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.
Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour qui vaille la peine
Michel Berger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
20 ans demain
Les mains dans ma musique, j'attendais le réveil
Une petite voix de rien
S'installait dans ma tête, me donnait des conseils
(Pont)
Va et cours et joue ta vie
Va et cours et brûle ta vie
Et je disais oui
Tout connaître, tout savoir
Le prix du bonheur et du désespoir
Et j'ai compris trop tard
(Refrain 1)
Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour qui vaille la peine
Y'a vraiment qu'aimer d'amour qui tienne
Pas celui qu'on lit dans les mauvais poèmes,
Mais le vrai, celui qui vous dévore le coeur, qui vous fait peur
(Refrain 2)
Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour qui vaille la peine
Prier pour qu'il reste, prier pour qu'il vienne
Pas celui qui dort au chaud dans la laine
Mais le vrai, celui qui porte la vie ou la mort dans nos rêves
(Couplet 2)
J'ai cherché très loin
La lumière d'une étoile que j'avais dans les mains
Amoureux du présent
Il ne me restait rien que le souffle du vent
(Pont)
(Refrain 1)
(Refrain 3)
Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour qui vaille la peine
Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour pour vaincre la haine
Pour vaincre l'ennui, la vie qui se traîne
Mais le vrai, celui qui porte la vie ou la mort dans nos rêves
Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour qui vaille la peine (bis)
(Merci à Juls pour cettes paroles)
The song "Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour qui vaille la peine" by Michel Berger is a reflection on the existential questions that arise during youth and the search for true love. The first verse sets the scene with the singer waiting for something to happen, the "little voice" in their head giving them advice. The bridge speaks to the impulse to live life to the fullest, to go out and experience everything. The refrain repeats the idea that only love is truly worth the effort, not the kind of love found in cheap poetry, but the real love that consumes and frightens us. The second verse describes the search for enlightenment, for some guiding light in life, but coming up empty-handed. The refrain is repeated twice more, emphasizing the idea that love is the only thing worth living for.
The song is uplifting in its message, exhorting the listener to believe in love and its transformative power. It speaks to the universal human desire to find meaning in life, something to strive for beyond mere existence. The lyrics are poetic, with clever wordplay ("ce n'est pas celui qui dort au chaud dans la laine" – not the one who sleeps warm in the wool) and poignant imagery ("le vrai, celui qui porte la vie ou la mort dans nos rêves" – the true one, that carries life or death in our dreams).
Overall, "Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour qui vaille la peine" is a beautiful song with a timeless message that speaks to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Line by Line Meaning
20 ans demain
Tomorrow, I turn 20
Les mains dans ma musique, j'attendais le réveil
With my hands in my music, I awaited to wake up
Une petite voix de rien
A small voice
S'installait dans ma tête, me donnait des conseils
Installed in my head, giving me advice
Va et cours et joue ta vie
Go and run and play your life
Et j'ai obéi
And I obeyed
Va et cours et brûle ta vie
Go and run and burn your life
Et je disais oui
And I said yes
Tout connaître, tout savoir
To know everything, to have knowledge of everything
Le prix du bonheur et du désespoir
The price of happiness and despair
Et j'ai compris trop tard
And I understood too late
Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour qui vaille la peine
There's really only love that's worth it
Y'a vraiment qu'aimer d'amour qui tienne
There's really only loving with love that endures
Pas celui qu'on lit dans les mauvais poèmes,
Not the one we read about in bad poems,
Mais le vrai, celui qui vous dévore le coeur, qui vous fait peur
But the true one, the one that devours your heart, that scares you
Prier pour qu'il reste, prier pour qu'il vienne
Praying for it to stay, praying for it to come
Pas celui qui dort au chaud dans la laine
Not the one who sleeps in the warm wool
Mais le vrai, celui qui porte la vie ou la mort dans nos rêves
But the true one, the one that carries life or death in our dreams
J'ai cherché très loin
I searched very far
La lumière d'une étoile que j'avais dans les mains
The light of a star that I had in my hands
Amoureux du présent
In love with the present
Il ne me restait rien que le souffle du vent
I had nothing left but the breath of the wind
Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour pour vaincre la haine
There's really only love to conquer hate
Pour vaincre l'ennui, la vie qui se traîne
To overcome boredom, life that drags on
Mais le vrai, celui qui porte la vie ou la mort dans nos rêves
But the true one, the one that carries life or death in our dreams
Y'a vraiment qu'l'amour qui vaille la peine (bis)
There's really only love that's worth it (repeat)
Contributed by Alaina I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.