Daniel Balavoine

Daniel Balavoine , born with Alençon (Flowering ash) on February 5th, 1952 and dead on January 14th, 1986 with Gourma-Rharous (Mali), is a song writer and performer French.

Music

In the Years 1970, it takes part as a chorus-singer in the musical comedy the French revolution , then with the concerts of Patrick Juvet.

This last offers its chance to him by letting it record a song on one of its albums. That enables him to be noticed by Léo Missir, director artistic at Barclay with which it ties a very strong bond.

Its first two albums Of you with it passing some by me (1975) and adventures of Simon and Gunther… (1977) (which speaks about two brothers who live at the time of the Berlin Wall) do not meet success.

Only the 45 turns extracts from the album the adventures of Simon and Gunther… , “Marlène Lady” (on which figure another title, the Door is closed ), meets a success of regard.

The third album, heading the Singer (1978), on whom figure the song éponyme, the fact of knowing general public.

Dazzled by the voice of Daniel Balavoine whom he discovers at the time his televised interpretation of “Marlène Lady” (1977), Michel Berger immediately recognizes in him the exceptionally gifted one that it needs to play the part of “Johnny Rockfort” in the rock opera which it projects to assemble with Luc Plamondon, Starmania (1978). This participation increases its notoriety more, with an image a little hooligan with “When one arrives downtown”, and full with tenderness with “S.O.S of land in distress”, very technical song that Michel Berger especially composed for him, then the only one with being able to interpret it. It is also the beginning of a great friendship for the trio Daniel Balavoine - Michel Berger - France Gall.

Balavoine connects the tubes and its creative talent, its voice perched high and its direction of the melody are essential and quickly classify it on the same plan as great names like Michel Polnareff or Michel Berger in the world of the song. It is essential also right before the years Mitterrand carries word of youth from there.

During first half of the Années 1980 Daniel Balavoine is essential like an important figure of the music New wave (or Synthpop) in France. Besides it emits critics at the beginning of the decade towards a majority of French artists “established”, that it then shows to make music of music hall , not enough in connection with waitings of the youth, which tends to turn more to the Anglo-Saxon music.

Pioneer in the kind, it is with Jean Michel Jarre the first to acquire in France with high expenses the samplor Fairlight in 1984, kind of synthetizer computer-assisted of which the use will work all the music of the Eighties. Its music is defined by a sought melody, worked percussions, and a use prevailing of synthetic sounds constant on the traditional instruments (syntheses close to the violin and the organ), the whole mingled with synthetic effects. Is added to that its universe rock'n'roll, kind that it affectionate particularly (skinned voice, usual use of the electric guitar…).

Thus, it combines all the assets of the accomplished composer-songwriter which make of him a audio-visual monster impossible to circumvent of the Eighties with the attaching face of “baby in-arms”, on the same basis for example as Coluche. Its assets being: a popular music of avant-garde thus, but also of the punished and engaged texts, which depict various facets of company astutely (celebrity, divorce, childhood, money and social success, work, wars, drug, torture, policy, love, tolerance and racism, dramas humane, life and died, etc), finally and especially a single voice, an inimitable stamp, of aucuns will say " cristal" , powerful, a tantinet skinned, and able to practically cover three octaves. It enters very tardily in voice of head, able to support very acute notes with nevertheless sufficient trunk so that a neophyte distinguishes clearly in his fine voice, a male stamp.

Its voice could be by far compared with that of Freddie Mercury, and clearly dissociates that of singers like Michel Polnareff or Sting, which if they often make use of their voice of head, is located in frequencies where Daniel Balavoine would have simply used his full voice (normal).

Many artists interpreted later on songs of its repertory of which Liane Foly, Léna Ka, Johnny Hallyday, Nicole Rieu, Pascal Obispo, Patrick Fiori, Florent Pagny, Grégory Lemarchal, like Marie Denise Pelletier with his resumption of the song “All cries, S.O.S” in 1987.

It is the third missing type-setter author who generates the most royalties in France, behind Joe Dassin and Michel Berger.

Spokesperson of youth

Daniel Balavoine one is especially impassioned. Of music first of all, but one impassioned of the life more largely. Engaged, it puts its notoriety at the service of causes which move it: the policy, the denunciation of the war, the famine, racism, the defense of freedom and the life. Very snuffed Talk-shows , he does not hesitate to give his opinion over all, sometimes with vehemence, persuaded to have for mission of making evolve/move mentalities. That is worth to him to start some polemics.

It is noticed it the first time at the time of a passage televised in 1980, where, being posed as a spokesperson youth, he is opposed to François Mitterrand and to the politicians in general, that he considers too far away from the concern of the young people.

Its texts are committed and denounce the aberrations of humanity which are the injustice and the war (in particular injustices related to the cold war) as all that is related to these two concepts. Its albums with topic Far from the eyes of the occident (1983) and Sauver the Love (1985) are an illustration.

One also finds it in a standpoint celebrates on October 23rd, 1983, against the war with the Lebanon (where his/her brother was then present), the war in general and against the people who support it, during the television program Seven out of seven . The morning even, had taken place the attack of Drakkar, during which 58 French soldiers had found death. It will present its excuses on the plate of Champs Elysées (Antenne 2) on November 5th, 1983.

Paris Dakar

Another passion, that of the automobile races, push it to begin as from January 1983 in the rally Paris-Dakar.

It takes part thus in 2 rallys as a competitor (1983 and 1985) and manages to take down the 30ère place on arrival of Dakar 1985.

During this race, he discovers Africa, continent to which he sticks. He takes part besides in the French concert for the Ethiopia given to Courneuve on October 13rd, 1985.

He founds with Michel Berger association Action Schools, intended to mobilize the French schoolboys against the hunger in Africa.

With the beginning of the year 1986, it not accompanies the Paris-Dakar in competitor, but to follow the installation of water pumps.

Its action continues today with the Mali from the Association Daniel Balavoine.

The fatal accident

The evening of January 14th, 1986 towards 17:30, Thierry Sabine (creative and organizer of the rally) and Daniel Balavoine must join the bivouac of Gourma-Rharous (Mali) to continue the course of the race. Initially, it is Jean-Luc Roy and Yann Arthus-Bertrand which must get into the helicopter. However, for some time the singer claimed in Thierry Sabine a first flight, with however a certain apprehension. Sabine remembers some and will discuss it with the two provisional passengers. Those agree to yield their place.

The helicopter thus takes off with its five passengers: respectively Sabine, Balavoine, the journalist Nathaly Odent, the technician radio operator Jean-Paul Fur and the pilot François-Xavier Bagnoud. Surprised by the night, they follow the river Niger (a flat and simple reference mark). But, a few minutes later, a sandstorm occurs. Having a quasi null visibility, they are posed with 21 kilometers Gourma. Thierry Sabine crosses a competitor and asks him to announce their position to the bivouac and to requisition a car in order to bring back them. The business thus seems to be arranged.

For an unexplained reason, the apparatus redécolle, and follows the rear lights of another competitor. The helicopter flies very low and follows very close the car. At this point in time with 8 kilometers of the bivouac and after kilometers of line right-hand side, the helicopter, surprised by the rising ground, is pulverized on the ground. It is a little less than 8 p.m. The 5 passengers die on the blow.

One month after the catastrophe, Balavoine was to fly away for England in order to found there a completely anglophone group of which the ambitions would have been international. A new concert with the Sport hall was envisaged in October 1986.

Daniel Balavoine rests with the cemetery of Ranquine with Biarritz, in the department of the Yrénées-Atlantiques.

Discography

Some titles

  • 1975 : Vienna the rain
  • 1977: Lady Marlène , the door is closed
  • 1978: S.O.S of Land in distress, When one arrives downtown, Banlieue Northern, When one has more nothing to lose, the Singer , Lucie
  • 1980: My son my battle, Lipstick Polychrome, I am not a hero, the life does not teach me anything
  • 1982: Salesmen of tears, Raises me, Vivre or to survive
  • 1983: For the widowed woman who wakes up, Partir before mine
  • 1984: God that it is beautiful
  • 1985: the Aziza , Aimer is stronger than to be liked, Sauver the love, Petite Angele, All the cries the S.O.S

Various participations

Video here

Compilations

  • Its first 7 compositions (1986)
    • Viens quickly
    • Lire a book
    • jam
    • All is well
    • Même with your flowers
    • the day rose (with the Présence group)
    • the light and the madness (with the Présence group)
  • the main part (1999)
    • 2 CD
  • the 100 plus beautiful songs (2006)
    • 6 CD taking again integrality of the recordings official studios, 12 lives drawn from the spectacle from 1981 and some news

Catalog of films

Anecdote

A young Belgian type-setter of the name of Marc Lerchs, moved with the advertisement by died by Daniel Balavoine, composes a song entitled “the Aziza is in tears” the very same day. He makes it record by Lara, young singer a 16 year old, in which he believes. This song, engraved on its first 45 turns, makes it notice and retain for the Eurovision contest of the song 1988; it will become famous under the name of Lara Fabian.

External bonds

  • Official site of Association Daniel Balavoine (this association is not a fan-club, its goal is only humane)

  • Page on Daniel Balavoine on the site of Universal Music (recording company)

nonofficial Sites on the artist Daniel Balavoine:

  • Daniel Balavoine, the Singer
  • Daniel Balavoine, All cries, the S.O.S
  • Daniel Balavoine, Colors of Fall
  • Balavoine by Dorian
  • Balavoine in Audio Real
  • Balavoine, its discs
    • Photo
  • of the tomb of Daniel Balavoine, with the cemetery of Ranquine, Biarritz

Sites evoking Daniel Balavoine:

  • the Net surfer (extracted video the debate on the plate of the newspaper of Antenna 2 with Daniel Balavoine and François Mitterrand.

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