


Eurovision

Gall was then selected to represent
Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1965 Luxembourg was represented by French singer France Gall, with the song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son", at the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 20 March in Naples. The song, composed by Serge Gainsbourg, was chosen internally ...
. From the ten songs proposed to her, she chose Gainsbourg's "''
Poupée de cire, poupée de son "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" (; English: "Wax doll, rag doll") is a song written by Serge Gainsbourg and recorded by French singer France Gall. It is best known as the Luxembourgian winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1965, hel ...
''". On 20 March 1965, Gainsbourg, Gall, and Goraguer attended the finals of the song contest in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, where the song was "allegedly booed in rehearsals for straying so far from the sort of song usually heard in the Contest at this point."Jamie McCloughlin
A Bluffer's Guide to Eurovision
13 July 2009. Accessed 20 February 2012.
Although the delivery during the live show may not have been Gall's strongest performance — one critic wrote that Gall's performance was "far from perfect," another noted that her voice was out of tune and her complexion pale, and when Gall called Claude François, her lover at the time, immediately after the performance, he shouted at her, "You sang off key. You were terrible!" — the song impressed the jury and it took the Grand Prix. Success at Eurovision ensured that Gall became even better known outside Europe and she recorded "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" in French, German, Italian and Japanese. There appears to be no English version released by France Gall, although there was an English cover version by the English 1960s star Twinkle.


Summer tour

In 1965, Gall toured France for several months with "''Le Grand Cirque de France''" ("The Great Circus of France"), a combination of radio show and live circus. Her singles continued to chart successfully, including the Gainsbourg-penned "''Attends ou va-t'en''" ("Wait for me, or go away") and "''Nous ne sommes pas des anges''" ("We are not angels"). She also had a hit with the song "''L'Amérique''" ("America") by
Eddy Marnay Edmond Bacri known by the professional name Eddy Marnay (Algiers, 18 December 1920 – 3 January 2003), was a French songwriter. In his career, he wrote more than 4000 songs, including works for Édith Piaf, Frida Boccara and Céline Dion. He ...
and
Guy Magenta Guy Magenta (1927–1967) was a French composer. 1927 births 1967 deaths French male composers Composers from Paris Pseudonymous writers 20th-century French composers 20th-century French male musicians {{France-composer-stub ...
. Stewart Mason sums up this early period of Gall's career, culminating in the Eurovision win:
though many dismissed Gall as a Francophone Lesley Gore, making fluffy and ultra-commercial pop hits with little substance, Gall's hits from this era stand up far better than most. Only
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 ...
was consistently making records up to these standards during this era. Though Gall's high, breathy voice was admittedly somewhat limited, she made the most of it. Even dopey hits like " Sacré Charlemagne", a duet with a pair of puppets who were the stars of a children's show on French TV, have an infectious, zesty charm; meatier tunes, like the sultry jazz-tinged ballad "''Pense a Moi''" and the brilliant rocker "''Laisse tomber les filles''", were as good as any single produced in the U.S. or Great Britain at the time.


Film opportunities

After a TV film directed by Jean-Christophe Averty and dedicated to the songs of Gall was distributed in the United States in 1965, Gall was sought by
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
to appear as Alice in a musical film version of '' Alice in Wonderland'', after having already made '' Alice'' into a cartoon in 1951. Although Gall had insisted she did not want to become involved in film work, this was the only project which appealed to her. The project was cancelled after Disney's death in 1966. In 1966, Gall appeared in the television film ''Viva Morandi'', made in the same psychoanalytical mould as the (1965) Federico Fellini film ''
Giulietta degli Spiriti ''Juliet of the Spirits'' ( it, Giulietta degli spiriti) is a 1965 fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini and starring Giulietta Masina, Sandra Milo, Mario Pisu, Valentina Cortese, and Valeska Gert. The film is about the visions ...
'' (''Juliet of the Spirits''). She played "La Grâce" alongside Christine Lebail, who played "La Pureté", both singing "Les Sucettes" in a segment which was prominently labelled "Fantasy", in a clear reference to the song's sexual undertones. In 1993, she considered appearing on screen for a cinematographic collaboration with her best friend, screenwriter Telsche Boorman. This planned project was never completed due to Boorman's death in 1996. In January 2010, Gall was portrayed by Sara Forestier in a feature film released in France, ''Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)'', based on the graphic novel by writer-director Joann Sfar.


1966

In 1966, her children's song "Les Leçons particulières" ("Private lessons") was the subject of public notoriety and displeasure; the same occurred when Jean-Christophe Averty choreographed a troupe of men on all fours to illustrate another of her children's songs, "J'ai retrouvé mon chien" ("I've found my dog"), on his television programme, ''Les Raisins verts''. Also in 1966, Gall released another successful song written by Gainsbourg called “ Les sucettes” (Lollipops). Though the song was superficially about a young girl, Annie, who likes aniseed flavoured lollipops, plays on words within the song revealed it to be about oral sex."SPOTLIGHT THIS WEEK: France Gall"
''The New European, 18 January 2018
Gall was only 18 at the time the song was released and maintained that she was ignorant about the song's double entendre. She said she had sung “with an innocence of which I’m proud” and later said that her humiliation led her to avoid going out in public after being “betrayed by the adults around me”. She then refused to sing the song afterwards. She left France for a tour in Japan shortly after the song was released and was reportedly not able to trust another producer again until meeting
Michel Berger 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 ...
.


Psychedelic era and transition to adulthood

At the beginning of 1967, Gall sang a duet with Maurice Biraud, "La Petite", which describes a young girl coveted by a friend of her father. The controversy over this performance overshadowed her release that year of Gainsbourg's poetic ''Néfertiti''. Her next single was recorded with the orchestration of the English composer David Whitaker. New authors Frank Thomas and were brought on board. They wrote "Bébé requin" ("Baby Shark"), a song which was a success for Gall at the end of 1967, her last one for 6 years . This was followed by "Teenie Weenie Boppie", an anti-
LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
song by Gainsbourg, which has been described as "a bizarre tune about a deadly LSD trip that somehow involves Mick Jagger".Mason, Stewart
France Gall biography
all Music Guide, accessed 20 February 2012.
Gainsbourg then sang an anti-capital punishment song with Gall, "Qui se souvient de Caryl Chessman?" ("Anyone remember Caryl Chessman?"), about the death row prisoner. Stewart Mason wrote about this period, "The psychedelic era found Gall, under Gainsbourg's guidance, singing increasingly strange songs ... set to some of Gainsbourg's most out-there arrangements." Her next record "C'est toi que je veux", again with Whitaker, also failed to make an impact. With this string of recordings in the late 1960s, none of them an unmitigated success, and making the transition from teenage to adult performer, Gall faced some challenges in this period through the early 1970s. Mason wrote,
No longer a teenager, but without a new persona to redefine herself with, (and without the help of Gainsbourg, whose time was taken by his own albums and those of his wife Jane Birkin), Gall floundered both commercially and artistically. A label change from Philips to BASF in 1972 didn't help matters ..."


German-language career

Although struggling in her home country, Gall regularly recorded in Germany from 1966 to 1972, in particular with the composer and orchestrator Werner Müller. She had a successful German career with songs by
Horst Buchholz Horst Werner Buchholz (4 December 1933 – 3 March 2003) was a German actor who appeared in more than 60 feature films from 1951 to 2002. During his youth, he was sometimes called "the German James Dean". He is perhaps best known in English- ...
and Giorgio Moroder: "Love, l'amour und Liebe" (1967), "Hippie, hippie" (1968), "Ich liebe dich, so wie du bist" ("I love you the way you are") (1969) and "Mein Herz kann man nicht kaufen" ("My heart is not for sale") (1970). Her other German hits included "Haifischbaby (Bébé requin)", "Die schönste Musik, die es gibt" ("The most beautiful music there is"/"Music To Watch Girls By"), "Was will ein Boy" ("What does a boy want?") (1967), "Ja, ich sing" ("Yes, I sing"), "A Banda (Zwei Apfelsinen im Haar)" ("Two oranges in my hair"), "Der Computer Nr. 3" (1968), "Ein bisschen Goethe, ein bisschen Bonaparte" ("A bit of Goethe, a bit of Bonaparte"), "I like Mozart" (1969), "Dann schon eher der Piano player" ("I prefer the piano player") (1970), "Ali Baba Und Die 40 Räuber" ("Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves") (1971), "Komm mit mir nach Bahia, Miguel" ("Come with me to Bahia, Miguel") (1972).


Post-Gainsbourg career


New label, new beginnings

Gall had several other releases in France in 1968, none of which aroused any great interest. At the end of 1968, on reaching the age of 21, Gall separated from Denis Bourgeois and spread her wings upon the expiration of her contract with
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
. She moved to a new record label, La Compagnie, in 1969, with whom her father Robert signed a contract,Pierre Pernez, ''France Gall, comme une histoire d'amour'' (chapter "Un Nouveau Contrat"). Publisher: Cité where she made a number of recordings, but did not succeed in finding a coherent style with Norbert Saada as artistic director. She went her own way in 1969 with two adaptations: one Italian and the other British: "L'Orage/La Pioggia)" ("The Storm") which she sang with
Gigliola Cinquetti Gigliola Cinquetti (; born Giliola Cinquetti on 20 December 1947) is an Italian singer, songwriter, and television presenter. Life and career Gigliola Cinquetti was born into a wealthy family in Verona. From the ages of 9 to 13, she studied and ...
at the 1969
Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annua ...
, and "Les Années folles" ("Gentlemen Please"), created by Barbara Ruskin. Her songs "Des gens bien élevés", "La Manille et la révolution", "Zozoï" and "Éléphants" were largely ignored. La Compagnie went bankrupt within three years of its creation, co-founder and singer Hugues Aufray blaming the failure entirely on Norbert Saada. The early seventies continued to be a barren period for Gall. Although she was the first artist to be recorded in France for Atlantic Records in 1971, her singles "C'est cela l'amour" (1971) and "Chasse neige" (1971), faltered in the charts. In 1972, Gall, for the last time, recorded songs by Gainsbourg, "Frankenstein" and "Les Petits ballons", but these also failed to chart. The results of her collaboration with Jean-Michel Rivat as artistic director, "La Quatrieme chose" (1972), "Par plaisir" and "Plus haut que moi" (1973) all failed to meet with commercial success. From the 1970s onwards, Gall started regularly visiting Senegal. She bought a hideaway there on the island of N'Gor, close to
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
in 1990.


Collaboration with Michel Berger

Gall was enthralled by
Michel Berger 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 ...
's music when she heard his song "Attends-moi" ("Wait for Me") one day in 1973. During a later radio broadcast, she asked him for his opinion on songs which her then producer wanted her to record. Although he was disconcerted by the quality of the songs, there would be no question of collaboration. Only six months later, in 1974, after she sang vocals on the song "Mon fils rira du rock'n'roll" on Berger's new album, Gall's publisher asked him, at her behest, to write for her. Gall had already made her mind up that "It will be him and nobody else". In 1974, "La Déclaration d'amour" was to be the first in a long line of hits which marked a turning point in Gall's career. Meanwhile, the two artists had fallen in love and married on 22 June 1976, the only marriage for both."Michel Berger : l’éternel jeune homme qui marqua à jamais le patrimoine de la chanson française"
''Senior Actu'', 16 November 2007
After they married, Gall only sang songs written by Berger until his death in 1992.


Musicals

In 1978, pushed by Berger, she once again trod the boards of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, where she had auditioned 15 years earlier, starring in a show titled ''Made in France''. The most novel aspect of this show was that, except for the Brazilian drag act Les Étoiles, the members of the orchestra, choir and the dance troupe were exclusively female. In this show, France sang "Maria vai com as outras" the original, Brazilian (Portuguese) version of "Plus haut que moi". In 1979, Gall took part in a new show which remains memorable for many. Composed by Michel Berger and written by the Québécois author Luc Plamondon, the rock opera '' Starmania'' enjoyed a success not usual for musicals in France. The show played for one month at the Palais des congrès de Paris. In 1982, Gall rehearsed in the Palais des Sports of Paris to present ''Tout pour la musique'', an innovative spectacle marked by its use of electronic music. The songs "Résiste" and "Il jouait du piano debout" ("He played the piano standing") quickly became French pop standards.


1980s and humanitarian projects

In 1985, Gall joined Chanteurs Sans Frontières, on the initiative of
Valérie Lagrange Valérie Lagrange (born 25 February 1942) is a French actress and singer. She starred in the 1960 adventure film ''Morgan, the Pirate''.Hughes p.39 Selected filmography * ''The Green Mare'' (1959) * ''Morgan, the Pirate'' (1960) * ''The Corsic ...
. She also worked for S.O.S Éthiopie for the benefit of Ethiopia under the aegis of Renaud. At the same time, she gave a successful series of concerts lasting three weeks at the new venue Le Zénith in Paris, where she performed new songs like "Débranche" ("Loosen-up"), "Hong-Kong Star", and gave solid acoustic performances of "Plus haut", "Diego libre dans sa tête" and "Cézanne peint". In 1985 and 1986, Gall worked with Berger, Richard Berry,
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 ...
and for the benefit of Action Écoles, an organisation of schoolboy volunteers which collects essential food products in France for African countries where famine and drought prevail. On 14 January 1986, during a trip to Africa, Balavoine died in a helicopter crash. In 1987, the song "Évidemment", written by Berger and sung by Gall, was a moving homage to their lost friend. The song appeared on the album ''Babacar''. On the same album, the song "Babacar" was about a child Gall and Berger had thought to adopt from Dakar, Senegal after meeting a mother who had begged Gall to take her child. Instead of adopting the child Berger and Gall decided to help financially by writing a song about the dilemma and donating the proceeds of the song to the child. The costs covered an apartment for the family and paid study costs for both the mother and child. Gall topped the pop charts in many countries in 1987 and 1988 with another song from the ''Babacar'' album, "
Ella, elle l'a "Ella, elle l'a" (French for ''"Ella, She's Got It"'') is a single released by French singer France Gall. It was released as a single from her album '' Babacar'', on 24 August 1987, and became a hit across Europe, the Americas (especially in Quebe ...
" ("Ella′s got it"), a Berger tribute to
Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
. Following the release of ''Babacar'', Gall launched a new show produced by Berger. Opening at Le Zénith, the successful production toured throughout Europe, and gave rise to the live album ''Le Tour de France '88''.


1990s and later

Gall took a break from singing in the early 1990s and did not record any more for several years to come. She did, however, make an album called ''Double Jeu'' with Berger released 12 June 1992. Following the release of ''Double Jeu'', Gall and Berger announced a series of concerts in various Parisian venues; this project was nearly cancelled by Berger's death from a heart attack on 2 August 1992. Although Gall was strongly affected by Berger's death, she wanted to complete the project they had planned. She decided to commit to the performances at
Bercy Bercy () is a neighbourhood in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, the city's 47th administrative neighbourhood. History Some of the oldest vestiges of human occupation in Paris were found on the territory of Bercy, dating from the late Neolithic ...
and promoted the songs that she and Berger had created together. She finally performed at the Bercy in September. All the songs she performed were written by
Michel Berger 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 ...
from ''Double Jeu'', and from their discographies. A year later, she went back on stage and performed in a new show in the
Salle Pleyel The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by acoustician Gustave Lyon together with architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed in 1927 by ...
in Paris featuring new musicians. The repertoire featured songs written exclusively by Berger, though Gall included her own versions of songs originally performed by others. In 1996, Gall asked Jean-Luc Godard to produce the video clip of her song "Plus haut", taken from her album ''France''. Godard initially refused, but later agreed, and directed a dreamy, picturesque video titled "''Plus Oh!''" near his residence in
Rolle Rolle () is a municipality in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It was the seat of the district of Rolle until 2006, when it became part of the district of Nyon. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Geneva (''Lac Léman'') between Ny ...
, Switzerland. It was given its first and only airing (due to copyright issues) on 20 April 1996 on the French television channel M6. After a year in Los Angeles, she released her eighth studio album, ''France'', in 1996. That same year, she decided to headline at 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 ...
. The next year, in 1997, she announced her retirement and recorded an unplugged show for French television showcasing songs from her final album.


Personal life

Gall married her collaborator and songwriter,
Michel Berger 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 ...
, on 22 June 1976. They had two children together, Pauline and Raphaël. Her daughter Pauline was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis soon after she was born. She and Berger had decided to focus their hopes on the progress of medical research and to keep details of Pauline's condition a secret from the public. She entered into a pact with her husband to alternate their professional projects to take care of their daughter in the hope that a cure would be found. Michel Berger died of a heart attack in 1992, at age 44. In April 1993 Gall was diagnosed with breast cancer, which was successfully treated. Pauline died in December 1997. Following the death of her daughter, Gall made only occasional public appearances. She was a patron of the French charity Cœurs de Femmes and a regular poker player up until her death.


Death and legacy

As a farewell to her career, a documentary movie was shot in 2001, ''France Gall par France Gall'' and millions watched the documentary when it was broadcast on French television that year. Gall staged and appeared in the 2007 France 2 documentary, ''Tous pour la musique'', marking the 15th anniversary of Michel Berger's death. A long-term breast cancer survivor, Gall died, aged 70, of an infection after a two-year battle with a
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
of undisclosed primary origin, at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine on 7 January 2018."Mort de France Gall, une chanteuse qui donnait tout pour la musique"
''Le figaro'', 7 January 2018
-
- Maev Kennedy
"France Gall: French singer who inspired My Way dies age 70"
''The Guardian'', 8 January 2018
She was buried with her husband and daughter on 20 Avenue Rachel (division 29) at Montmartre Cemetery in Paris.


Discography


Albums

* '' N'écoute pas les idoles'' (March 1964) * ''France Gall'' (''Mes premières vraies vacances'') (August 1964) * '' Sacré Charlemagne'' (December 1964) * ''
Poupée de cire, poupée de son "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" (; English: "Wax doll, rag doll") is a song written by Serge Gainsbourg and recorded by French singer France Gall. It is best known as the Luxembourgian winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1965, hel ...
'' (April 1965) * '' Baby pop'' (October 1966) * '' Les Sucettes'' (November 1966) * '' 1968'' (January 1968) * '' France Gall'' (1973) * ''Cinq minutes d'amour'' (1976) * '' France Gall'' (6 January 1976) * '' Dancing Disco'' (27 April 1977) * ''
France Gall Live France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
'' (live album, 9 November 1978) * '' Starmania'' (various artists) (16 October 1978) * ''
Paris, France Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
'' (19 May 1980) * '' Tout pour la musique'' (10 December 1981) * '' Palais des Sports'' (live album, 4 November 1982) * '' Débranche!'' (2 April 1984) * ''
France Gall au Zénith France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
'' (live album, 4 February 1985) * ''Babacar (France Gall album), Babacar'' (19 February 1987) * ''Le Tour de France 88'' (live album, 7 November 1988) * ''Double jeu'' (with
Michel Berger 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 ...
, 12 June 1992) * ''Simple je – Débranchée à Bercy'' (live album, 29 October 1993) * ''Simple je – Rebranchée à Bercy'' (live album, 28 January 1994) * ''Pleyel (album), Pleyel'' (live album, concert recorded in 1994, published in December 2005) * ''France (album), France'' (29 March 1996) * ''Concert public (live, Olympia 1996) & Concert privé (Concert acoustique TV M6 1997)'' (24 April 1997) * ''Best of France Gall'' (compilation, 15 June 2004) * ''Évidemment (album), Évidemment'' (compilation, 7 October 2004)


Singles

* 9 October 1963 — "Ne sois pas si bête", adaptation by Pierre Delanoë of "Stand a little closer", original words and music by Jack Wolf (songwriter), Jack Wolf and Maurice "Bugs" Bower * 1964 — "N'écoute pas les idoles", words and music by Gainsbourg * 1964 — "Jazz à gogo", words by Robert Gall music by Alain Goraguer * 1964 — "
Laisse tomber les filles "Laisse tomber les filles" (English: "Drop it with the girls" i.e., "Stop messing around with the girls") is a French song written by Serge Gainsbourg and originally performed by France Gall in 1964. The song was a major hit in France, peaking at ...
", words and music by Gainsbourg * 1964 — " Sacré Charlemagne", words by Robert Gall and music by Georges Liferman * 1965 — "
Poupée de cire, poupée de son "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" (; English: "Wax doll, rag doll") is a song written by Serge Gainsbourg and recorded by French singer France Gall. It is best known as the Luxembourgian winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1965, hel ...
", words and music by Gainsbourg * 1965 — "Attends ou va-t'en", words and music by Gainsbourg * 1965 — "Nous ne sommes pas des anges", words and music by Gainsbourg * 1965 — "Baby pop", words and music by Gainsbourg * 1966 — "Les Sucettes", words and music by Gainsbourg * 1967 — "Néfertiti", words and music by Gainsbourg * 1967 — "Bébé requin", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by Joe Dassin * 1967 — "Toi que je veux", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by Joe Dassin * 1968 — "Le Temps du tempo", words by Robert Gall and music by Alain Goraguer * 1968 — "Y'a du soleil à vendre", words by Robert Gall and music by Hubert Giraud (composer), Hubert Giraud * 1968 — "24 / 36", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by Joe Dassin * 1969 — "Homme tout petit", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by Jean-Pierre Bourtayre * 1969 — "Les Années folles", adaptation by Boris Bergman of the British song "Gentlemen Please", original words and music by Barbara Ruskin * 1969 — "Baci, baci, baci", adaptation by
Eddy Marnay Edmond Bacri known by the professional name Eddy Marnay (Algiers, 18 December 1920 – 3 January 2003), was a French songwriter. In his career, he wrote more than 4000 songs, including works for Édith Piaf, Frida Boccara and Céline Dion. He ...
from Italian lyrics by Sergio Bardotti and Claudio Tallino and music by Franco and Giorgio Bracardi * 1970 — "Zozoï", words by Robert Gall and music by Nelson Angelo * 1970 — "Les Éléphants", words by Jean Schmitt and music by Jean Géral * 1971 — "C'est cela l'amour", words by Jacques Lanzmann and music by Paul-Jean Borowsky * 1971 — "Chasse neige", words by Étienne Roda-Gil and music by Julien Clerc * 1972 — "Frankenstein", words and music by Gainsbourg * 1972 — "5 minutes d'amour", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by Roland Vincent * 1973 — "Plus haut que moi", adaptation by Yves Dessca and Jean-Michel Rivat of "Maria vai com as outras" by Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes * 1973 — "Par Plaisir", words by Yves Dessca and Jean-Michel Rivat, music by Roland Vincent * May 1974 — "La Déclaration d'amour", words and music by Michel Hamburger (Michel Berger) * October 1974 — "Mais, aime la", words and music by Berger * 1975 — "Comment lui dire", words and music by Berger * April 1976 — "Ce soir je ne dors pas" * June 1976 — " Ça balance pas mal à Paris" (duet with Michel Berger), words and music by Berger * May 1977 — "Musique", words and music by Berger * October 1977 — "Si, maman si" * January 1978 — "Le meilleur de soi-même" * March 1978 — "Viens je t'emmène", words and music by Berger * January 1979 — "Besoin d'amour", words by Luc Plamondon and music by Berger * June 1980 — "Il jouait du piano debout", words and music by Berger * October 1980 — "Bébé, comme la vie", words and music by Berger * October 1980 — "Donner pour donner" (duet with Elton John), words by Michel Berger and Bernie Taupin, music by Michel Berger 
Archives INA : Reportage Antenne 2, 1981
* 1981 — "Tout pour la musique", words and music by Berger * 1981 — "Résiste", words and music by Berger * May 1981 — "Amor También", words and music by Berger * 6 April 1984 — "Débranche", words and music by Berger * 17 September 1984 — "Hong Kong Star", words and music by Berger — Archives INA : Extrait de "Hong Kong Star", Antenne 2, 1984 FR No. 6 * 4 February 1984 — "Calypso", words and music by Berger * 20 May 1984 — "Cézanne peint", words and music by Berger * 3 April 1987 — "Babacar (song), Babacar", words and music by Berger FR No. 11 GER No. 14 * 24 August 1987 — "
Ella, elle l'a "Ella, elle l'a" (French for ''"Ella, She's Got It"'') is a single released by French singer France Gall. It was released as a single from her album '' Babacar'', on 24 August 1987, and became a hit across Europe, the Americas (especially in Quebe ...
", words and music by Berger FR No. 2 GER No. 1 NL No. 38 * 7 March 1988 — "Évidemment", words and music by Berger * 12 September 1988 — "Papillon de nuit", words and music by Berger * 20 March 1989 — "La chanson d'Azima" * 29 May 1992 — "Laissez passez les rêves", words and music by Berger, duet with Michel Berger * 12 October 1992 — "Superficiel et léger" * 15 January 1993 — "Les élans du coeur" * 6 May 1993 — "Mademoiselle Chang" (live) * 5 November 1993 — "Si, maman si" (live) * December 1993 — "Il jouait du piano debout" (live) * 2 February 1994 — "La négresse blonde" (live) * 15 March 1994 — "Paradis Blanc" (live) * 14 November 1994 — "Les princes des villes" * 15 March 1996 — "Plus haut" * 5 November 1996 — "Privée d'amour" * 25 October 1996 — "Message personnel" * 14 February 1997 — "Résiste" (remix) * 15 May 1997 — "Attends ou va-t'en" (live) * 2004 — "Zozoï" — Reissue of 1970 single * 20 August 2004 — "La seule chose qui compte"


References


External links


Clips from INA archives

Official website managed by WEA Music
(offline)
France Gall biography on RFI
(offline)

(offline)
French forum of France Gall & Michel Berger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gall, France Yé-yé singers 1947 births 2018 deaths Singers from Paris French child singers German-language singers Eurovision Song Contest winners Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Luxembourg Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1965 Philips Records artists French poker players French women pop singers Deaths from cancer in France Burials at Montmartre Cemetery Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur