Charles Trenet

Louis Charles Auguste Claude (Charles) Trenet ( Narbonne , May 18 1913 - Creteil , February 19 2001 ) was a French singer , composer and actor, active from the 30s to the 90s of the 20th century. Trenet, who because of his comical expression and his felt hat nicknamed "Le Fou Chantant" (the singing fool) was, is best known for his worldwide hits Douce France and La mer. In France Trenet is equally praised as Édith Piaf and Charles Aznavour .

Contents

 * 1 La mer
 * 2 Life
 * 3 Radio 2 Top 2000
 * 4 Trivia
 * 5 External link

La mer
Reportedly wrote Trenet La mer along with Leo Chauliac in 20 minutes during a train ride between Carcassonne and Narbonne in 1943. La mer received in 1946 an English text of Jack Lawrence : Beyond the sea. This was an unprecedented success for world among others Bobby Darin and Robbie Williams . Worldwide there are more than 400 recorded versions of the song, including a Dutch by Rob de Nijs .

Live
Charles Trenet in 1977.

Trenet, a notary son from Narbonne, early came into contact with art, partly because he had to stay home due to illness for a long time. In 1928 he followed his mother to Berlin, where he came into contact with theater and poetry. In the 30s he studied in Paris architecture and design. There he met swing pianist Johnny Hess and the duo Charles and Johnny was successful with hits likeQuand les beaux jours seront là and Yang Tse Kiang Sur le.

In 1936, Trenet was called up for military service and the duo fell apart. During his military service he wrote his first hit songs Je chante and Y'a d'la joie, a big hit for Maurice Chevalier . During the German occupation Trenet starred in several films. He also continued to perform, especially for German soldiers and French prisoner of war in Germany. That was not thanked him. Possibly his arrangement dictated by the fact that Trenet as homosexual in danger of being deported and there are rumors about a Jewishorigin were circulating.

After the war Trenet moved to the United States, where he quickly became a success in New York and toured in the US, Mexico and Peru . In September 1951 he returned to France. There he performed continuously, but in the sixties was not well with his career. In 1975 he first took leave of the music.

In 1981 Trenet made a strong comeback with a new album. In the following years he gave many concerts in and outside France, including a series of farewell concerts at thePalais des Congrès in Paris in 1986. But once again it was not a final goodbye. In 1999, he returned with the album Les poètes descendent dans la rue. Trenet again drew full houses.

In April 2000, Trenet was hospitalized after a stroke . He recovered yet to the dress rehearsal of Charles Aznavour show at the Palais des Congres in Cannes to attend on 25 October. This was his last public appearance. Charles Trenet died at the age of 87 at the Henri Mondor Hospital in the Paris suburb of Creteil to a brain hemorrhage . He is buried in the large cemetery to Narbonne. Also Trenet's birthplace is in Narbonne - 13 Avenue Charles Trenet - a small museum, which includes the original texts of his hits can be seen as well as a piano whereupon he played and composed.

Trivia

 * The Belgian cartoonist Herge refers in two Tintin albums to Trenet. In Solar Temple sings Captain Haddock's song Le soleil et la lune. In the album Tintin and the Black Gold is the song Boum for.
 * In 2007, La Mer is frequently heard in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday .

External link

 * Lyrics of La mer in songteksten.net