Saturday, March 21, 2009

Tu Veux Que J'te Chante La Mer ?

His funeral was held on Friday in Paris. Alain Bashung died last week. He was sixty-one, a heavy smoker, and died, predictably, of lung cancer.

I wasn't a huge fan of his. But a few of his biggest hit songs are part of the repertoire of music that defines my first year in Paris, now over twenty-seven years ago. We have a couple of his albums from back then.

The television news reports covered his death of course. Friday's memorial service was held a couple blocks from where I lived back in 1981, at the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. He was buried in the Père-Lachaise cemetery.

I never saw Bashung sing live. I probably should have. He had another relatively big hit in 1991, and another just last year. He acted in more than a dozen films, none of which I can recall seeing.

But still, his death jarred me a bit. He was young, and his music conjures fond memories, at least for me.

J'ai dû rêver trop fort.

4 comments:

  1. J'sais pas pas pas pas pas J'sais pas pas pas...

    Un jour je ne chanterai plus.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I didn't know of him, Walt, but I'm always interested in French singers of that era. Can you tell me the names of the albums that you have? Thanks.

    BettyAnn

    ReplyDelete
  3. bettyann, the albums are called Roulette russe and Pizza.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks, Walt.

    BA

    ReplyDelete

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