Michel Berger (28 November 1947 – 2 August 1992), born Michel Jean Hamburge… Read Full Bio ↴Michel Berger (28 November 1947 – 2 August 1992), born Michel Jean Hamburger, was a very successful French singer and songwriter. He was a central figure of France's pop music scene for two decades both as a singer and as a songwriter for well-known French artists like his wife France Gall, Françoise Hardy and Johnny Hallyday. He was also romantically involved with singer songwriter Véronique Sanson in the early 1970s before he married France Gall.
He died of a heart attack at the age of 45.

Berger first became known to the French public in the 1960s as singer of hit song Salut les copains, after which he became record producer and songwriter for EMI and where he wrote amongst others Les Girafes for Bourvil in 1967. In the early 1970s, he moved to Warner Music where he produced the early albums of Véronique Sanson, and Allah once again in 1989. In 1973, he was responsible for producing the album Message personnel, the title track of which relaunched the career of Françoise Hardy. He also produced the single Je suis moi for Hardy.

Berger started writing for France Gall in 1974, produced all her albums from 1975, and married her on 22 June 1976.

In 1985, he produced Johnny Hallyday's album Rock'n'Roll Attitude and also his stage-show, followed by Le Tour de France 1988 of France Gall in 1987.

In 1978, he composed the musical: Starmania, with lyrics by Luc Plamondon. The musical starred France Gall, Daniel Balavoine, Diane Dufresne, Nanette Workman, Eric Estève and Fabienne Thibeault. It was a big success in France in the 1980s and 1990s. An English version: Tycoon was released in 1991 with lyrics by Tim Rice, but it did not achieve the success the original version had in France.

Partnered by producer Jerome Savary, and by lyricist Luc Plamondon in 1980, he produced the musical La Légende de Jimmy, inspired by the life of James Dean. However, this bombed. Dreams in stone, was conceived as an American musical, co-arranged with Michel Bernholc, recorded in the United States. The show never saw the light of day, but the album was nevertheless released in 1982. The album was a complete flop and is not well-known.

As composer, Berger scored several film projects, which included Mektoub, a 1970 film by Algerian Director Ali Ghalem, Robert Benayoun's Sérieux comme le plaisir in 1975, Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Tout feu, tout flamme in 1982 and Rive droite, rive gauche the 1984 film by Philippe Labro. He is also known for his Orangina advertisement jingle.

Berger was one of a handful of French artists who participated readily and actively in humanitarian acts: in 1985, he worked exclusively for Action Écoles alongside France Gall, Richard Berry and Daniel Balavoine, then later for Ethiopia with Renaud (Chanteurs Sans Frontières) and for Les Restos du cœur with comedian Coluche.

On 2 August 1992, a few weeks after the first album of duets with France Gall came out, Michel Berger died of a heart attack, in the middle of a tennis match. He is buried in the cimetière de Montmartre in Paris. His untimely death came as a shock to many people because he had been one of the most popular French singer-songwriter of the 70's and 80's. Moreover, unlike many pop stars, he came across as a nice and simple man, more interested in music and family life than in rock & roll excesses. As a matter of fact, his marriage with France Gall was remarkably stable.

Celui Qui Chante
Michel Berger Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Celui qui chante
A son histoire
A notre histoire
Au fond de lui
Celui qui chante
Rejoint le ciel
Et fait bouger l'ordre éternel
Il est heureux, malheureux comme nous

Il cherche ce qu'il voudrait comme nous
Mais quelque chose l'emporte au-dessus de tout
Celui qui chante

Celui qui chante
Retrouve la vie
Retrouve le cri
De l'enfant-Dieu
Celui qui chante
Se sent grandir
Et sent sa force
Au bout des doigts
Il se cherche des raisons comme nous
Il se pose des questions comme nous
Mais quelque chose l'emporte au-dessus de tout
Celui qui chante (x7)
Celui qui chante
Devint si fort

Que rien au monde
Ne peut l'atteindre
Celui qui chante
A des regards
De vrai bonheur
Au fond des yeux
Il est heureux, malheureux comme nous
Il cherche ce qu'il voudrait comme nous
Mais quelque chose l'emporte au-dessus de tout
Celui qui chante (x10)

Celui qui chante
A tant d'amour
Celui qui chante
A tant d'amis
Celui qui chante
Dans sa tete à lui

Celui qui chante
A tant d'amour
Celui qui chante
A tant d'amis

Celui qui chante
Dans sa tete à lui

Overall Meaning

The song "Celui qui chante" by Michel Berger is a celebration of music and its power to connect and uplift people. The lyrics exalt the singer, who is elevated to a sacred status by the act of singing. The singer's voice carries his own story and the stories of all of humanity, connecting him to the heavens and allowing him to transcend the eternal order.

The song begins with a simple line, "Celui qui chante," or "He who sings," and immediately establishes the importance of the singer: he has his own story and is connected to ours. The singer becomes a conduit for all of humanity, embodying our joys and sorrows, and seeking answers to life's big questions just like everyone else. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that his singing elevates him beyond the mundane struggles of everyday life. He is able to tap into something greater than himself, something that allows him to transcend the limitations of the human experience and connect with something divine.

The final lines of the song shift focus to the happiness and love that the singer experiences, along with his vast circle of friends and supporters. The act of singing has transformed him into a powerful force of love and connection, both within his own mind and in the wider world.

Line by Line Meaning

Celui qui chante
The one who sings

A son histoire
Has his own story

A notre histoire
Has our collective history

Au fond de lui
Deep within himself

Rejoint le ciel
Reaches for the sky

Et fait bouger l'ordre éternel
And moves the eternal order

Il est heureux, malheureux comme nous
He is happy, unhappy like us

Il cherche ce qu'il voudrait comme nous
He searches for what he wants like us

Mais quelque chose l'emporte au-dessus de tout
But something carries him above all else

Retrouve la vie
Finds life again

Retrouve le cri
Finds the cry