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.

Quelques mots d'amour
Michel Berger Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Il manque quelqu'un près de moi
Je me retourne, tout le monde est là
D'où vient ce sentiment bizarre
Que je suis seul?
Parmi tous ces amis
Et ces filles qui ne veulent
Que quelques mots d'amour

De mon village, capitale
Où l'air chaud peut être glacial
Où des millions de gens
Se connaissent si mal
Je t'envoie comme un papillon
À une étoile
Quelque mots d'amour

Je t'envoie mes images
Je t'envoie mon décor
Je t'envoie mes sourires des jours
Où je me sens plus fort
Je t'envoie mes voyages
Mes jours d'aéroport
Je t'envoie mes plus belles victoires
Sur l'ironie du sort

Et dans ces boîtes pour danser
Les nuits passent inhabitées
J'écoute les battements de mon cœur me répéter
Qu'aucune musique au monde ne saura remplacer
Quelque mots d'amour

Je t'envoie mes images
Je t'envoie mon décor
Je t'envoie mes sourires des jours
Où je me sens plus fort
Je t'envoie mes voyages
Mes jours d'aéroport
Je t'envoie mes plus belles victoires
Sur l'ironie du sort

De mon village à cent à l'heure
Où les docteurs greffent les cœurs
Où les millions de gens
Se connaissent si mal
Je t'envoie comme un papillon

À une étoile
Quelques mots d'amour

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Michel Berger's song "Quelques mots d'amour" represent a feeling of being alone in a crowd. The singer feels like there is someone missing from his life, even though he is surrounded by friends and girls who desire only a few words of love. He questions where this strange feeling of being alone comes from, and wonders how he can feel this way despite his close relationships.

The song takes place in the singer's hometown, where the air can be cold and millions of people know each other so poorly. The singer sends his love to someone special, like a butterfly to a star. He sends his images, his smiles, his travels, his wins - things that make him feel alive and stronger. Even when he is in a dance club surrounded by people, he only hears his own heartbeat which reminds him that nothing in the world could replace a few words of love.

The lyrics evoke a sense of longing, of missing someone dearly, and of wanting to connect emotionally with that special someone. The singer sends his love and affection through his memories and experiences, hoping that someone, somewhere, will receive his message of love.

Line by Line Meaning

Il manque quelqu'un près de moi
I feel the absence of someone close to me

Je me retourne, tout le monde est là
I turn around, and everyone is present

D'où vient ce sentiment bizarre
Where does this strange feeling come from

Que je suis seul?
That I am alone?

Parmi tous ces amis
Among all these friends

Et ces filles qui ne veulent
And these girls who only want

Que quelques mots d'amour
A few words of love

De mon village, capitale
From my village, the capital

Où l'air chaud peut être glacial
Where the warm air can be icy

Où des millions de gens
Where millions of people

Se connaissent si mal
Hardly know each other