Tormented Love, Healing, and Redemption in French Poems

Unrequited love is a never-failing source of songs. Painful separations, which cause great suffering, can lead to extreme thoughts. In most of the songs, the story of which the article will tell, the departed experienced the separation as an experience of death. But the composition of the songs and the performance on stage allowed the artists to express their sadness and find solace for it.

On the other side of the fence, viewers and listeners identify with the artists and are healed too. Those who have suffered from separations, of all kinds, use songs, which give them a voice, to heal their own wounds. This article, based on Andrey Manukyan's television program about the secret stories hidden behind famous songs ( 1 ), will tell of suffering, healing, and redemption.

Cali, she told me Cali – Elle m'a dit

Kali was 35 when he sang “She Told Me,” an autobiographical text about a painful breakup with his then-wife. This song, released in 2003, about a defining event in his personal life, opened up his professional path: personal drama turned into artistic success.

In 2000, the still-named Bruno Calichiori was left alone after his wife left home with their young son. “I think I don’t love you anymore,” she told him, throwing the words like his body into the sea. He no longer smells, his lips are the marble on the tomb of their love, she told him, her blood running cold. “When I look at you, I don’t see you. Your steps, next to mine, leave no traces.” There is another man in her life. “When I’m with him, I don’t think about you. When I’m with you, I think about him.” This is a summary of the song’s content, in which the phrase “I think I don’t love you anymore” repeats itself like a gunshot, like an unchallengeable death sentence.

To deal with suicidal tendencies, the musician from Perpignan , who played in a local event orchestra, wrote the song “She Told Me.” He didn’t plan anything, but he wrote all the songs on his first album, called “Perfect Love,” so he wouldn’t jump out the window. Songs to save lives.

Kali wrote, then, a sad text but composed a happy melody for it. This contrast was intentional. Kali paired the black text, which smelled of a corpse, with a cheerful and sweeping pop melody to create balance. Since he was preparing to perform the song in front of people, he was not allowed to collapse on stage. And Kali continued to appear on local stages and sing his cheerful-depressive song.

Until one day, the woman who stars in it as the main character heard the song and complained: “You have no right to make our private affairs public.” Kali understood her argument, but at the same time he also took it as an indirect compliment: The song is good! This is proof that the song is worth it! Then he mustered up the courage and sent it to the music editor of the “France Entre” radio station, Didier Vero. A fateful decision that changed his life. Didier Vero was very enthusiastic about the exposed song, which had no protective net against emotions, no barrier between emotion and reality. Vero listened to four or five more of Kali’s songs and shed tears. The musical world of the young man, still unknown, stirred the influential editor who placed the unknown’s songs during the most listened-to hours.

And so the broadcast of Kali's songs on the popular radio station paved his way to success. In 2002, the singer was invited to perform at the Francophile Singer Festival in La Rochelle, where he also signed a contract for his first album, which was released a year later. Of all the songs on the album, "She Told Me" stood out, and the singer's personal drama launched his artistic career. Standing on stage with thousands of people singing "La La La" with him, he once again experienced a magical moment that reminded him of the moment he wrote the song.

The little boy, his nose in the dress of the one who suddenly informed him that she was leaving, understood in spite of everything that he was no longer at the age when people commit suicide because of unrequited love. And the message is that it is possible to touch the darkness and then caress the sun. The poem, enveloped in the scent of death, that he wrote in the heart of depression healed him and brought him redemption.

Kali then found the one and only one who was right for him. The singer declares with a smile that only one person in the world could tolerate him and, fortunately, he fell for that one special person. The happiness he achieved came after a period of suffering upon suffering. His ex-wife prevented him from seeing their son together. Therefore, the singer was forced to wage a difficult and prolonged struggle to continue to be present in the life of Milo, who was two years old, during the crisis. Milo, who is now twenty, knows the price his father paid for not giving up on their relationship. Kali rebuilt his life, remarried, and brought two more daughters into the world. His musical career has not stopped blossoming since his first album. What more does a person need in their life?

Marc Lavoine, Cristina Marocco – I forgot everything

Marc Labon and Kristina Marroco's unforgettable duet, "I Forgot Everything," is one of the biggest hits of 2001. Seventeen years have passed since then, and Marc Labon has not forgotten any detail of the circumstances surrounding the song's composition. A musician friend, Georges Longini, father of singer-actress Elsa, sent him the melody and also sang it to him: Zuzi Zuzi Zuzi, Zuzi Zu-Zi, Zuzi Zuzi Zuzi, Zuzi Zu-Zi...

Mark says that the poem was written by himself, out of the void left by unrequited love. Mark wrote a word that led to another word, a sentence that led to another sentence, and so on until the writing ended, which seemed to come naturally. And what is the content of the poem? Its alienated speaker no longer recognizes the street he lives on, his house, his name, his picture, no longer knows his life, lives in a world that does not exist. Since his lover forgot him, he has lost his identity, he has lost his sense of humor. And he no longer smells the scents of spring.

At that time, the singer Cristina Marocco arrived from Italy to France, alone, without knowing anyone. Cristina did not yet speak French at a decent level, so she received an offer to sing on weekends in an Italian restaurant in the city of Courbevoie, near Paris . A friend of Marc took him to the pizzeria to hear the Italian singer, and Marc liked her performance and asked her to sing with him the new song he had written to the tune of Georges, “I Forgot Everything.” Marc felt that the song, which was intended for his eighth album, would impress the two of them more.

When Kristina arrived at the recording studio, a special harmony was created between her voice and Marc's. Their collaboration was absolute and magical. Marc met the ideal partner for this song and Kristina met the song that was so suitable for her at this sad time in her life. Three years earlier, Kristina Marocco had lost her younger brother. The song that Marc wrote to Georges' tune allowed her to express the feelings of sadness over the death of a loved one, a separation that is, by its very nature, more tragic than a breakup. Kristina sang the song out of grief.

Marc gave an unforgettable gift to the young Italian woman, who was still lonely, when he asked her to sing “I Forgot Everything” with him. In 1989, she lost her younger brother, and in 2001, it reached number one on the charts in a foreign country and became famous overnight. The song confronted the singer with her grief and helped her deal with the crisis and recover. Thanks to Marc’s words and Georges’s melody, she went from a major disaster to a healing, corrective, and joyful experience.

Serge Lama, loneliness Serge Lama – I am sick

In 1973, when Dalida performed this song by Serge Lema, the strongest in the great singer's repertoire, France held its breath. And since then, half a century later, in various and varied performances, it has not stopped shaking.

The lyrics of the song are hidden in an unusual autobiographical story. In 1969, Serge Lema found himself in a very complicated situation when he fell in love at first sight with Michelle, a twenty-five-year-old woman, married and the mother of a small child. Serge was also married, but without children. The lovers decided to break free from their shackles, each of their own, and live their love openly. Serge did it easily, but Michelle hesitated to destroy a family and harm her son.

Then Michelle suddenly went to Morocco and left Serge a note asking for forgiveness and saying that she had decided to leave. Serge suffered a severe blow. He felt the need to translate the suffering into words, but they did not come. And the melody turned its back on him too.

One day he opened his heart to his friend, the singer and composer, Alice Donna. Alice listened to him patiently, then returned home and within a few hours composed the melody, with Serge's words echoing in her head, who kept repeating the words: "I'm sick, I'm sick, this story makes me sick."

Alice returned to Serge, sat down at the piano and played him the melody she had composed. Then, as if by magic, the words burst forth from him. Serge immediately and in succession wrote a poignant text that came from the void of suffering. Yes, just like Marc Lavoisier. And just as Callie rejoiced in his tears as a little child in the dress of the beloved she had abandoned, so Serge Lema linked the woman to the mother. The beloved, Michelle, arrives and abandons, unexpectedly – ​​and for two years the cruel game has continued, leaving the lover alone, like a child in an orphanage, like the helpless and desperate child he was when his mother went out in the evenings.

And here another twist occurs in the poem. Serge speaks to Michel, then to his mother, Georgette, and suddenly, without any preparation, he identifies with his father, Georgette, and speaks on his behalf: “I, the talented one, you empty me of all my songs, you empty me of all my words!” An explanation for this serious accusation is found in the story of Serge’s parents. The father, Georgette, was an operetta singer, but the day he met Georgette, his future wife, his fate was sealed. This woman, who was not a match for him, hindered his steps with obsessive jealousy and material demands and prevented him from fulfilling himself as an artist, turning him into a “dead bird,” as the poem goes on to say.

It should be noted, however, that life was not easy in a small room in a Parisian hotel where the couple and their young son Serge were crowded together. Georges gave up a career as a singer and became a frustrated beer salesman. Serge decided to avenge his father and become an artist no matter what. And the son did succeed, and in a big way, where the father failed. Serge Lema is considered one of the greatest French singers in his field, and no woman drained him of his blood and essence, nor did she castrate him.

The explanation for the dramatic song in which the singer addresses his lover, Michel, in which he sees through her his mother, Georgette, in which he changes his identity and addresses Georgette as her husband, Georges, and resolves the father's quarrel, is found, therefore, in Serge's family story. However, despite its power and tragedies, the autobiographical song did not immediately meet with the hoped-for success. The sweeping tempo of his other song, "Les petits femmes de Pigalle," which was included on the same album, overshadowed the naked cry of loneliness, whose original name in French is "I am sick." But Serge continued to believe in his song and perform it in his performances on various stages.

Then the long-awaited turnaround in the fate of the song and of Serge Lema as a singer occurred, beyond all his hopes. Dalida, the champion of unhappy loves, decided to perform the song. An abandoned woman, suffering in body and soul, screams out her suffering with perfect virtuosity. Dalida, who was indeed the champion of unhappy loves but also the champion of global success, was Serge's good fortune, the enchantress from the fairy tales. The abandoned song, which the goddess touched with her wand, drove the audience crazy. And Serge, who had so far sold four thousand copies of each of his albums, began to sell them in the millions.

And since joys come in bundles, Michelle finally decided to separate from her husband and live her life with Serge. Personal happiness is a companion to professional success. In 1981, they had a son, Frederic, and Serge recently became a grandfather. For about half a century, Michelle was for Serge a wife, mother, sister, friend, confidant. She managed his material life and gave him complete freedom in his many adventures with women, about which he told her in detail. In the last fifteen years, she has concentrated, according to Serge, on the role of mother and has stopped suffering from his many infidelities. In 2016, she died suddenly, at the age of 71, from a stroke, leaving Serge an orphan again. After Michelle's death, the song takes on a different, more tragic dimension.

But despite losing two beloved women in his life ( 2 ), despite his difficult childhood, the singer focuses primarily on and continues to live a meaningful life and promote his songs. Serge remains a “fighting fatalist,” a “cheerful pessimist,” and displays a youthful appearance and vibrant creativity.

In 2022, he married his assistant, Luana, who is 35 years younger than him. He had this affair while his wife, Michelle, was still alive. After twenty years of being together, Serge decided to give Luana his name. What is certain is certain. Who knows when he will be gathered to his ancestors and he will have to protect his young partner.

Joe Dassin, Hello to the Lovers Joe Dassin – Salut les amoureux

Was Jo Dassin also trying to deal with his own grief when he sang in 1972 about an amicable but painful breakup? No. His fans were sure that the song was autobiographical, but at this time Jo was living with his wife Maryse, to whom he had been married for a decade, and there was still no talk of a breakup.

The story behind the song is to be found in the marriage and divorce of Jo's close friend and co-worker, the famous lyricist Claude Lemel. For five years, Claude has been writing lyrics for Jo, and the latter was even present at his wedding. Claude and Valentin fell in love at first sight. Valentin was the love of Claude's life. He never imagined that the day would come when they would divorce. The divorce proceeded, as the song tells, without quarrels, with understanding and friendship, to the point that the owner of a cafe they passed by as they left the ceremony greeted them with a smile and a greeting: "Peace to lovers," not knowing that the seemingly happy couple was parting ways forever.

It should be added that this is a cover version of a song by Steve Goodman, whose original name is City of New Orleans. Steve Goodman wrote the text in 1971 during a trip on the night train that he gave the song its name. This line crossed the United States from north to south for 1500 km, from Chicago to New Orleans. While his wife slept, Steve Goodman described in writing everything he saw inside and outside the train, and this is the content of the song.

Claude Lemel did not think the original text would suit his friend Jo Dassin and therefore completely changed the subject. It is possible to assume that putting the story of his divorce in writing eased his suffering a little. He too laughed and smiled, pretending that everything was fine, just a banal story, not dramatic at all, but deep down he felt bitterness and loss. The song allowed him to write honestly about this painful duplicity, about his authentic feelings, without the need to make a fuss. Here too, the cheerful melody balances the piercing pain, implied in the words.

It has been half a century since the story of Claude and Vivienne's unrequited love entered every heart in France. The song became a hit, but its success was not immediate. In the 1970s, divorce was not accepted. People were married for life. Divorce by mutual consent did not yet exist. Society, which did not look favorably on divorce, therefore did not immediately cheer the song, and there were even those who were moved by its content. Slowly, times changed, and at the same time, the attitude towards the song changed. And vice versa. Enlightened songs promote welcome changes in mentality and sometimes even in laws ( 3 ).

Claude François, as always Claude François – Comme d'habitude

Claude Francois could not have imagined that the autobiographical song he wrote in 1967 about unrequited love would lead to a dizzying international success. The singer was 28 years old when he sang a melancholic song about the breakup of a couple. His audience, accustomed to rhythmic and sweeping hymns, was surprised. What caused such a revolutionary change in style?

To understand the circumstances surrounding the writing of the sentimental song, one must go back three years. Claude François fell head over heels in love with the rising star Frances Gal, who was played endlessly on the airwaves. Frances was 17 and Claude was 25. Like most girls her age, Frances adored Claude and came to watch his performances at the Olympia Hall, time after time. Until one evening, she got bold and infiltrated backstage. And Claude fell under her spell.

Their love was passionate but also poisonous. Claude, known as Cloclo, was jealous of the success of his young lover, whose career was taking off. Frances Gal stole the show and robbed him of his star status. Jealousy is as hard as hell. Claude's anger reached its peak one evening in March 1965 when Frances won the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Luxembourg with the song "Wax Doll, Straw Doll," written by Serge Gainsbourg.

France, surprised by her win, quickly called Kloklo to tell him the good news. He, drunk with jealousy, replied: “You won the competition but you lost me.” And as if that weren’t enough, he added angrily: “What a twat you were. How you faked it.”

The in love France forgave Kloklo, but something in her apparently broke anyway. After two years of a relationship full of conflicts and quarrels, France decided to finally break off the relationship and in early 1967 left her idol with sighs.

In February 1967, the still unknown composer Jacques Rabeau recalled, while on vacation in Megève, that producer Norbert Saade had ordered four pieces of music from him. He got down to work and finished it in a few hours. One of the pieces was a melody with English lyrics called For me. It was the song that no one knew would soon become the huge hit My Way.

Cloclo received the song in the midst of the painful suffering of parting with France. Jacques Rabeau also offered it to other singers, including Mireille Mathieu, Michel Serdoux and Hervé Villard, but in his heart he hoped to close a deal with Claude François. Hervé Villard was the only one who agreed. Cloclo was not enthusiastic and refused. Jacques Rabeau insisted and came all the way to the idol's country estate to play him the melody a second time. And then the click was formed. Cloclo suddenly grasped the potential inherent in the melancholic melody that allowed him to express his feelings following the painful separation from France Gal.

Jacques Rabeau convinced Hervé Villard to give up on the song. In August 1967, by the pool at Clocloux's estate, Jacques Rabeau and Claude François finished the work of writing. Clocloux changed a few notes and wrote the text about a disintegrating couple, he and France. The speaker describes his daily life in which he continues to pretend that everything is normal, as always, in the company of his partner, who also plays pretend, but despite their efforts to continue their routine, both know that their love is over, and they will soon be separated. The beloved avoids any attempt at conversation and fakes smiles and touches, and the one who will soon be abandoned, the abandoned beloved, suffers from a cold and is saddened by the gray, at home and abroad. In simple and poignant words, the speaker describes the anguish of the tense silence before the storm.

Lyricist Gilles Thibaut helped Claude Francois with the final touches. Thus was born the song “As Always,” which in its English version is called “In My Own Way.” Immediately upon its release, the song won the audience’s sympathy and became a great success in France. France Gal did not identify herself as the woman the song is about, and even after a while she did not talk much about the troubled period in her life when she was Cloclo’s lover. There are times when forgetting is good for them. Art sometimes embellishes reality.

Paul Anke, who heard the song on a television program, purchased the rights and composed the English version. “As always” became “My way.” The story of parting with a beloved woman became, under Anke’s pen, a story of parting with life itself. A man who is about to die is parting with life. But isn’t there a certain connection between the types of partings? Doesn’t the coldness of the end of love’s time illustrate somewhat the coldness of death, which will come to seal the allotted time? However, it must be qualified and said that the speaker of the song on the verge of his death is not bitter. On the contrary. He proudly declares that he did not miss his life but rather made the most of it, in his own way, standing upright, and this feeling softens the necessity of dying and makes it more bearable.

Frank Sinatra's unforgettable performance immortalized the song for generations. About a thousand recordings of the song are on the market today, among them the greatest, such as Nina Simone and Elvis Presley. Without Jacques Rabeau's melody and the story of Cloclo's suffering after being abandoned by France, the hit would not have been released into the world.

(1) The article is based primarily on the 14th episode, “Tortured Loves,” of the television series “The Secret Life of Songs,” hosted by Andrey Manukyan and directed by Chloe Chauvin. The episode aired on April 6, 2018, on France 3.
La vie secrète des chansons, épisode 14, Les amours tourmentées, animé par André Manoukian et réalisé par Chloé Chovin, diffus le ven. 06.04.18 à 22h50, France 3.
Additional articles, based on the same series, were published earlier and can be found here.
https://www.francophilesanonymes.com/chansons-of-friendship/
https://www.francophilesanonymes.com/trenet-pagani-delpeche-clerc/

(2) For more biographical details, read here.

(3) Michel Delphech's poem, "The Divorced," published in 1973, contributed to the enactment of the law, two years later, allowing divorce by mutual consent. Previously, each spouse wishing to divorce had to prove the other's guilt. The poem shows that it is possible to get a divorce without slander, accusations, and slander. For more details, read here
https://www.francophilesanonymes.com/michel-delpeche/

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