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!
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
Richard Clayderman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm watching the late show in my flat all alone
How I hate to spend the evening on my own
Autumn winds
Blowing outside the window as I look around the room
And it makes me so depressed to see the phone
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Movie stars
Find the end of the rainbow, with that fortune to win
It's so different from the world I'm living in
Tired of T.V.
I open the window and I gaze into the night
But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
The lyrics to Richard Clayderman's song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" express the loneliness and the longing for companionship of the singer. The opening lines felt like a confession – "Half past twelve, and I'm watching the late show in my flat all alone. How I hate to spend the evening on my own." Then, the song moved towards the real issue at hand – the lack of someone to share moments with, "There's not a soul out there, no one to hear my prayer." The wind outside is symbolic of change, and the singer is stuck, unable to connect with anyone. The song continues to talk about how the singer is tired of TV and opens the window to find consolation. However, there lies disappointment, and the song ends with a repeated request for a man after midnight.
The theme of loneliness despite the world being connected like never before resonates with many people. The song's message is a testament to the fact that the most basic emotions always remain the same despite progress. Some of the lines from the song are more popular in pop culture, especially the opening lines, which were used by Madonna in her song, "Hung Up." The song has been covered multiple times, and ironically, in 2005, it was covered by a group of senior citizens for Swedish charity.
Line by Line Meaning
Half past twelve
It's half past midnight.
And I'm watching the late show in my flat all alone
I'm alone in my apartment watching TV.
How I hate to spend the evening on my own
I dislike being alone in the evening.
Autumn winds
The wind outside is autumnal.
Blowing outside the window as I look around the room
As I peer throughout the room, the autumn wind rages outside.
And it makes me so depressed to see the phone
Seeing the phone depresses me greatly.
There's not a soul out there
No one is around.
No one to hear my prayer
There is nobody to hear my desperate plea.
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Give me a man to share my night with.
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
I need someone to help me free my mind from the shadows that plague me.
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Stay with me till morning.
Movie stars
Actors in the movies.
Find the end of the rainbow, with that fortune to win
They find the end of the rainbow and fortune's blessings await them.
It's so different from the world I'm living in
My life is the complete opposite of theirs.
Tired of T.V.
I'm bored of watching TV.
I open the window and I gaze into the night
I open the window to stare out into the darkness.
But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight
There is nothing to see in the darkness, no one is present.
There's not a soul out there
Nobody is there.
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
I want a man to share the night with.
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
I need someone to help me free my mind from the shadows that plague me.
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Stay with me till morning.
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Give me a man to share the night with.
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Give me a man to share the night with.
There's not a soul out there
No one is around.
No one to hear my prayer
There is nobody to hear my desperate plea.
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Give me a man to share the night with.
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
I need someone to help me free my mind from the shadows that plague me.
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Stay with me till morning.
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Give me a man to share the night with.
Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away
I need someone to help me free my mind from the shadows that plague me.
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day
Stay with me till morning.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Benny Goran Bror Andersson, Bjoern K. Ulvaeus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind