A French song that conquered the world - except in France

French pop singers of the fifties and sixties are often criticised for being reliant on cover versions of overseas hits - in particular those emanating from the UK or the US. While there is some justification in this - after all, many of the yé-yé singers in particular began their careers by covering the big international hits of the day - the truth is that many singers did rely on their own material (or that of the country's songsmiths). There were far more original French songs around than is generally realised, and a significant number of those went on to find success internationally, including some, like this one, that failed to ring the bell at home.

Gilbert Bécaud was one of the big French stars of the fifties. A remarkable performer and a gifted composer (like Elton John, he could not write lyrics and so relied on collaborators to provide lyrics to his songs throughout his career), he had begun his career as part of the backroom team behind Édith Piaf before rocketing to prominence in 1953 with the big hits "Les croix" and "Mes mains". (The latter provided early warning of the international appeal of his tunes when an English-language cover became a UK hit for Robert Earl (among others) in 1956 as "With Your Love".) Bécaud cemented his star status in 1954 with a powerhouse live show at the Paris Olympia music hall, with his dramatic performances and dynamic showmanship (including playing piano with his feet), inducing a riot and earning him the nickname "Monsieur 100,000 Volts". By 1955 he was one of the biggest stars in the country. 

 

In September of that year, Bécaud released a two-track 45 rpm single pairing two new compositions. The A-side, "Ça", featured lyrics from the rapidly-rising Charles Aznavour (who had recorded his own version for EP release a few months earlier), while the flipside, "Je t'appartiens" featured a text by Pierre Delanoë. Both tunes were recycled at the end of the year on Bécaud's 5th EP, this time with "Je t'appartiens" listed as the leading track. The latter song popped up again on Bécaud's 4th LP in 1956 but despite the multiple releases, it never really caught the public ear. The EP failed to reach the top ten sales chart, and none of the tracks found their way into the sheet music chart either. This general indifference didn't seem to bother Bécaud, who bounced back in 1956 with the chart-topping "La corrida", and as far as "Je t'appartiens" was concerned, that appeared to be that.

Fortunately for Bécaud, his American publisher thought otherwise and got the tune to lyricist Manny Curtis (best known for penning the lyrics to Duke Ellington's "In A Sentimental Mood"). Hearing something rather, well, sentimental in Bécaud's melody, Curtis crafted a suitably lovelorn lyric, which he titled "Let it Be Me", in which guise it was picked up by American singer Jill Corey, who recorded it in 1957 and performed it on television in an episode of the CBS-TV series Climax!. The exposure gave the song something of a boost and it duly entered the American charts, although it has to be said that it underperformed, topping out at # 54 in Cash Box, # 57 in Billboard and # 76 in Music Vendor, although it did better than that in some markets, making the top ten in Worcester, Masschusetts and the top twenty in Dayton, Ohio and Orlando, Florida.

Once again, that appeared to be that, until someone got the song to The Everly Brothers, who recorded it in one of their final sessions for Cadence Records in 1959. With a melody that might have been tailor-made for the pair's exquisite harmonies and with the American lyric carrying just the right mix of yearning and sincerity, it was one of the best records the Kentucky duo had ever made. Issued as a single just as the pair signed a million-dollar deal with Warner Bros. Records, the song finally achieved its just desserts, climbing into the top ten in both the US and Canada and doing similar business in the rest of the English-speaking world. It was also a hit in The Netherlands, where it shared chart honours with a version by local heroes The Blue Diamonds (that also rang the bell in Spain), while German audiences lapped up a local cover ("Zeig mir bei Nacht die Sterne") by Detlef Engel. Other versions to appear that year included recordings by Andy Williams and by New Zealand duo Bill and Boyd, with further easy listening covers from the likes of The Fleetwoods and The Anita Kerr Singers following over the next couple of years.

Times changed fast during the sixties but "Let It Be Me" lived on, breaking into the US charts a third time in 1964 in a soulful duet by Betty Everett and Jerry Butler. Two years later, soul singer Arthur Prysock gave it a new lease of life, while across the globe in Australia, beat group Johnny Young and Kompany enjoyed a massive hit with a somewhat sugar-coated rendition of the song. Now established as a modern standard, the song popped up in the charts all over the world during the late sixties, from the UK (in a version by Mick Tinsley) to  The Netherlands ("Kom bij me terug" by Kees van Kooten & Wim de Bie) to Sweden (in English by The Hep Stars and in Swedish by Magnus as "Lät det bli vi") to Finland ("Se oli silloin" by Jarkko & Laura) and via no fewer than three further US hit renditions (by The Sweet Inspirations, by Nino Tempo & April Stevens and by Glen Campbell & Bobbie Gentry). That's without counting the dozens of versions that could be found on albums from performers as diverse as Sonny & Cher, Nancy Sinatra, Edwin Starr and Leonard Nimoy (yep, Mr. Spock from Star Trek had a go at it too). Things slowed down a little in the seventies, although Elvis Presley put it into his repertoire for his Vegas shows in 1970, the same year that Percy Sledge took it into the top twenty in South Africa. Dutch outfit The Buffoons got a local hit with it in 1973 and the song's final chart appearance seems to have come with Willie Nelson's US hit in 1982. All in all, despite its initial reception in France, it turned out to be quite a nice little earner for M. Bécaud.

In recognition of the song's international success, Bécaud had in fact recorded it in English himself in 1964 for the album Gilbert Bécaud In English, although this attempt to find the singer an international audience met with only limited success. (Four years later, he cut the English version for a second time, putting it on the flip of his UK top ten hit "A Little Love And Understanding". ). In its original form, "Je t'appartiens" did grab some long overdue French chart action in 1966 when covered by Olivier Despax but it remained nothing to compare with its international appeal. Bécaud himself recorded a new, uptempo version in 1970, including it in his Olympia recitals that year, but he still couldn't get the song moving in the shops. 

Clearly, there is something in Manny Curtis's English lyric that resonates with audiences in a way that Pierre Delanoë's words do not, yet it remains one of the enduring mysteries of French pop that a global smash of such magnitude remains so underappreciated and little-known in the land of its birth.

You can read more about Gilbert Bécaud's career and the international success of his songs when my book is released at the end of February. Feel free to pre-order a copy here: BOOK