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.
Même Si Tu Revenais
Claude François Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Une route sauvage sous un ciel tranquille
Et cette grande entrée au bout du chemin
Je pousse la grille et soudain
Une grande maison au bout d'une allée
Une grande maison toute abandonnée
Et puis sur la porte une petite pancarte
Où l'on a écrit à louer
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Le vent s'est levé là-haut au premier
Ce volet qui bat ne ferme toujours pas
Ce volet grinçant cachait notre amour
Tu m'avais promis mais un jour
Un jour comme un autre je t'ai attendue
Jusqu'au petit matin mais tu n'es pas venue
Les mois ont passé malgré moi j'attends
Je t'attends encore, et pourtant
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
The first verse of Claude François's song "Même Si Tu Revenais" paints a picture of a remote and peaceful place, far from the city, with a wild road leading to a deserted mansion. The singer discovers the house, all alone at the end of a long driveway, with a "To Let" sign hastily written on the door. The empty and abandoned nature of the property is accentuated by the "grande maison toute abandonnée," highlighting the desolation and loneliness of its location. The second verse jumps to an interior perspective of the house, with the wind billowing through the windows and the singer remembering a promise made but not kept, a love lost forever. The hook of the song repeats the theme of the verses, that even if their loved one did return, it wouldn't be enough to rekindle the flame, the pain of loss would be too great.
The lyrics are imbued with a pervasive sense of longing for a lost love, as the singer suffers in silence in a solitary location. The atmosphere of the song is melancholic, with the emptiness and abandonment of the house paralleling the emptiness and abandonment felt by the singer. The "To Let" sign on the door is a symbol of the singer's own emotional availability, unable and unwilling to be let again.
Interestingly, Claude François's rendering of the song is notably different from the original version by Bobby Scott, recorded in 1963. François's version emphasizes the sadness and poignancy of the lyrics, in contrast to Scott's melodramatic and upbeat arrangement. François's reputation as a talented lyricist and interpreter is on full display here, as he reimagines the song as a tender and heartfelt ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Un petit coin perdu très loin de la ville
A secluded and distant place far away from the city where one can find solitude and silence.
Une route sauvage sous un ciel tranquille
A wild road beneath a calm and peaceful sky.
Et cette grande entrée au bout du chemin
And at the end of this path, there's an imposing entrance.
Je pousse la grille et soudain
I push the gate and suddenly
Une grande maison au bout d'une allée
I see a large house at the end of an alley.
Une grande maison toute abandonnée
An empty and abandoned large house.
Et puis sur la porte une petite pancarte
And then, on the door, a small sign reads:
Où l'on a écrit à louer
"For rent".
Même si tu revenais
Even if you came back,
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
I'm afraid it wouldn't change anything.
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Our love is dead forever.
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
It would hurt me too much if you returned.
Le vent s'est levé là-haut au premier
The wind is blowing upstairs on the first floor.
Ce volet qui bat ne ferme toujours pas
That shutter that keeps banging won't shut properly.
Ce volet grinçant cachait notre amour
That creaky shutter used to hide our love.
Tu m'avais promis mais un jour
You promised me, but one day,
Un jour comme un autre je t'ai attendue
Just like any other day, I waited for you.
Jusqu'au petit matin mais tu n'es pas venue
Until the morning light, but you never came.
Les mois ont passé malgré moi j'attends
Months went by, and despite myself, I kept on waiting.
Je t'attends encore, et pourtant
I'm still waiting for you, and yet,
Si tu revenais
If you came back,
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
I'm afraid it wouldn't change anything.
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Our love is dead forever.
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Jacques Andre Chaumelle, Vline Buggy, Bernard Kesslair
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Teddy Bear
Un petit coin perdu très loin de la ville
Une route sauvage sous un ciel tranquille
Et cette grande entrée au bout du chemin
Je pousse la grille et soudain
Une grande maison au bout d'une allée
Une grande maison toute abandonnée
Et puis sur la porte une petite pancarte
Où l'on a écrit à louer
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Le vent s'est levé là-haut au premier
Ce volet qui bat ne ferme toujours pas
Ce volet grinçant cachait notre amour
Tu m'avais promis mais un jour
Un jour comme un autre je t'ai attendue
Jusqu'au petit matin mais tu n'es pas venue
Les mois ont passé malgré moi j'attends
Je t'attends encore, et pourtant
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Si tu revenais
Si tu revenais
Teddy Bear
Même si tu revenais
Claude François
Un petit coin perdu très loin de la ville
Une route sauvage sous un ciel tranquille
Et cette grande entrée au bout du chemin
Je pousse la grille et soudain
Une grande maison au bout d'une allée
Une grande maison toute abandonnée
Et puis sur la porte une petite pancarte
Où l'on a écrit à louer
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Le vent s'est levé là-haut au premier
Ce volet qui bat ne ferme toujours pas
Ce volet grinçant cachait notre amour
Tu m'avais promis mais un jour
Un jour comme un autre je t'ai attendue
Jusqu'au petit matin mais tu n'es pas venue
Les mois ont passé malgré moi j'attends
Je t'attends encore, et pourtant
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Si tu revenais
Si tu revenais
David Cazeneuve
Quand la France était encore la France la meilleure époque que hélas je n'ai pas connu.
Bravo Claude François
Teddy Bear
Un petit coin perdu très loin de la ville
Une route sauvage sous un ciel tranquille
Et cette grande entrée au bout du chemin
Je pousse la grille et soudain
Une grande maison au bout d'une allée
Une grande maison toute abandonnée
Et puis sur la porte une petite pancarte
Où l'on a écrit à louer
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Le vent s'est levé là-haut au premier
Ce volet qui bat ne ferme toujours pas
Ce volet grinçant cachait notre amour
Tu m'avais promis mais un jour
Un jour comme un autre je t'ai attendue
Jusqu'au petit matin mais tu n'es pas venue
Les mois ont passé malgré moi j'attends
Je t'attends encore, et pourtant
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Même si tu revenais
Je crois bien que rien n'y ferait
Notre amour est mort à jamais
Je souffrirais trop si tu revenais
Si tu revenais
Si tu revenais
Fiorella
J'adore cette chanson et toutes les chansons de Claude. Claude François est éternel. 🌹🌹🌹❤
Joselyne bourguignon pialoux
qualité intemporelle!!
Miriana Raponi
Je suis italien, mais j'ai vécu de nombreuses années en France, ça n'a pas été difficile pour moi d'apprendre le français, et j'aime aussi la musique française, cette chanson est géniale notamment la version italienne de Dalida
Les années bonheur 60-70
Cette chanson me rappelle beaucoup de souvenirs !
Tata tu sera dans mon cœur pour la vie ❤
nic lim
Toute mon enfance avec mes chers grands parents ... Toute une époque !! Merci à eux pour tout ce qu'ils m'ont apporté !
Nelly Sollima
Mon idole Claude François 🤩🤩😍😍💖j adore ce chanteur merveilleux
CLUBBING TRACKS
Oui belle héritage pour notre culture musicale merci Cloclo forever ♥️👍🎵🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎶👍
Beatrice Nkundwa
Claude François est un excellent diplomate de la chanson Française.