Claude François’ mother was very musical and had her son take piano and violin lessons. On his own, the boy learned to play the drums. As a result of the 1956 Suez Crisis, the family returned to live in Monaco, where they struggled financially after Claude’s father fell ill and could not work. A young Claude found a job as a bank clerk and at night earned extra money playing drums with an orchestra at the luxury hotels along the French Riviera. With a good but untested singing voice, he was offered a chance to sing at a hotel in the fashionable Mediterranean resort town of Juan-les-Pins. His show was well received and eventually he began to perform at the glamorous night-clubs along the Côte d’Azur. While working the clubs, he met Janet Woolcoot, an English dancer whom he married in 1960.
Ambitious, Claude François moved to Paris, where there were many more opportunities to pursue his career. At the time, American Rock and Roll was taking hold in France and he took a job as part of a singing group in order to make a living. With the goal of eventually making it as a solo act, he paid the cost to record a 45rpm. Trying to capitalize on the American dance craze « The Twist », Claude François recorded a song titled « Nabout Twist » that proved a resounding failure. Undaunted, in 1962 he recorded a cover version in French of an Everly Brothers song, « Made to Love » (aka Girls Girls Girls). Written by Phil Everly, it had been only a minor hit in America, but Claude François’ rendition titled « Belles Belles Belles » rocked to the top of the French charts, selling close to two million copies and making him an overnight star.
Under a new manager, Claude François’ career continued to blossom. In 1963 he followed the first success with another French adaptation of an American song. This time, doing Trini Lopez’s « If I Had a Hammer » in French as « Si j’avais un marteau ». Claude François met Michel Bourdais who was working for the well-known French magazine “Salut les Copains” in English as « Hi Buddies ». He liked the rigor and the precision of Michel’s drawings and asked him to draw his portrait. This drawing has remained very famous until now. Capitalizing on his blond good looks, he mimicked Elvis Presley’s stage style as well as the slicked-back hair. Performing in sequined suits, François gave high-energy stage performances that had hordes of adoring teenage fans racing to the music shops to purchase his latest record or lining up to buy a ticket for his shows.
In 1964 he headlined at the Paris Olympia, a sign that he had arrived. At the end of that year Claude François created original new dance steps and Michel Bourdais drew them. For the first time, they brought up the idea of setting-up a show with female dancers. In January 1965, while returning from a trip to Las Vegas, Claude Francois fascinated by the American shows decided to take them as a model and eventually the project of performing on the stage with a female dancer band became clear in his mind.
A dedicated professional, Claude François worked hard to achieve success producing a string of massively popular hit songs and touring constantly. With the onslaught of Beatlemania, he covered their hits in French, adjusted the hair style a little and kept his success moving ahead. But his talent extended beyond copying the works others had made famous, and he wrote songs for himself and displayed a melodic voice doing romantic ballads.
In 1966, François created a complete new stage act using four female dancers as backup. Named « Les Clodettes, » the sexy girls danced in the background while François did his own energetic work center stage. In a return to the Paris Olympia he added eight musicians and a full orchestra to his backup dancers, putting on a spectacular show that filled every seat in the large theater and left fans standing in the street for lack of tickets.
Divorced from his wife, in 1967 he began a relationship with France Gall, another famous French singer. Their affair was short lived and he soon met Isabelle Forêt, with whom he had two sons in two years. Flushed with enormous success and confidence, he established his own record company. In 1968, he and Jacques Revaux wrote a song in French called Comme d’habitude, which became a hit in francophone countries. The song was inspired by his recent break-up with France Gall. Canadian singing star Paul Anka reworked it for the English-speaking public into the now legendary hit most famously sung by Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra as « My Way ». Although Claude François continued his successful formula of adapting English and American rock and roll hits for the French market, by the 1970s the market had changed and the disco craze that swept North America took root in France. For the versatile François, this was not a problem. He simply re-invented himself as the king of French disco, recording « La plus belle des choses, » a French version of a Bee Gees hit record.
He worked non-stop, touring across Europe, Africa and at major venues in Quebec in Canada. However, his workload caught up with him in 1971 when he collapsed on stage from exhaustion. After a brief period off, he returned to the recording studios, releasing several best-selling hits throughout the early 1970s. He expanded from owning his own record company to acquiring a celebrity magazine and a modeling agency. Although driven to achieve financial success, in 1974 he organized a concert to raise funds for a charity for handicapped children and the following year he participated in a Paris concert to raise funds for medical research. By the mid-1970s he was single again, dating several well-known European stars. He continued to perform while overseeing his numerous business interests. In 1975, while in London, he narrowly escaped death when an IRA bomb exploded and two years later a fan tried to shoot him. In 1977 and 1978, more than 15 years after his first hit record, he was still topping the musical charts with multi-million sales from hits such as « Alexandrie Alexandra » and performing to large audiences.
After working in Switzerland, on Saturday, March 11, 1978 he returned to his Paris apartment in order to appear the next day on « Rendez-vous du Dimanche » with TV host Michel Drucker. His demise was caused by his obsession with cleanliness and order. He was accidentally electrocuted when he tried to fix a broken light bulb while standing in a filled bathtub. At only 39 years of age, his early death brought a wave of public sympathy for a national French star.
Claude François owned a home near the village of Dannemois in the Essonne departement about 35 miles south of Paris. It was a place where he liked to escape to relax in the quiet countryside and it was there that he was interred in the local cemetery.
On March 11, 2000, on the 22nd anniversary of his death, Place Claude-François in Paris was named in his memory, right in front of the building where he died.
In 2004 the movie 'Podium' was released. It's a story about a Claude François impersonator (played by Benoît Poelvoorde).
His hits include Alexandrie, Alexandra; Cette Année-la; Je vais à Rio.
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
Claude François Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La messe au clocher a sonné
Minuit, sous l'arbre décoré
Chacun a posé ses souliers
Moi, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
Oui, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
Partout dans le moindre village
Il n'y a que des enfants sages
Partout dans leurs yeux innocents
C'est le même rêve impatient
Moi, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
Oui, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
Le fils que l'amour m'a donné et qui dort dans la chambre à côté
Mon fils doit se dire tout bas
Comme je l'ai fait autrefois
Demain matin, au pied du grand sapin
En tremblant, j'ouvrirai les merveilleux paquets
Et si je n'ai simplement qu'un seul jouet,
Je serai triste un peu, mais quand même si heureux
Oui, minuit sur le monde enneigé
La messe au clocher a sonné
Oui, moi, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
Oui, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
Oui, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
The lyrics of Claude François's song "C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça" depict the excitement and anticipation of Christmas from a child's perspective. The song begins with the imagery of a snowy world at midnight, with the church bells ringing for the Christmas mass. The scene is set under a decorated tree, where everyone has placed their shoes, symbolizing the tradition of receiving gifts.
The singer expresses their own anticipation, listing the gifts they hope to receive on Christmas. They mention wanting a bicycle, marbles, a boat, and bowling pins. The repetition of the phrase "C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça" emphasizes the joy and expectation associated with receiving these presents. The lyrics suggest that these material gifts symbolize the fulfillment of wishes and dreams during the Christmas season.
The song then expands to describe the universal excitement felt by children in every village. The innocence and eagerness in their eyes reflect the shared dream of Christmas. The singer acknowledges that all children anticipate the same things, fostering a sense of unity and common experience during this festive time.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics take a more reflective and heartfelt turn. The singer mentions their own child sleeping in the next room and explains how they hope their child will experience the same joy and anticipation as they did in their own childhood. They discuss their own memories of waking up on Christmas morning and trembling with excitement as they opened the wonderful gifts under the grand holiday tree.
The lyrics convey a message of appreciation for the magic of Christmas and the happiness it brings, regardless of the number or value of the presents received. The repetition of the final line, "C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça," reinforces the sentiment that the true joy of Christmas lies not in the material possessions but in the love and cherished memories shared with loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Minuit, sur le monde enneigé
At midnight, on the snowy world
La messe au clocher a sonné
The church bell has rung for the mass
Minuit, sous l'arbre décoré
Midnight, under the decorated tree
Chacun a posé ses souliers
Everyone has placed their shoes
Moi, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
I will have a bike, marbles, a boat, and bowling pins
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
It's Christmas and I will have all that
Partout dans le moindre village
Everywhere in the smallest village
Il n'y a que des enfants sages
There are only well-behaved children
Partout dans leurs yeux innocents
Everywhere in their innocent eyes
C'est le même rêve impatient
It's the same impatient dream
Le fils que l'amour m'a donné et qui dort dans la chambre à côté
The son that love has given me and who is sleeping in the next room
Mon fils doit se dire tout bas
My son must whisper to himself
Comme je l'ai fait autrefois
Just like I did in the past
Demain matin, au pied du grand sapin
Tomorrow morning, at the foot of the big Christmas tree
En tremblant, j'ouvrirai les merveilleux paquets
Trembling, I will open the wonderful packages
Et si je n'ai simplement qu'un seul jouet,
And if I only have a single toy
Je serai triste un peu, mais quand même si heureux
I will be a little sad, but still so happy
Oui, minuit sur le monde enneigé
Yes, midnight on the snowy world
La messe au clocher a sonné
The church bell has rung for the mass
Oui, moi, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
Yes, I will have a bike, marbles, a boat, and bowling pins
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
It's Christmas and I will have all that
Oui, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
Yes, I will have a bike, marbles, a boat, and bowling pins
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
It's Christmas and I will have all that
Oui, j'aurai un vélo, et des billes, un bateau et des quilles
Yes, I will have a bike, marbles, a boat, and bowling pins
C'est Noël et j'aurai tout ça
It's Christmas and I will have all that
Lyrics © SODRAC
Written by: Yves Dessca, Vline Buggy, Claude Francois
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mes Ben
Elles sont magnifiques les deux chansons merci claude❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤💋💋💋💋💋💋💋
Hélène De La Bernardine
Coucou Cloclo merci pour cette jolie chanson pleine de joie bisous bisous.
Celine Detrez
Elle est trop belle c'est musique de Claude François
- Oublier - Trèse
Oui !!! J' aurais des Guignes !
Vic Lardinois
c est moi qui paiye tous et je ne l aime pas du tous vic
Claudio Michels
Paques 2023 avec Claudio et Chariya