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.
Jacques A Dit
Claude François Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Auquel je jouais quand j'étais enfant
Ce jeu s'appelle tout simplement "Jacques a dit"
Il faut que vous y jouiez aussi !
Jacques a dit "Levez-vous !" comme Jacques a dit
Et levez la main droite, comme Jacques a dit
Ceux qui ont levé la main, comme Jacques a dit, ont perdu la partie
Je vois que vous avez tous envie de gagner
Alors je veux bien vous expliquer
Quand je dis "Jacques a dit", faites tout ce que je dis
Mais ne faites rien quand Jacques n'a rien dit !
Levez tous le pied gauche, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit "Le pied droit", comme Jacques a dit
Tout le monde doit danser, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit de danser
Arrêtez de danser, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit d'arrêter, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit d'applaudir, comme Jacques a dit, Jacques a dit de crier
Maintenant c'est sérieux, on va jouer pour de bon
Et il faudra faire très attention
Le garçon ou la fille qui gagnera à ce jeu pourra embrasser qui il veut
Frappez tous dans vos mains, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit "Allez-y !", comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit de brailler, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit de siffler, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit de flirter, comme Jacques a dit
Attention arrêtez, comme Jacques a dit
Mettez-vous dos à dos, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit "Nez à nez", comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit "Maintenant, faites ce que vous voulez"
Frappez votre voisin, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit de frapper, comme Jacques a dit
Arrêtez de frapper, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit "Continuez", comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit de crier, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit de pleurer, comme Jacques a dit
Vous pouvez tout casser, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques a dit "Allez-y !".
The lyrics to Claude François' song "Jacques A Dit" describe a playful game called "Jacques a dit" (Jacques said) that the singer used to play as a child. The first paragraph introduces the game as a very amusing little game that everyone should play.
The second paragraph explains the rules of the game. When Jacques says "Levez-vous !" (Stand up!) and raises his right hand, everyone in the game must also stand up and raise their right hand. If someone raises their hand when Jacques didn't say anything, they lose the game.
The third paragraph acknowledges that everyone wants to win the game, and the singer is willing to explain the rules further. When Jacques says "Jacques a dit" (Jacques said), everyone must do what he says. But when Jacques doesn't say anything, no action should be taken. This emphasizes the importance of listening carefully to Jacques' instructions.
The fourth paragraph adds a twist to the game. It informs that now it's getting serious, and the winner of the game will get to kiss whomever they want. The following lines provide new instructions from Jacques, including clapping, screaming, whistling, flirting, and then abruptly stopping. Jacques then tells everyone to pair up back-to-back, then nose-to-nose, but ultimately gives the freedom to do whatever they want.
In the final lines, Jacques instructs everyone to hit their neighbors, but then tells them to stop, continue, scream, cry, and even break things. The instructions become more chaotic and unrestrained, ultimately ending with Jacques saying "Allez-y !" (Go ahead!) which can be interpreted as granting everyone permission to do whatever they please.
Overall, the lyrics portray a lively and fun game where players must carefully follow the instructions of Jacques, but also highlights the element of unpredictability and freedom as the game progresses.
Line by Line Meaning
Je connais un p'tit jeu vraiment très amusant
I know a little game that is truly very entertaining
Auquel je jouais quand j'étais enfant
Which I used to play when I was a child
Ce jeu s'appelle tout simplement 'Jacques a dit'
This game is simply called 'Jacques said'
Il faut que vous y jouiez aussi !
You must also play it!
Jacques a dit 'Levez-vous !' comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said 'Stand up!' just as Jacques said
Et levez la main droite, comme Jacques a dit
And raise your right hand, just as Jacques said
Ceux qui ont levé la main, comme Jacques a dit, ont perdu la partie
Those who raised their hand, just as Jacques said, have lost the game
Je vois que vous avez tous envie de gagner
I see that you all want to win
Alors je veux bien vous expliquer
So I am willing to explain to you
Quand je dis 'Jacques a dit', faites tout ce que je dis
When I say 'Jacques said', do everything I say
Mais ne faites rien quand Jacques n'a rien dit !
But don't do anything when Jacques didn't say anything!
Levez tous le pied gauche, comme Jacques a dit
Raise your left foot, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit 'Le pied droit', comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said 'Right foot', just as Jacques said
Tout le monde doit danser, comme Jacques a dit
Everyone must dance, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit de danser
Jacques said to dance
Arrêtez de danser, comme Jacques a dit
Stop dancing, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit d'arrêter, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said to stop, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit d'applaudir, comme Jacques a dit, Jacques a dit de crier
Jacques said to applaud, just as Jacques said, Jacques said to shout
Maintenant c'est sérieux, on va jouer pour de bon
Now it's serious, we're going to play for real
Et il faudra faire très attention
And you will have to be very careful
Le garçon ou la fille qui gagnera à ce jeu pourra embrasser qui il veut
The boy or girl who wins this game will be able to kiss whoever they want
Frappez tous dans vos mains, comme Jacques a dit
Clap your hands, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit 'Allez-y !', comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said 'Go ahead!', just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit de brailler, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said to cry loudly, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit de siffler, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said to whistle, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit de flirter, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said to flirt, just as Jacques said
Attention arrêtez, comme Jacques a dit
Attention, stop, just as Jacques said
Mettez-vous dos à dos, comme Jacques a dit
Put your backs together, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit 'Nez à nez', comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said 'Nose to nose', just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit 'Maintenant, faites ce que vous voulez'
Jacques said 'Now, do what you want'
Frappez votre voisin, comme Jacques a dit
Hit your neighbor, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit de frapper, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said to hit, just as Jacques said
Arrêtez de frapper, comme Jacques a dit
Stop hitting, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit 'Continuez', comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said 'Continue', just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit de crier, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said to shout, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit de pleurer, comme Jacques a dit
Jacques said to cry, just as Jacques said
Vous pouvez tout casser, comme Jacques a dit
You can break everything, just as Jacques said
Jacques a dit 'Allez-y !'
Jacques said 'Go ahead!'
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Celine Perruquon
Claude François et ses clodettes y a pas mieux 💖💕💟💞💝💜💛💘💗💚💙❤
Josy-Anne Fevre
Mon Claude adoré, j'aime cette chanson!!!!
Thierry Ruiter
Très bon 😁👍Claude Claude a dit🏵️✌️
Déva Lebert-Noël
J’adore ❤️
Celine Perruquon
ne nous posons plus de questions, vivons un point c'est tout 💙
Pat B
Irremplaçable Cloclo...
patricia vandebroek
beaux souvenirs - ma jeunesse - immortel !
Guegan Bernard
Oui exacte pour moi aussi, beau souvenirs, surtout dans les fêtes de quartiers avec les forains qui venaient avec leurs manèges, il y avait les nacelles le monstres, les auto-tamponneuse, et bien d'autres, le bon temps des années 1970.
DJ HOPE - EspeB
Oh!! super souvenir cette chason!! Quelqun peut me dire dans quel Cd de Cloclo ce trouve t'elle?? Merci tout plein!
Claude AYME
"JACQUES A DIT", Il n'y a pas que la Version de Christophe Willem👤il a celle de notre super CLOCLO🏆bien plus enjouée🙌💛💚💙💗🎵🎼😊🙌Claude Aymé