Alain Souchon
Encyclopedia
Alain Souchon is a French
singer, songwriter
and actor
. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films.
of Paris.
Souchon signed his first contract in 1971 with the Pathe-Marconi label but had no success. Bob Socquet, the artistic director of RCA encouraged him to perform his song "L'amour 1930" at the Rose D'Or of Antibes contest. Souchon then began to collaborate with composer/arranger Laurent Voulzy
(b. 1948); they would write together, but each released albums under his own name. Souchon's first hit was "J'ai 10 ans" (1974), from the album of the same name. He continued releasing albums and in 1978 wrote the theme for François Truffaut
's 1979 film Love on the Run
(L'amour en fuite). At this time his second son was born. In 1980, he was invited to perform at l'Olympia. He also began his acting career, most notably starring in the 1983 film L'été Meurtrier. Following the album 'On avance', he left RCA and signed with Virgin Records at 40 years old. In 1989 "La beauté de Ava Gardner" was voted best title of the year by the Victoires de la Musique
.
Then came Souchon's biggest hit "Foule sentimentale
" from 1993's million-selling C'est déja ça. At the 20th anniversary of the Victoires de la Musique in 1995, Alain Souchon received the award for best "Chanson Originale" for his song "Foule Sentimentale." In 1996, he received the "le Prix Vincent Scotto" award given by the SACEM (Societe des Auteurs Compositeurs) for his song "Sous les Jupes des Filles". Souchon returned in 2005 with the hugely successful album La vie Théodore which contained the hit single "...Et si en plus y'a personne".
1990
1991
1994
1996
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He has released 15 albums and has played roles in seven films.
Profile
Six months after Souchon was born his family returned to France. When he was 15 his father died in an accident. His mother sent him to a French college in England, but due to problems registering he decided to stay in London and work. Upon returning to France he took up guitar, influenced by English and American music. In 1970, he married and had his first son continuing to play in the cabarets and bars in the Rive GaucheRive Gauche
La Rive Gauche is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two: looking downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank is to the right....
of Paris.
Souchon signed his first contract in 1971 with the Pathe-Marconi label but had no success. Bob Socquet, the artistic director of RCA encouraged him to perform his song "L'amour 1930" at the Rose D'Or of Antibes contest. Souchon then began to collaborate with composer/arranger Laurent Voulzy
Laurent Voulzy
Laurent Voulzy is a French singer and composer.-Biography:Voulzy originally led the English-pop-influenced Le Temple de Vénus before joining Pascal Danel as guitarist from 1969 to 1974...
(b. 1948); they would write together, but each released albums under his own name. Souchon's first hit was "J'ai 10 ans" (1974), from the album of the same name. He continued releasing albums and in 1978 wrote the theme for François Truffaut
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut was an influential film critic and filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry. He was also a screenwriter, producer, and actor working on over twenty-five...
's 1979 film Love on the Run
Love on the Run (1979 film)
Love on the Run is a 1979 French film directed by François Truffaut. It is Truffaut's fifth and final film about the character Antoine Doinel. A lot of the film is made of a "clip show" of the previous films in the series...
(L'amour en fuite). At this time his second son was born. In 1980, he was invited to perform at l'Olympia. He also began his acting career, most notably starring in the 1983 film L'été Meurtrier. Following the album 'On avance', he left RCA and signed with Virgin Records at 40 years old. In 1989 "La beauté de Ava Gardner" was voted best title of the year by the Victoires de la Musique
Victoires de la Musique
Victoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
.
Then came Souchon's biggest hit "Foule sentimentale
Foule sentimentale
"Foule sentimentale" is a 1993 popular song written, composed and performed by the French artist Alain Souchon. The song was released as single in October 1993 and was the first one from his 1993 album C'est déjà ça. It achieved success in France....
" from 1993's million-selling C'est déja ça. At the 20th anniversary of the Victoires de la Musique in 1995, Alain Souchon received the award for best "Chanson Originale" for his song "Foule Sentimentale." In 1996, he received the "le Prix Vincent Scotto" award given by the SACEM (Societe des Auteurs Compositeurs) for his song "Sous les Jupes des Filles". Souchon returned in 2005 with the hugely successful album La vie Théodore which contained the hit single "...Et si en plus y'a personne".
Studio Albums
| Year | Album | FR France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
BE Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
CH Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | J'ai dix ans
|
- | - | - | |
| 1976 | Bidon
|
- | - | - | |
| 1977 | Jamais content
|
- | - | - | France: Gold (100,000) |
| 1978 | Toto 30 ans, rien que du malheur...
|
- | - | - | France: Gold (100,000) |
| 1980 | Rame
|
- | - | - | France: Gold (100,000) |
| 1983 | On avance
|
- | - | - | France: Gold (100,000) |
| 1985 | C'est comme vous voulez
|
108A | - | - | |
| 1988 | Ultra moderne solitude
|
- | - | - | France: Gold (100,000) |
| 1993 | C'est déjà ça C'est déjà ça C'est déjà ça is a 1993 album recorded by French singer Alain Souchon. It was his eleventh album overall and was released on October 10, 1993. It achieved smash success in France where it remained for 100 weeks in the top 50, including one week at the top, and 108 weeks on the chart. It was also... |
37A | 7 | - | France: Diamond (1,000,000+) |
| 1997 | Sol en si (with Francis Cabrel Francis Cabrel Francis Cabrel is a well-known French singer-songwriter and guitarist. Inspired heavily by Bob Dylan, he has released a number of albums falling mostly within the realm of folk, with occasional forays into blues or country. Several of his songs, such as "L'encre de tes yeux" and "Petite Marie"... , Michel Jonasz Michel Jonasz Michel Jonasz is a French composer-songwriter, singer and actor. His compositions include: La boîte de jazz, Joueurs de blues and Les vacances au bord de la mer.... , Catherine Lara Catherine Lara Catherine Lara is a French violinist, composer and singer.-Music career:As a child, Lara studied violin and received the first prize of chamber music at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1966.... , Maxime le Forestier, Maurane Maurane Maurane, real name Claudine Luypaerts, is a Belgian singer. She lives currently in Schaerbeek.Maurane was born at Ixelles. Her father was director in the Académie de Musique de Verviers, and when she was a teenager she took part in several musical contests... , Zazie Zazie Zazie is a French singer and songwriter. Zazie co-produces all her albums.-Early life:... ) |
3 | - | - | |
| 1999 | Au ras des pâquerettes
|
1 | 5 | 74 | France: Diamond (1,206,000) |
| 2005 | La Vie Théodore La Vie Théodore La Vie Théodore is a 2005 album recorded by French singer Alain Souchon. It was his eleventh studio album and was released on 2 September 2005. It achieved smash success in France where it remained for 66 weeks in the top 200, including two weeks at the top. It was also successful in Belgium and... |
1 | 1 | 3 | France: 2xPlatinum (462,100) |
| 2008 | Écoutez d'où ma peine vient
|
1 | 2 | 27 | France: Platinum (200,000) |
Live albums
| Year | Album | FR France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
BE Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
CH Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Olympia 83
|
- | - | - | |
| 1990 | Nickel
|
49A | - | - | France: Gold (100,000) |
| 1995 | Défoule sentimentale - Live
|
- | 9 | - | France: 2xGold (200,000) |
| 2002 | J'veux du live
|
29 | 26 | - | France: Gold (100,000) |
| 2010 | Alain Souchon est chanteur
|
13 | 15 | - | France: |
- A Re-release
Compilations
| Year | Album | FR France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
BE Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
CH Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | L'Intégral
|
- | - | - | |
| 1997 | 20 Chansons
|
- | - | - | France: Platinum (300,000) |
| 2001 | Collection (1974-1984)
|
- | 30 | 10 | France: Platinum (300,000) |
| Collection (1985-2001)
|
- | - | - | France: Platinum (300,000) | |
| 2002 | Par les Sentiments
|
- | - | - | |
| 2004 | Platinum Collection
|
- | 13 | - | |
| 2007 | 100 Chansons
|
- | - | - |
Singles
| Year | Single | FR France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
BE Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
SNEP | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "La Ballade de Jim" | 24 | - | C'est comme vous voulez | |
| 1989 | "Quand je serai k.o. | 29 | - | Ultra moderne solitude | |
| 1993 | "Foule sentimentale" | 1 | - | Silver (125,000) | C'est déjà ça |
| 1994 | "L'amour à la machine" | 21 | - | ||
| 2000 | "Tailler la zone" | 71 | - | Au ras des pâquerettes | |
| 2001 | "Le baiser / Caterpillar" | 80 | - | ||
| 2002 | "La vie ne vaut rien" | 46 | - | J'veux du live | |
| 2005 | "Et si en plus y'a personne" | 19 | 12 | La vie Théodore | |
| 2006 | "La vie Théodore" | 68 | - | ||
| 2008 | "Écoutez d'où ma peine vient" | - | 7 | Ecoutez d'où ma peine vient |
Awards
1986- Victoires de la musiqueVictoires de la MusiqueVictoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
: Music Video of the Year (La Ballade de Jim), directed by Philippe Bensoussan - Victoires de la musiqueVictoires de la MusiqueVictoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
: Song of the Year (Belle-Île-en-Mer)
1990
- Victoires de la musiqueVictoires de la MusiqueVictoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
: Song of the Year (Quand j'serai KO)
1991
- Victoires de la musiqueVictoires de la MusiqueVictoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
: Album of the Year (Nickel)
1994
- Victoires de la musiqueVictoires de la MusiqueVictoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
: Male Artist of the Year - Victoires de la musiqueVictoires de la MusiqueVictoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
: Song of the Year (Foule sentimentale)
1996
- Victoires de la musiqueVictoires de la MusiqueVictoires de la musique , is an annual French award ceremony that recognizes the best musical artists of the year.- Male artist of the year :*1985 : Michel Jonasz*1986 : Jean-Jacques Goldman*1987 : Johnny Hallyday...
: Album of the Year (Défoule sentimentale)
External links
Official site- Biography of Alain Souchon, from Radio France InternationaleRadio France InternationaleRadio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...