Alain Bashung (, born Alain Claude Baschung; 1 December 1947 – 14 March 2009) was a French singer, songwriter and actor. Credited with reviving the French

chanson A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic ...

in "a time of French musical turmoil", he is often regarded in his home country as the most important

French rock French rock is a form of rock music produced in France, primarily with lyrics in the French language. French rock was born as early as mid-1950s, when writer, songwriter and jazz player Boris Vian wrote parody rock songs for Magali Noël or Hen ...

musician after

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoc ...

. He rose to prominence in the early 1980s with hit songs such as " Gaby oh Gaby" and "Vertige de l'amour", and later had a string of hit records from the 1990s onward, such as "Osez Joséphine", "Ma petite entreprise" and "La nuit je mens". He has had an influence on many later French artists, and is the most awarded artist in the

Victoires de la Musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...

history with 12 victories obtained throughout his career. Bashung's ''

Play blessures ''Play blessures'' ''(Play injuries)'' is the fourth album by French rock musician Alain Bashung, issued in 1982 on Philips Records. It is generally considered to be among his most significant works. Production After the success of "Gaby oh Gab ...

'' (1982), '' Osez Joséphine'' (1991), and '' Fantaisie militaire'' (1998) have made multiple French lists of the greatest albums. '' L'Imprudence'' (2002) and '' Bleu pétrole'' (2008), the last two studio albums released during his lifetime, also garnered acclaim. Bashung died at 61 after a two-year fight with lung cancer.

Biography

Youth

Alain Baschung (he later dropped the "c" from his surname) was the son of a Breton mother working in a rubber factory and an

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n father, whom he never knew. His mother remarried, and at the age of one, Bashung was sent to

Wingersheim Wingersheim (; gsw-FR, Wìngersche) is a former commune in the Bas-Rhin department in north-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Wingersheim-les-Quatre-Bans Wingersheim-les-Quatre-Bans is a commune in the ...

, near Strasbourg to live with his stepfather's parents.''Alain Bashung, rocker en équilibre'' dans ''Le Monde'' du 25 mars 2008.
/ref> He spent his childhood in the countryside, in a rather conservative environment, alongside a grandmother who did not speak French.
dans ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

'' du 16 mars 2009 He discovered music during his childhood, notably

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

's '' Mahagonny'', and began to practice with a Rosebud

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...

offered to him when he was five. He also practiced

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from tw ...

and sang in the church choir of Wingersheim. He came back to Paris in 1959, where he discovered the great chanson artists, and then rock artists such as

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, " Be-Bop-a-Lu ...

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

(whom he admired deeply), and

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 ...

. While studying (before dropping out after he was awarded a BTS in

accountancy Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

from the École nationale de commerce in 1965), he formed a band called ''Les Dunces'' playing

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

and

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

Long beginnings

He later formed a band with musicians met in

Royan Royan (; in the Saintongeais dialect; oc, Roian) is a commune and town in the south-west of France, in the department of Charente-Maritime in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its inhabitants are known as ''Royannais'' and ''Royannaises''. Cap ...

, and then began to tour in restaurants, hotels and U.S. military bases. He began his career with his first EP, "Pourquoi rêvez-vous des États-Unis ?" in 1966, which he wrote and composed. At the same time, he joined the RCA label to become a

music arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestra ...

. He wrote songs for French artists. In June 1967, at the Palais des Sports of Paris, he was the opening act (alongside

Noël Deschamps Noël St. Clair Deschamps (25 December 190812 May 2005) was an Australian public servant and diplomat. Early life and education Deschamps was born in Brisbane, the son of Jacqueline Hester née Irwin and Joseph Mark Deschamps. His paternal gran ...

and Ronnie Bird) of artists such as

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the Troggs The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English garage rock band formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper "Wild Thing", " With a Girl Like You" and " Love Is All Around", all ...

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

.Michka Assayas (sous la direction de). ''Dictionnaire du rock'', Robert Laffont, coll. Bouquins, 2000, p. 102 In 1968, he released his first single, "Les Romantiques", which was largely ignored by the public and unsuccessful. Around that time, he dropped the "c" from his name and spent some time at the house of fellow singer Christophe. From 1972 to 1974, he composed some of the music and cowrote three albums and three singles (including "Marilou") for French rock singer Dick Rivers. In 1973, he played

Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

in the musical '' La Révolution française'' by

Claude-Michel Schönberg Claude-Michel Schönberg (born 6 July 1944, in Vannes) is a French record producer, actor, singer, songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with lyricist Alain Boublil. Major works include ''La Révolution Fran� ...

. In 11 years, he released no less than four EPs and ten singles, one under the moniker of David Bergen, and two others in 1976 and 1977 as Hendrick Darmen, composer for a band called ''Monkey Bizness''. All of them failed to have any impact.

Boris Bergman and first successes

He then met sound engineer Andy Scott and lyricist Boris Bergman. Together, they realized his first album '' Roman-photos'', with a country and rockabilly sound, which was a commercial failure as punk rock was rising. In 1979, he produced another album, '' Roulette russe'', darker and leaning more openly toward rock. In 1980, he released the single " Gaby oh Gaby", which became his breakthrough success (selling more than a million copies). His critical and commercial success was confirmed with his next album, ''

Pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, ...

'', which allowed him, thanks to his second hit success, "Vertige de l'amour", to tour in prestigious locations, such as the Olympia. However, he broke with Bergman at the time.

Artistic turn

In 1982, Bashung released an album called ''

'', written by

. The album, in contrast with its immediate predecessor, is dark, minimalistic and inaccessible. The album was intended to break away from his unexpected success. It was a commercial and, at first, critical failure, Bashung being called by some the "

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 ...

of new wave". Yet, it is now considered a classic album in France. In 1983, he produced another dark album, ''

Figure imposée ''Figure imposée'' ''(Compulsory routine)'' is the fifth album by French rocker Alain Bashung, issued in 1983 on Philips Records. Production The album was issued one year after ''Play blessures'' ''(Play harms)'' which was a commercial and, ...

'', which also met with little success. However, in 1984 he made peace with Boris Bergman, and the lyricist wrote for him "SOS Amor" which was a surprise hit. In 1985, he sang "Touche pas à mon pote", a single for the association SOS Racisme. In the wake of the success of "SOS Amor", he released in 1986 the album '' Passé le Rio Grande'', which allowed him to get his first

Victoires de la musique Victoires de la Musique (; en, Victories of Music) is an annual French award ceremony where the Victoire accolade is delivered by the French Ministry of Culture to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The classical and jazz ...

award. In 1989, he returned to a dark, experimental style with the album ''

Novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...

'', from which the singles "Bombez !", "Pyromanes" and "Étrange été" were released. The album marked his first collaboration with lyricist Jean Fauque and his definitive breakup with Boris Bergman.

Mainstream and critical success

In 1991, he released another album with Fauque as lyricist, '' Osez Joséphine'', which also included some cover versions of classic American rock songs. The album helped him achieve mainstream success, selling 350.000 copies and "Osez Joséphine" became his first real popular success since "Vertige de l'amour". On the same album is featured "Madame rêve", another classic in a different, more atmospheric style, which would be a trademark of his future releases. In 1992, he covered the French pop classic song "Les Mots bleus", from the

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the same name by Christophe, for an AIDS research support compilation. In 1994, he released ''

Chatterton Thomas Chatterton (20 November 1752 – 24 August 1770) was an English poet whose precocious talents ended in suicide at age 17. He was an influence on Romantic artists of the period such as Shelley, Keats, Wordsworth and Coleridge. Althoug ...

'', which he called a "new age

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

" album. For this album, he worked with artists such as Sonny Landreth, Ally McErlaine, Link Wray,

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wai ...

Stéphane Belmondo Stéphane Belmondo (; born July 8, 1967) is a French jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, and drummer. Including recordings made with his brother Lionel Belmondo and Yusef Lateef, he won the best French album category ''(L'Album français de l'année ...

. The single "Ma petite entreprise" was a new popular success. Following the album, he toured for two years and in 1995 released the double live album '' Confessions publiques''. From 1994 onwards, Bashung began to spend more time for his acting career (which he started in 1981 with ''Nestor Burma, détective de choc''), for instance with ''Ma sœur chinoise'' by

Alain Mazars Alain may refer to: People * Alain (given name), common given name, including list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Alain (surname) * "Alain", a pseudonym for cartoonist Daniel Brustlein * Alain, a standard author abbreviation u ...

. After recording a duet with

Brigitte Fontaine Brigitte Fontaine, (born 24 June 1939) is a singer of avant-garde music. She has employed numerous unusual musical styles, melding rock and roll, folk, jazz, electronica, spoken word poetry, and world. She has collaborated with Stereolab, ...

, "City" for her '' Les Palaces'' album, he came back to music in 1998 with '' Fantaisie militaire''. For this album, he notably collaborated with Jean Fauque, Rodolphe Burger, Les Valentins, Jean-Marc Lederman and

Adrian Utley Adrian Francis Utley (born 27 April 1957) is an English musician and producer, and a member of the band Portishead.Jurek, ThomAdrian Utley Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved 31 December 2016 Career Born in Northampton,Mejia, Paula (2015)In Search ...

of Portishead. The arrangements and strings were done by Joseph Racaille. The first single from the album was "La nuit je mens" which was another hit for Bashung. For the album, he received 3 more Victoires de la musique awards in 1999 (and in 2005, he received another for the "best album of the last twenty years"). For Bashung, it was a huge commercial and critical success. In 2000, he released the compilation ''Climax'', on which some songs are rerecordings as duets with notable artists from the French scene (most famously, the song "Volontaire" from ''Play blessures'' with French band

Noir Désir Noir Désir (, "Black Desire") was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on n ...

). That same year, he cowrote "L'Eau et le vin" for

Vanessa Paradis Vanessa Chantal Paradis (; born 22 December 1972) is a French singer, model, and actress. Paradis became a child star at the age of 14 with the international success of her single " Joe le taxi" (1987). At age 18, she was awarded France's high ...

' album ''

Bliss BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C bec ...

''. In 2002, he released another album, '' L'Imprudence'' to critical acclaim, which is considered one of the darker albums of his discography. The album is not easily accessible and features strings and electronic arrangements, with sometimes nearly spoken lyrics, and was inspired according to Bashung by old black and white movies. That same year, he recorded the album '' Cantique des cantiques'' with his new wife, singer Chloé Mons, the song was written for their wedding in 2001 by Rodolphe Burger, from a new translation of Solomon's Song of Songs by

Olivier Cadiot Olivier Cadiot (born 1956) is a French writer, poet, dramatist and translator. Cadiot was born in Paris. His first book of poems, ''L'Art poetic,'' in which he used the cut-up technique, was published in 1988. In 1993, Cadiot published ''Futur, ...

. In 2003, he sang the French chanson classic "Avec le temps" by

Léo Ferré Léo Ferré (24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993) was a French-born Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer, whose career in France dominated the years after the Second World War until his death. He released so ...

for a tribute album to the late artist, ''Avec Léo !'' and wrote the preface to a book about that artist. In 2004, the double live album ''

La Tournée des grands espaces ''La Tournée des grands espaces'' ''(The wide spaces tour)'' is the fourth live album by Alain Bashung, issued in 2004 on Barclay Records. It documents the 2003-2004 tour which followed the album ''L'Imprudence''. Production The scene of the To ...

'' was released. In 2005, he sang "Le Sud" on a tribute album to

Nino Ferrer Nino Agostino Arturo Maria Ferrari (), known as Nino Ferrer (15 August 1934 – 13 August 1998), was an Italian-born French singer-songwriter and author. Biography and career Nino Ferrer was born on 15 August 1934 in Genoa, Italy, but lived the ...

, ''On dirait Nino''. In 2006, he recorded a

Charles Trenet Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics to nearly a thousand songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These include ...

song, " Que reste-t-il de nos amours ?" as a duet with

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 of ...

for her album ''(Parenthèses...)''. In June 2006, in the

Cité de la musique The Cité de la Musique ("City of Music"), also known as Philharmonie 2, is a group of institutions dedicated to music and situated in the Parc de la Villette, 19th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was designed with the nearby Conservatoire de ...

in Paris, he got the opportunity to sing for several days. There he brought on stage artists such as Christophe,

Dominique A Dominique Ané (born 6 October 1968), better known as "Dominique A", is a French songwriter and singer. Early life Born on 6 October 1968 in Provins, France, Dominique Ané is the only child of a teacher and a homemaker. He was passionate about ...

, Rodolphe Burger or

Arto Lindsay Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation ''No New York''. In ...

. In early 2007, after a small break, he was involved in the ''Les Aventuriers d'un autre monde'' tour alongside rock and pop artists

Jean-Louis Aubert Jean-Louis Aubert (, born 12 April 1955) is a French singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer and producer. He went on a solo career after the split of the rock band Téléphone that he co-founded. Early life Born in Nantua, Ain, France in 1955 ...

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the secon ...

Daniel Darc Daniel Rozoum (20 May 1959 – 28 February 2013), known as Daniel Darc, was a French singer, who achieved success with his band Taxi Girl (together with Mirwais Ahmadzaï) between 1978 and 1986, and also as a solo artist. After Taxi Girl was ...

Richard Kolinka Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'str ...

and Raphaël. He sang for a couple of evenings 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, and played the role of

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer ...

for the song "Panique Mécanique" on

Dionysos In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...

' album ''

La Mécanique du Cœur LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

''. That same year, he played with Belgian singer

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a so ...

in the movie ''J'ai toujours rêvé d'être un gangster'', by

Samuel Benchetrit Samuel Benchetrit (born 26 June 1973) is a French writer, actor, scenarist, and director. Biography Benchetrit was born to a family of Romani, Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. At age fifteen, he quit school to focus on photography. B ...

. They appear as themselves, arguing over the authorship of a song. Alain bashung

In 2008, he sang "L.U.V." as a duet with

for the latter's album, ''Amours suprêmes''. He was also involved in

Étienne Daho Étienne Daho (; ; born 14 January 1956) is a French singer. He has released a number of synth-driven and rock- surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981. Career Daho was born in Oran, French Algeria. He sings in a low, whispery voice somewh ...

's Daho Show, covering "I Can't Escape from You" as a duet with Daho. He also rerecorded Serge Gainsbourg's classic album, '' L'Homme à tête de chou'', for a show. On 24 March 2008, he released the album '' Bleu pétrole'', collaborating notably with Gaëtan Roussel of French band

Louise Attaque Louise Attaque () is a French chanson/folk rock band founded in 1994. Several of the group's albums were produced by Gordon Gano, lead singer of Violent Femmes, a band whom Louise Attaque often cites as an influence and for whom their own band is ...

, Arman Méliès, M. Ward or Gérard Manset (covering the latter's song "Il voyage en solitaire" as the final song on the album). He then began to tour for the album. The 10 June 2008, he sang several times at the Olympia although he was undergoing a chemotherapy for his lung cancer.''Entretien avec Jean Fauque''
dans ''

Le Parisien ''Le Parisien'' (; French for "The Parisian") is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH. Histor ...

'' du 10 juin 2008 Jean Fauque claimed that a new album was underway.

Final months and death

On 1 January 2009, Bashung was made ''Chevalier'' (Knight) of 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 ...

. On 28 February 2009, he received three prestigious

awards for his final album ''Bleu pétrole''. The 2009 award ceremony was his last public appearance. He appeared frail, but still performed "Résidents de la République." He won the Best male artist of the year, Best album and Best tour awards. Bashung died in Paris on 14 March 2009 from lung cancer at the age of 61 at the Hôpital Saint-Joseph in Paris. After a religious ceremony at the

Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...

, he was buried on 20 March 2009 in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...

Posthumous events

On 12 November 2009, the opening of a ballet using a rerecording of ''L'Homme à tête de chou'', a 1976

album, by Bashung as the soundtrack, occurred at the

Maison de la Culture de Grenoble The Maison de la Culture de Grenoble, commonly called MC2, is a public venue for public events located on the Avenue Marcellin-Berthelot in Grenoble, France. History Built by André Wogenscky on the occasion of the Olympics, MC2 was inaugurated o ...

, with a choreography by

Jean-Claude Gallotta Jean-Claude is a French masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jean-Claude Ades, an Italian electronic music producer * Jean-Claude Alibert (died 2020), a French racing driver * Jean-Claude Amiot (born 1939), a French compos ...

who approached him in 2007 to adapt the work. On 27 November 2009, a box set called ''À perte de vue'', which contained the entire output of Bashung so far (on 27 discs), was released. The box set features his twelve solo albums so far, his five live albums, his two duet albums with Chloé Mons, two albums of instrumentals and three albums of covers, duets and rarities. Alongside this box set a double live album documenting his last tour, called '' Dimanches à l'Élysée'' and recorded at the

Élysée Montmartre Élysée Montmartre (french: L'Élysée Montmartre) is a music venue located at 72 Boulevard de Rochechouart, Paris, France. It opened in 1807, burned down in 2011, reopened in 2016, and has a capacity of 1,380 patrons. The nearest métro station ...

on 14 December 2008, was released on 16 November. That same day, a live video recorded at the Olympia 10 and 15 June 2008 was released. This DVD was awarded the 2010 Victoires de la musique award for best musical DVD of the year. At the same Victoires ceremony, French singer

Benjamin Biolay Benjamin Biolay (; born 20 January 1973) is a French singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the brother of singer Coralie Clément—whose first three albums he wrote and produced—and the ex-husband of Chiara Mastroiann ...

, who was awarded the Best male artist of the year award, paid tribute to Bashung. He can be heard singing ''La nuit je mens'' in the closing scenes of the final episode of the French television series '' Les Bleus: premiers pas dans la police'' (2006–10). On 26 April 2011, a tribute album called ''Tels Alain Bashung'' was released. It features twelve covers of Bashung songs by various artists and bands, with a documentary called ''Alain Bashung - Faisons envie'' directed by Thierry Villeneuve. On 7 November 2011, his rerecording of ''L'Homme à tête de chou'' was released on

Barclay Records Barclay is a French record company and label founded by Eddie Barclay in 1953. Eddie Barclay was a bandleader, pianist, producer, and nightclub owner. With his wife, Nicole, who was the vocalist in his band, he started Barclay. The catalogue in ...

Influence

A multi-platinum artist, Bashung received three awards during the ceremony at the Paris Zenith, including best male artist, best album for "Bleu Pétrole" (Barclay/Universal) and best live show. He spent his career singing a pop-chanson repertoire. With 12 trophies won since 1993, he was the most awarded artist in the history of the

. Bashung, who had cancer, had to postpone several dates of his last tour. While receiving his award, he said he hoped that record companies would "remain in a human dimension by making people happy with records." In February 2010, the French edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' magazine placed six of his albums in their list "100 disques essentiels du rock français" (100 Essential French Rock Albums) with two albums in the top 10, '' Osez Joséphine'' at number one, and '' Fantaisie militaire'' at number nine.''Rolling Stone'', No. 18, February 2010, p. 29,

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Live albums

* 1985 : ''

Live Tour 85 ''Live Tour 85'' is the first live album by French rocker Alain Bashung, issued in 1985 on Philips Records. Production The album was first issued as a single vinyl album, but was quickly rereleased as a double album at Bashung's request (wit ...

'' * 1992 : '' Tour Novice'' * 1995 : '' Confessions publiques'' * 2004 : ''

'' * 2009 : '' Dimanches à l'Élysée''

Compilations

* 1993 : '' Réservé aux indiens'' * 1999 : ''

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

'' * 2000 : ''Ma petite entreprise'' (original soundtrack to the film ''

My Little Business ''Ma petite entreprise'' (English: ''My Little Business'') is a 1999 French film directed by Pierre Jolivet and written by Jolivet and Simon Michaël. Cast * Vincent Lindon : Ivan Lansi * François Berléand : Maxime Nassieff * Roschdy Zem : S ...

'')

Filmography

Actor

* 1981 : '' Nestor Burma, détective de choc'' de

Jean-Luc Miesch Jean-Luc may refer to: In politics: * Jean-Luc Bennahmias (born 1954), a French politician and Member of the European Parliament * Jean-Luc Dehaene (1940–2014), a Flemish politician * Jean-Luc Laurent (born 1957), a French politician * Jean-Luc ...

* 1981 : '' Le Cimetière des voitures'' de

Fernando Arrabal Fernando Arrabal Terán (born August 11, 1932) is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist, and poet. He was born in Melilla and settled in France in 1955. Regarding his nationality, Arrabal describes himself as "desterrado", ...

* 1991 : '' Rien que des mensonges'' de

Paule Muret Paule (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Paule are called ''paulois'' in French. Geography Paule is located on the northern slope of the Montagnes Noires (frenc ...

* 1992 : '' L'Ombre du doute'' de

Aline Issermann Aline Issermann (born 16 November 1948 in Paris) is a French filmmaker. She began her career as an author and illustrator of comics, then became director of feature films and television films. Among her films are '' Le Destin de Juliette'' (1983), ...

* 1994 : '' Ma sœur chinoise'' de

* 1995 : '' Le Jeu de la clé'' de

Michel Hassan Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

* 1998 : '' Mon père, ma mère, mes frères et mes sœurs...'' de

Charlotte de Turckheim Anne-Charlotte de Turckheim (born 5 April 1955) is a French actress, screenwriter, comedian and film producer. Born in Montereau-Fault-Yonne, Seine-et-Marne, France, the daughter of Françoise Husson and Arnaud de Turckheim, a member of a noble ...

* 1999 : '' Je veux tout'' de

Patrick Braoudé Patrick Braoudé (born 25 September 1954) is a French actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. Selected filmography Producer * 1990: ''Génial, mes parents divorcent'' * 1993: '' Neuf mois'' * 1996: '' Amour et confusions'' * 2000: '' Deuxi ...

* 2000 : ''

La Confusion des Genres ''Confusion of Genders'' (french: La Confusion des genres) is a 2000 French drama film starring Pascal Greggory. It was directed by Ilan Duran Cohen. Two actors of this film were nominated at the César Awards 2001: Pascal Greggory for Best Acto ...

'' de Ilan Duran Cohen * 2000 : ''

Retour à la vie ''Return to Life'' (french: Retour à la vie) is a 1949 French drama film, drama portmanteau film in five parts directed by Georges Lampin, André Cayatte, Henri-Georges Clouzot and Jean Dréville (who directed the last two parts). It was entere ...

'' de Pascal Baeumler (avec Emmanuelle Laborit) * 2000 : '' Félix et Lola'' de

Patrice Leconte Patrice Leconte (; born 12 November 1947) is a French film director, actor, comic strip writer, and screenwriter. Life and career Leconte grew up in Tours, and began making little amateur films at 15. He went to Paris in 1967 and studied at Inst ...

* 2000 : '' L'Origine du monde'' de

Jérôme Enrico Jerome (c.347–420) was a priest, confessor, theologian and historian from Dalmatia. Jerome may also refer to: People Given name * Jerome (given name), a masculine name of Greek origin, with a list of people so named * Saint Jerome (disambig ...

* 2002 : '' La Bande du drugstore'' de François Armanet * 2003 : '' Le P'tit Curieux'' de

Jean Marbœuf Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

* 2006 : '' Arthur et les Minimoys'' de

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 '' ...

(voix de M Le maudit) * 2007 : '' J'ai toujours rêvé d'être un gangster'' de

* 2014 : Jack et la mécanique du cœur ack the ripper

Composer

* 1981 : '' Nestor Burma, détective de choc'' de

* 1985 : '' Le Quatrième Pouvoir'' de Serge Leroy * 1986 : ''

Le Beauf Sabrina Marie Le Beauf (born March 21, 1958) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sondra Huxtable on the NBC situation comedy '' The Cosby Show''. She has voiced the character Norma Bindlebeep on the Nick at Nite Nick at Nite ...

'' de Yves Amoureux * 1992 : '' Le Jeune Werther'' de

Jacques Doillon Jacques Doillon (; born 15 March 1944) is a French film director. He has a habit of giving lead roles to inexperienced young actresses in his films on family life and women. Some actresses to break through are Fanny Bastien, Sandrine Bonnaire, ...

* 1994 : '' Pigalle'' de

Karim Dridi Karim Dridi (born 9 January 1961 in tunis) is a French Tunisian film director and screenwriter. He has directed ten films since 1987. His 1994 film ''Pigalle'' was entered into the main competition at the 51st edition of the Venice Film Festiv ...

* 1999 : '' Ma petite entreprise'' de

Pierre Jolivet Pierre Jolivet (; born 9 October 1952) is a French director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. His film ''Zim and Co.'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and his film '' The Night Watchman'' won the ...

References

External links

*
Alain Bashung – Website (discography, songs, news)

*

obituary from ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

''
Alain Bashung dies, Radio France Internationale in English

Site sur Alain Bashung

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bashung, Alain 1947 births 2009 deaths Male actors from Paris Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Deaths from lung cancer in France French male film actors French people of Breton descent French people of Algerian descent French rock singers Philips Records artists 20th-century French male singers French male singer-songwriters