An idol who revisits his own idols? Why not. And Julien Clerc takes up the bet with the enthusiasm of a young first.
• Read also: Happy days: a tribute album to the greats of French song
Hearing his versions of “La valse à mille temps” or “For me… formidable”, we discover all the pleasure he felt during the recording of his cover album “Les jourshappys”.
On the other hand, the music lover in him is not limited to standards of Aznavour, Brel, Piaf, Montand or Trenet. His love of melody leads him to discover genres sometimes far removed from his own creations. As he sums it up so well: “There is good music and there is the other. And good music comes in all styles.”
On “Happy Days”, we find songs that you have always hummed…
From my childhood. They were my mother’s idols. My parents were separated and I had been placed in the custody of my father. I only saw my mother on weekends. I went from one musical atmosphere to another because my mother-in-law was a fan of classical music. I switched from classical music to songs when I went to see my mother.
You have had the opportunity to meet some of these interpreters. What memory do you have of it?
I opened for Bécaud. I did two tours with him. Every night, I watched it when I was in the first part. This is the soundtrack of my life.
Since these are songs that you have known for a long time, the recording must have been quite fast?
Indeed. What took longer was the choice of songs. I tried many with Benjamin Constant who produced the album. We kept what came out best. For example, I had “Do not leave me”, but it came out less well than others.
Were there heartbreaking choices in song selection?
No. The best imposed themselves. Initially, there were more ballads than fast songs. We had to add more. “My carousel to me”, I would not have thought of doing that. And at first, I didn’t put Montand. There were only Brel, Trenet, Aznavour, Bécaud, Ferré, Barbara. I had made too nostalgic a choice.
You define yourself as a melodist. Are these songs among your role models?
Ah yes! These are all great melodies! Only one is missing, Brassens, who marked me terribly. It may not come across in the way I wrote my melodies, but it was ever-present in my mind. But I find that Le Forestier and Renaud do it better than me.
How did you manage to surround yourself with such great songwriters?
I was lucky. When I started, the first one I met was Roda-Gil. He was completely atypical. This is undoubtedly what has been part of our success. “The volcano heart”, “The skater” or “The little sick witch”, these were texts so different from what we heard in the song before.
And when I decided to open the door to other authors, I already had that past with Roda-Gil. After him, the first author was Dabadie. Then I got to know McNeil, Luc Plamondon. As Étienne had set the bar so high, they gave me the best of themselves.
You talked about your childhood, but did rock rock mark you as a teenager?
I knew rock ‘n’ roll through English pop. Roll Over Beethoven, I heard it first from the Beatles. I heard Chuck Berry afterwards. I also leaned on Elvis. Bob Dylan was one of my idols. I was also into Ray Charles.
Among the first records I bought, I must have been 14 at the time, there was a very good collection called “American Folk Blues Festival”. I then bought the records of bluesmen T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon…
When you started playing the piano, what songs did you practice?
I did classical piano and I stopped at the age of 13. I was lazy. (Laughs) Around the age of 16, the piano called me back. I was also a singer in a band. I was singing the English: the Yardbirds, the Animals. I remember singing the Kinks “Waterloo Sunset”, “Rosy Won’t Please Come Home”…
Adamo and Bécaud gave you your chance. In return, did you discover artists whose potential you saw?
Ah yes! There is one who has since become huge: Vianney. He played in the first part of me in Paris. Vincent Delerm also did my opening act.
How do you compose songs that transcend generations?
I do not know. There is probably luck. My influences are so diverse. I have never been a music specialist. Besides, I don’t like specialists. There is good music and there is the other. And good music comes in all styles. So it has forged in me a musical style that transcends time.
The other thing is the lyricists. It happened to me to make music and give it to lyricists, but most of the time, it’s texts that I put to music. Like Elton John. He asks Bernie Taupin for a text, then he puts it to music. It makes different songs. You put yourself at the service of an author’s poetry.
You seem to have a special relationship with Quebec. Which Quebec artist did you discover first?
Gilles Vigneault. I love it. I also became friends with Robert Charlebois during my first visit to Quebec. During this trip, I was told: “Yvon Deschamps is going to Place des Arts, we are going to see him.” It was a terrible culture shock! I did’nt understand everything. (Laughs)
Then on another trip, I heard “Working is too hard”, a song I borrowed from Zachary Richard. In Quebec, I met some great people.