Most of his recordings focus on popular music in general and orchestral arrangements of well-known romantic songs in particular, such as Yesterday, The Sound of Silence and Memory, rather than on Jazz or Classical Music.
He is known to alter many famous pieces of music such as Für Elise. His music is generally played with an orchestra. This accompaniment is usually with James Last's orchestra.
Biography
Born to a piano teacher,Clayderman started studying to play piano at age six, and he was accepted at Conservatoire de Paris in Paris at age 12. After finishing Conservatory he worked as an accompanist and session musician. His life changed dramatically in 1976, when he recorded a single "Ballade pour Adeline" (Ballade for Adeline), composed by French musical producer Paul de Senneville. The single became an instant success, selling 22 million copies in 38 countries. Since then, he has recorded over 1000 songs and has become one of the most successful instrumental recording artists in the world, with reported record sales in excess of 70 million units worldwide. In the peak of his career he performed 200 concerts in 250 days.
He is often credited with pioneering the piano recordings of famous Hollywood soundtracks and pop music artists, such as ABBA and The Carpenters.
Success
Clayderman has a curious market niche on third world countries, a fact mainly attributed by critics to his commercially-oriented performance of local and very popular music (especially love songs), and inexpensive, well-distributed records. On the other hand, there are people who refer to his work as elevator music, because of extensive playing of his production in neutral spaces as elevators, malls and other public spaces. Richard Clayderman, however, according to the linked interview, does not see this classification as negative as, according to him, he feels pleased to turn people's workplaces and daily lives into more pleasant places through the use of his music.
Clayderman’s music continues to be exceedingly popular in East Asia, in places such as Japan, Taiwan and Mainland China. Some Chinese music teachers attribute the popularity of his music in Mainland China to the increase in the number of piano students since the 1980s, and some even believe in the other way: it was due to the popularity of Clayderman's music that the number of piano students surged. According to the book Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams, published 1990, Clayderman was the most-played artist in China then.[citation needed].
Discography
Numbers
* 25 Years of Golden Hits (2xCD)
* 50 Exitos Romanticos (3xCD)
* 101 Solistes Tziganes (CD)
A
* A Comme Amour (CD)
* A Little Night Music (CD)
* A little Romance (CD)
* All by myself (2 CD SET)
* Always (CD)
* América Latina...mon amour (CD)
* Amour (CD)
* Amour pour amour (CD)
* Anemos (CD
* Anniversary Collection (5 CD SET)
* Antique Pianos (CD)
* A Touch of Latino (CD)
B
* Ballade pour Adeline (LP / 33T) (WW Sales: 30 million)
* Ballade pour Adeline (1985-CD)
* Ballade pour Adeline and other Love Stories (CD)
* Best Friend (CD)
* Best of Classics (2 CD SET)
* Best of Richard Clayderman (CD)
* Brazilian Passion (CD)
* Para Reynosa tamaulipas
C
* Carpenters Collection (CD)
* Chansons d'Amour (2 LP SET)
* Chinese Evergreen (CD)
* Chinese Garden (CD)
* Chinese Garden/Cherished Moments (CD + VCD)
* Christmas (LP / 33T)
* Christmas Album (CD)
* Claire De Lune (3 CD SET)
* Classic Touch (CD)
* Classics (CD)
* Clayderman 2000 (CD)
* Coeur Fragile (CD)
* Collection, The (CD)
* Confluence, The (CD)
* Couleur Tendresses (1982,LP / 33T)
D
* Deluxe (2 CD SET)
* Desperado (CD)
* Deutsche Volkslieder (CD)
* Digital Concerto (CD)
* Dimanche et fêtes (CD Single)
E
* Ecos de sudamérica (CD)
* Ein Träum von Liebe (LP / 33T)
* Eléana (LP / 33T)
* Eléana (CD)
* Encore (CD)
* En Venezuela (CD)
* Essential (3 CD SET)
* Essential Classics (CD)
* Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime (CD)
F
* Fantastic Movie story of Ennio Morricone (CD)
* Fifty for Israel (1998, 2 CD SET)
* Forever My Way (CD, 2006)
* France, mon Amour (CD)
* Friends France - Original (CD + VCD)
* Friends France (CD + VCD)
* From the Heart (LP / 33T)
* From this moment on (2006/CD)
G
* Golden Hearts (CD)
* Golden Moments (CD)
H
* Hollywood and Broadway (LP / 33T)
I
* Il y a toujours de Soleil au dessus des Nuages (CD)
* In amore (CD) (Originally produced (1999) (Polydor Records: 1995-1996)
* In Harmony (CD)
* In the key of love (2 CD SET)
* Introducing Richard Clayderman (CD)
J
* Japon mon Amour (CD)
* Joue-moi tes rêves (CD)
L
* Les Musiques de L'amour (LP / 33T)
* Les Musiques de L'amour (CD Version)
* Les Nouvelles Ballades Romantiques (CD)
* Les Rendez Vous de Hasard (CD)
* Les Sonates (CD)
* Lettre à ma Mère (CD)
* Lettre à ma Mère (LP / 33T)
* Love, American Style (CD)
* Love Collection (CD)
* Love Follow Us (CD)
* Love Follow Us 2 (CD)
* Love, French Style (CD)
* Love, Italian Style (CD)
* Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber (CD)
M
* Magic of Brazilian Music (CD)
* Magic of Richard Clayderman (2 x LP)
* Matrimonio D'Amour
* Masters of Melody (3 CD SET)
* Medley Concerto (LP / 33T)
* Meisterstücke (CD)
* Memories (DVD / VHS)
* Millennium Gold (CD)
* Mexico con amor (CD)
* Musical Collection (Double CD)
* Music of Richard Clayderman (LP / 33T)
* My Australian Collection (CD)
* My Bossa Nova Favourites (CD)
* My Classic Collection (CD)
* My favourite Oldies (2 CD SET)
* Mysterious Eternity (CD)
N
* New (2005)
* New era (CD + VCD)
* Number 1 Hits (Double CD)
O
* On TV (CD)
* Omaggio (CD)
P
* Piano et orchestre (CD Version of the Debut Album)
* null Piano moods (Double CD)
* Plays Abba (CD)
* Premiers chagrins d'Elsa, Les (1983, LP/33T)
Q
* Quel gran genio del mio amico... (CD)
R
* Remembering the Movies (CD)
* Rendez-vous (Produced by COBA)
* Rêveries (LP / 33T)
* Rêveries No.2 (CD)
* Richard Clayderman (1977 Debut album) (LP / 33T)
* Richard Clayderman (1982) (LP / 33T)
* Richard Clayderman in Concert - Japan (Video)
* Richard Clayderman in Concert - England (Video)
* Richard Clayderman Plays Abba, The Hits (CD)
* Romance and the piano of Richard Clayderman (CD)
* Romantic (CD)
* Romantic America (Canadian Release) (CD)
* Romantic Dreams (CD)
* Romantic Nights (CD) One of a 10xCD compilation set from St Clair.
* Rondo pour un tout petit enfant (CD)
S
* Scandinavian Collection (CD)
* Serenade de l'etoile (Coup de Coeur) (CD)
* Smiling Joey (CD Single)
* Songs of Love (CD)
* Souvenirs (CD)
* Stage and Screen (CD)
* Sweet Memories (Cassette)
* Sweet Memories (LP / 33T)
T
* Tango (CD)
* Thailand mon Amour (CD)
* The best 100 (CD 2006)
* Together (CD)
* Together at Last (CD)
* Träumereien 3 (CD)
* Träummelodien (CD)
* Treasury of love (CD) One of a 10xCD compilation set from St Clair.
* Turquie mon amour (CD)
* Two Together (CD)
U
* Ultimate Collection (4xCD)
V
* Very best of Richard Clayderman (CD)
* Very best of Richard Clayderman (DISKY) (3 x CD)
W
* What a wonderful World (2 CD SET)
* When a man loves a woman (CD)
* When love songs were love songs (CD)
* With Love (1988) (LP / 33T)
* With Love (1997) (CD)
* With Love (1999) (CD)
* World Tour (CD)
Z
* Zodiacal Symphony (CD)
Clayderman's arrangement of Three Blind Mice has appeared on Bill Bailey's disc The Ultimate Collection... Ever!
Careless Whisper
Richard Clayderman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor.
As the music dies...
Something in your eyes,
Calls to mind a silver screen,
And all its sad goodbyes.
CHORUS
Guilty feet have got no rhythm.
Though it's easy to pretend,
I know you're not a fool.
I should have known better than to cheat a friend,
And waste a chance that I'd been given.
So I'm never gonna dance again,
The way I danced with you.
Time can never mend,
The careless whisper of a good friend.
To the heart and mind,
Ignorance is kind
There's no comfort in the truth,
Pain is the all you'll find.
REPEAT CHORUS
Tonight the music seems so loud,
I wish that we could lose this crowd.
Maybe it's better this way,
We'd hurt each other with the things we want to say.
We could have been so good together,
We could have lived this dance forever...
But now, who's gonna dance with me?
Please stay.
(Alternatively):
And now it's never gonna be
That way...
REPEAT CHORUS
Now that you're gone...
Now that you're gone...
Now that you're gone...
Was what I did so wrong?
So wrong that you had to leave me alone?
Lyrics Directory > George Michael > Careless Whisper
The lyrics of Richard Clayderman's song Careless Whisper depict the inner turmoil of a man who has cheated on a friend and is now grappling with the guilt and the consequences of his actions. He feels unsure and guilty as he takes his lover's hand and leads her to the dance floor. As the music dies down, something in her eyes reminds him of the sad goodbyes in a silver screen. The first verse hints at the gravity of the situation and sets the tone for the chorus.
The chorus is a confession of sorts, as the singer admits that he is never going to dance again, as his guilty feet have got no rhythm. He pretends that he can still dance, but knows that his lover is not a fool to be deceived. He realizes that he should have known better than to cheat a friend and waste the chance he had been given. The repetition of the chorus highlights the finality of his decision to give up something he loves so dearly.
The second verse reflects on the fallout of the careless whisper of a good friend, which has left behind irreparable damage. Time cannot mend the loss of trust and the pain that comes with the truth. Ignorance may be kind, but it does not provide comfort when the heart and mind are consumed by the betrayal. The verse ends with a repetition of the chorus.
The third verse acknowledges that the music seems too loud tonight and that it would be better if they could lose themselves in the crowd. The singer's regret is palpable as he admits that they could have been good together and danced forever. However, he knows that it can never be the same again. The last line is a direct plea to his lost friend, asking them to come back and dance with him.
Overall, Richard Clayderman's Careless Whisper is a poignant ballad about the price of betrayal, the weight of guilt, and the impossibility of redemption. The lyrics are a powerful evocation of human frailty and the consequences of our actions.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel so unsure,
I lack confidence and am unsure of myself,
As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor.
I'm leading you to the dance floor by holding your hand as a way of inviting you to dance,
As the music dies...
As the music comes to an end and fades away,
Something in your eyes,
I see something in your eyes,
Calls to mind a silver screen,
It reminds me of a movie screen,
And all its sad goodbyes.
And all the sad goodbyes associated with movies and their soundtracks.
I'm never gonna dance again,
I have lost the desire to dance again,
Guilty feet have got no rhythm.
I feel guilty and cannot keep in rhythm,
Though it's easy to pretend,
Even though it's easy to put on a show or facade,
I know you're not a fool.
I know you're not stupid or easily deceived,
I should have known better than to cheat a friend,
I knew I should not have betrayed or deceived a friend,
And waste a chance that I'd been given.
I have wasted a good opportunity that was presented to me,
So I'm never gonna dance again,
I have lost the desire to dance again,
The way I danced with you.
I'll never be able to dance the way I did with you again.
Time can never mend,
The passage of time cannot heal,
The careless whisper of a good friend.
The thoughtless or unguarded words of a close friend,
To the heart and mind,
To both the emotions and the intellect,
Ignorance is kind
Not knowing the truth is merciful,
There's no comfort in the truth,
Knowing the truth does not offer solace,
Pain is the all you'll find.
The only thing you'll experience is pain.
Tonight the music seems so loud,
The music is particularly loud tonight,
I wish that we could lose this crowd.
I wish we could get away from the noisy crowd around us,
Maybe it's better this way,
Perhaps it's best that things are this way,
We'd hurt each other with the things we want to say.
We'd end up hurting each other with the things we really want to say.
We could have been so good together,
We could have had a fantastic relationship together,
We could have lived this dance forever...
We could have continued to dance and be happy with each other forever...
But now, who's gonna dance with me?
Now that you're gone, who will dance with me now?
Please stay.
Please don't leave me.
(Alternatively):
And now it's never gonna be
Things will never be the same again,
That way...
Nothing can be done to fix it.
Now that you're gone...
Now that you're no longer here...
Now that you're gone...
Now that you're no longer here...
Now that you're gone...
Now that you're no longer here...
Was what I did so wrong?
Did I do something terrible that led you to leave me alone?
So wrong that you had to leave me alone?
Was I so wrong that it drove you away from me? Or led to our breakup?
Contributed by Alex Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Verónica Méndez
Todo un placer escucharlo, excelente interpretación!!!!
Vanda Vanda
Encantada filho de Deus 💝 perfeito
Alfredo Quintero
The best cover I've ever heard in my lifetime, the most amazing; thank you Richard Clayderman.
Gary J.
Arranged by the late Hervé Roy.
Татьяна Кононова
... Всё... И больше ничего не надо... Просто хочется слушать... Слушать... Спасибо....
Cláudia Silva
Espetacular parabéns lindo demais
Людмила Медведева
завораживает...и воображение ведёт в невообразимо прекрасные места природы... спасибо!
Maria Magdalena Henriquez Cerda
Людмила Медведева ddonde,viveactualmente,fichar,clayderman,,
Binhomix Show
Sensacional
mdugmail
Good One from Richard. I love this what ever the version. Wonderful