French Singer Joe Dassin Died Thirty Years Ago

Joe Dassin (1938-80), French Pop singer of the 60s and 70s

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Here’s one of his first hits, Bip-Bip

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À toi

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Editor’s Foreword:

Joe Dassin was very popular in Russia, much as Mireille Mathieu is today. That’s the difference between Russia and America… Russia is fully tied into European intellectual, cultural, entertainment, and sports life, whilst the USA isn’t… a reason why Europeans don’t have as many problems with Russians as they do with Americans.

BMD

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On 20 August, it was the 30th anniversary of the death of the death of French singer Joe Dassin, his real name was Joseph Ira Dassin. He was born 5 November 1938 in New York City in the family of famous film director Jules Dassin (through the maternal line, he was half-Russian) and violinist Béatrice Launer. After 1945, for political reasons, Joe’s family left the United States and after long wanderings throughout Europe, decided to settle in France. During this ordeal, Joe learned several languages and dialects, and studied in 14 different schools.

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Si tu t’appelles mélancolie

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Joe didn’t decide to become a musician right away. He studied for three years at the Medical University, receiving a doctorate in anthropology. The famous French chanson singer Georges Brassens had a great deal of influence on Joe’s songs. In 1963, he met Jacques Pleteaux, his future art director, in Paris, and, together, they created the first hit songs by Dassin, Bip-Bip, Ca m’avance a quoi, and Guantanamera. In 1965, Dassin and Pleteaux recorded the album Les Dalton, one of the most successful albums in Joe’s career.

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Le jardin du Luxembourg

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Et si tu n’existais pas

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Beginning in 1969, he began a period of constant gigs and touring, as Dassin was especially well-liked in Canada and other Francophone countries. Amongst his hits of the 70’s were Fais…moi de l’électricité, Si tu t’appelles mélancolie, and L’été Indien. In 1977, all the radio stations played his song A toi. Then, he recorded such hits as Dans les yeux d’Émilie, and Le jardin du Luxembourg. The whole world loved Et si tu n’existais pas, Les Champs-Élysées, and Salut. The last concert of Joe Dassin was on 11 July 1980 in Port-au-Cannes, where, during his second set, Joe fainted. Despite the warnings of doctors, Dassin continued to work and agreed to take only a short holiday, spent in Hawaii. On 20 August 1980, Joe Dassin died whilst eating dinner in a restaurant in Papeete (Tahiti in French Polynesia), RIA-Novosti reported.

20 August 2010

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2010/08/20/16493586.html