Michel Berger – Everything for the sake of music

Twenty-five years have passed since the untimely death of musician and songwriter Michel Berger, who revolutionized French singing. His melodies and lyrics, in their sophisticated simplicity, entered the heart and remain there to this day. August 2, 1992 is a date that will remain forever etched in the memory of an entire generation in France. On this day, Michel Berger died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 44. All France Mourn the musician, one of her five greatest, some say. His tomb in Montmartre is a place of pilgrimage. Boulevard BMonceau Park, next to which Michel lived for a long time, is named after him.

Michel Berger died at the height of his fame. He had many other plans, artistic and personal. Secretly, Michel knew that he would not die peacefully, that his end was near. His life was very happy and full of dizzying successes, but also embedded in the suffering of abysmal abandonment and the tragic loss of loved ones.

Michel Berger's childhood

Michel Berger was born on November 28, 1947, under the official name Michel-Jean Ambourger (French pronunciation of hamburger), in Neuilly-sur-Seine to a bourgeois, educated and wealthy family. His parents were both Jews who converted to Protestantism. His father, Jean Ambourger, was a professor of medicine, a world-renowned nephrologist, who, in 1952, together with a colleague, performed the first kidney transplant in France. Three years later, he developed an artificial kidney. Many other achievements are credited to him. During his life, he also published many books in the fields of medicine and philosophy and was a member of the French Academy. Michel's mother, Annette Haas, was a brilliant, active and well-known pianist who performed works by Mozart, Chopin and Mendelssohn in concerts. Michel was the youngest of three children: Michel's older brother, Bernard, was born in 1940 and his sister Franca in 1945.

Michel, Bernard and Franca grow up in a spacious and comfortable Parisian apartment, on the Boulevard de Courcelles, near the Place de Teren, in the 17th arrondissement. In the living room stand two beautiful pianos. The parents host renowned scientists and well-known intellectuals such as Bernanos, Henri Troyet, André Maurois. Despite a strict Protestant upbringing, life resembles a fairy tale.

When Michel turned five, a dramatic event occurred that broke the continuity of a good life. His father was about to undergo lung surgery and demanded to be awake and supervise the operation himself. At the end of the operation, the father claimed to have amnesia and did not recognize either his wife or his three children. It is possible that this was nothing more than a pretense. Professor Ambourgeois did not lose his intellectual abilities and continued a brilliant and active life until his death at the age of 82. But he disowned his family, divorced Annette and married his young secretary. Michel suffered greatly from his father's abandonment. Mother Annette tried with all her might to continue maintaining a warm family life despite the brutal shock and even succeeded in doing so for many years. Michel plays the piano and clarinet and discovers Ray Charles. In his free time, he writes songs with friends from Carnot High School in the 17th arrondissement.

A Star Is Born

The record company Féthe Marconi is looking for young and new talents. Michel and his friends enter the competition. Michel wins, releases several records under the name he chose, Michel Berger, and buys a publishing company. Michel is only 15 years old. The clean appearance of a good boy does not yet allow him skyrocketing success, but the managers of Féthe Marconi recognize his outstanding talents and appoint him as artistic director of the company. His first success is the song he wrote for the meteoric singer Patricia, “In a moment of sadness”, (literally translated: “When we are unhappy”), Quand on est malheureux, in 1967:

In parallel with his work as artistic director, Michel Berger completed his master's thesis in the Department of Philosophy on the aesthetics of pop music in which he compared the last two albums by Jimi Hendrix.

Michel Berger, Veronique Sanson

In 1966, Michel met the singer Véronique Sanson, a beautiful, blonde, insanely talented young woman, another singing legend. French At the beginning of her career. It was love at first sight, artistic and personal. The revolutionary Veronique, with her unexpected modern rhythm, with her life story through the lyrics, could not help but charm Michel. This brought her to an audition at Fata Marconi and the company's directors cried a third of their tears when they heard her, vigorously hitting the piano and curling her unique tremolo the like of which has never been heard before. Michel and Veronique belong to the same world, to the same rhythm. Michel has found his soul mate. Veronique is his female version. The happy couple chooses an apartment and moves in together.

In 1971, Michel released his first adult work, an instrumental album called “Puzzle”, a mixture of pop, rock, symphony orchestra and piano concerto. The public did not understand the message and the album was a commercial failure and disappeared from the market. But dizzying successes followed. That same year, Michel was appointed artistic director of WEA Filipacchi Music and produced Veronique Sanson’s first album, “Amoureuse”.

The eponymous song, along with “Need No One” (Besoin de personne), tells the story of Michel and Véronique’s love.

The success was dizzying, both from the critics and the audience, but in the middle of recording the second album, the musician unexpectedly disappeared. In the elevator of the record company building, Veronique ran into American guitarist-singer Stephen Stills and the two fell in love at first sight. Veronique returned to the apartment where she lived with Michel, which was not yet furnished, and left him a note: “Going down to buy cigarettes.” So, yes, just like in a joke, but here it was for real. She said and didn’t go back. The attraction was too strong, she said, and she felt that if she didn’t fulfill it, she would die, she would fade away. Michel was left stunned, sitting on the floor of the empty apartment, staring for days. Michel experienced, to the greatest irony of fate, another abandonment. Just as his father had abandoned him, without words, so too did the one he saw as the love of his life suddenly abandon him without a word of explanation. Michel overcame the crisis with the help of music. At the end of 1972, the second album he produced for Veronique, “The Other Side of My Dream,” was released while the star was in the US.

Véronique Sanson and Stéphane Stills married in 1973 and their son Christopher was born a year later. Michel gave explicit instructions to those concerned so that any visual meeting between him and Véronique would be avoided. But the dialogue between them continued, and continued fruitfully and creatively through the songs. Michel asked “Will You Be There” (Seras-tu là), in 1975:

Véronique replied “I’ll be there” (Je serais là) in 1976:

Véronique's famous poem, "The Cursed" (Le maudit) from 1974, is nothing more than a declaration of love for Michel. The cursed one is actually she, the cursed one, addressing herself in the second person singular.

She knows that she caused the gentle Michel suffering, but the pain she herself feels atones for her sin. In the song “Mortelles pensées” from 1989, in which she lashes out at sin, she finally paid her debt. Indeed, the hell of drugs and violence into which her partner at the time, Stephane Stills, from whom she separated in 1979, dragged her, leaves no room for doubt.

That same year, 1973, Michel Berger released the album “Broken Heart,” which allowed him to heal his wounds. The music is comforting and healing. This is his first album in which he sings. Within two years, he would marry another blonde singer, Frances Gal.

Françoise Ardy

But even before the fateful meeting with France that would change his life, Michel applied his remarkable talent to resurrect the dying careers of famous singers who had fallen into a hollow period. The exciting hits that Michel would write for them would bring them back to the forefront. This is what would happen with Johnny Hallyday And so it happened with Françoise Ardy.

Françoise was very impressed by Sanson's two albums, which she believed opened a new era in the history of the French singer. She called Michel and asked him to help her change the image of the teenage singer that she had become attached to. After a difficult recording period in terms of artistic communication between Michel and Françoise, the album "Message personnel" was released in 1973, whose eponymous song was a resounding success and an important milestone in the singer's career.

Michel Berger, Frans Gal

After a period of success, France Gal is at a low point and looking for a new direction for her career. When she heard Michel's voice on the radio, she knew where salvation would come from. Michel was less enthusiastic about her art but was interested in her love. In the end, she won him over not only as a lover but also as a singer. The two areas coincided when Michel wrote the song "Declaration" (literal translation: "My Declaration") from 1974, which was nothing more than a declaration of love from the shy guy to the beautiful blonde, through the words of a song. It's easier that way. Michel actually wrote the song for himself but agreed to France's request that she sing it. The eponymous album was a resounding success and the song "Declaration" became a hit.

The one that broke the hearts of Julian Keller andClaude Francois She said “yes” to Michel Berger. A modest wedding ceremony took place on June 22, 1975, and the couple moved into a large house on the beautiful outskirts of ParisIn 1978, their daughter, Poland, was born, and in 1981, their son, Rafael, was born.

Album followed album, success followed success. About twenty million records were sold. Michel was the Pygmalion and France, who was amazing at using swing, was the muse. Of the two hundred songs that Michel composed, about forty became hits, including:

Listen to the Music (Écoute la musique) from 1974:

A Few Words of Love (Quelques mots d'amour) from 1980:

The Pianist's Groupie (La groupie du pianiste) from 1980:

https://youtu.be/RnV1HauwkxY

He played the piano standing up (Il jouait du piano debout) from 1980:

Résiste! (literally translated: “Don’t give up!”) from 1981:

Cézanne paints (Cézanne peint) from 1984:

Ella, elle l'a (Ella, elle l'a) from 1987:

Starmania

More albums are released, and then Michel comes up with an extraordinary idea, a musical comedy, a rock opera, in the American style. If the Americans can do it, then why can’t we? Michel enlists the help of Luc Flamondon, the songwriter for Diane Dufresne. The album “Stramnia” was released in 1978, and a year later the show hit the stages, in Paris and Montreal. And again, it was a resounding success.

The characters of the musical, the billionaire who wanted to be an artist, the waitress who wastes her life underground like an automaton, the punk gang that throws its weight around the city, the girl in love with gay Ziggy, all of these remained burned into the memory.

Year 1980

This year, Michel Berger released two albums, one for him and one for France, but the icing on the cake was his collaboration with Elton John, which gave rise to the song “Donner pour donner.”

This is also the year in which Michel overcomes his shyness, takes the stage and gives his first concert. From June 30 to July 5, at the Champs-Elysées Theater, Michel, behind the piano, and the audience in front of them, are carried away and enthusiastic.

Film music, music video directing, trips to China and Brazil, humanitarian work in Africa, another musical, writing a screenplay, Michel Berger is not resting on his laurels. On a personal level, his relationship with his wife ran aground and Michel began an affair with a beautiful blonde, a model-TV presenter-singer, a young German woman named Beatrice Grimm, a descendant of the Brothers Grimm. He recorded an album with her in New York and the couple rented a shared apartment in Santa Monica. But the plans were cut short.

In 1992, while playing tennis in Rematuel, where the family, Michel, France and their two children, spent the summer at their estate, Michel had a heart attack and died, leaving his family, friends and fans shocked and in pain. In the chilling poem “Le paradis blanc”, which he wrote two years before his death, it seemed to foreshadow what was to come.

Dramas

When France and Michel's daughter, Pauline, was four years old, she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. The parents decided to keep her illness a secret in order to allow her to have as normal a childhood as possible. Michel's beloved brother, Bernard, an architect and painter, had multiple sclerosis. Michel lived in constant fear of the death of his brother and daughter. Bernard died in 1982, ten years before Michel, at the age of 42. Pauline died five years after her father's death, at the age of 19, and is buried next to him inMontmartre.

In 1986, two of Michel's best friends lost their lives. Singer Daniel Balaboan was killed in a helicopter crash during the Paris-Dakar Rally. Humorist Kolish was killed in a motorcycle accident. Both losses caused a major crisis for Michel.

Life goes on.

After many ups and downs, including an addiction to alcohol, Veronique Sanson found rehab, peace, and creativity in her estate near Paris with a partner who is not in show business. Her son, Christopher, is a successful musician, and lives in the United States. Michel and France's son, Raphael, is doing well as a sound engineer, producer, and musician.

Frances Gal rebuilt her life and began a relationship that lasted more than twenty years, until the day she died, with Ethiopian-American sound engineer, producer and musician, Brooke DeWitt. In 2015, she co-produced a musical with him, which ran in France, Belgium and Switzerland for an entire year. The musical, based on the songs of Michel Berger and called Résiste, allowed carefully selected young and talented singers to sing the beloved and well-known songs.

In 2018, Frances Gal died from an infection while battling cancer for many years (she had previously recovered from breast cancer, but the disease returned). Frances Gal was buried in the cemetery of Montmartre Next to Michel Berger and their daughter Polin.

The family tomb estate in Montmartre

Michel Berger's songs have remained popular and beloved, and have been performed in many different ways by singers of the generation that followed him. Even among the younger audience, who did not witness the meteoric success of the multifaceted artist, who did not know about his mythological partnership with France, he has many fans who were exposed to him through their parents. The melancholic or rhythmic melodies, which express universal emotions in simple words, stand the test of time. Michel Berger's music is passed down from generation to generation.