Charles Trenet

Louis Charles Auguste Claude Trenet (French: [ʃaʁl tʁəne]; 18 May 1913 – 19
Charles Trenet
February 2001) was a French singer and songwriter. He was most famous for his
recordings from the late 1930s until the mid-1950s, though his career continued
through the 1990s. In an era in which it was unusual for singers to write their own
material, Trenet wrote prolifically and declined to record any but his own songs.

Contents
History
Charles Trenet in concert,
Early life
Delorimier Stadium, Montreal,
Before World War II Quebec, Canada, 24 July 1946.
World War II
Background information
After World War II
Birth name Louis Charles
1970s
Auguste Claude
Later career and death
Trenet
References
Born 18 May 1913
External links
Narbonne, France
Died 19 February 2001

History (aged 87)

Créteil, France
Trenet's best-known songs include "Boum!", "La Mer", "Y'a d'la joie", "Que reste-t-
Genres Jazz, easy listening
il de nos amours?", "Ménilmontant" and "Douce France". His catalogue of songs is
Instruments Vocals
enormous, numbering close to a thousand. While many of his songs mined relatively
conventional topics such as love, Paris, and nostalgia for his younger days, what set Years active 1933–2000
Trenet's songs apart were their personal, poetic, sometimes quite eccentric qualities, Labels Pathé-Marconi,
often infused with a warm wit. Columbia

Some of his songs had unconventional subject matter, with whimsical imagery
bordering on the surreal. "Y'a d'la joie" evokes joy through a series of disconnected
images, including that of a subway car shooting out of its tunnel into the air, the
Eiffel Tower crossing the street and a baker making excellent bread. The lovers
engaged in a minuet in "Polka du Roi" reveal themselves at length to be "no longer
human": they are made of wax and trapped in the Musée Grévin. Many of his hits
from the 1930s and 1940s effectively combine the melodic and verbal nuances of
Charles Trenet. My heart sings (78
French song with American swing rhythms.
rpm Columbia)
His song "La Mer", which according to legend he composed with Léo Chauliac on a
train in 1943, was recorded in 1946. Trenet explained in an interview that he was
told that "La Mer" was notswing enough to be a hit, and for this reason it sat in a drawer for three years before being recorded.[1] "La
Mer" is Trenet's best-known work outside the French-speaking world, with more than 400 recorded versions. The song was given
unrelated English words and under the title "Beyond the Sea" (or sometimes "Sailing"), was a hit for Bobby Darin in the early 1960s,
and George Benson in the mid-1980s. "Beyond the Sea" was used in the ending credits of Finding Nemo. His "Formidable" was
written as impressions of a trip to America.[2]
"La Mer" has been used in many films such as Bernardo Bertolucci's 2003 The
Dreamers, the 2010 German film Animals United, and in the closing scene of Mr
Bean's Holiday. A Julio Iglesias version plays in the final scene of the 2011 spy film,
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.[3] The song was also used in the opening credits of the
2007 film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which used the song to highlight the
paralysing effects of a stroke that felled his fellow Frenchman, Jean-Dominique
Bauby. Both Trenet songs "La Mer" and "Vous qui Passez sans me Voir" were
Charles Trenet. La mer (78 rpm
featured prominently inHenry Jaglom's 1971 A Safe Place.[4] It was also used as the
Columbia)
opening title song in Steve Martin's L.A. Story in 1991. Other Trenet songs were
recorded by such popular French singers as Maurice Chevalier, Jean Sablon and
Fréhel.

Early life
Trenet was born in Narbonne (Occitanie). When he was seven years old, his parents
divorced and he was sent to boarding school in Béziers, but he returned home just a
few months later, suffering from typhoid fever. It was during his convalescence at
home that he developed his artistic talents, taking up music, painting and sculpting.

In 1922, Trenet moved to Perpignan, this time as a day pupil. A water-colourist

friend of the family André Fons-Godail, the "Catalan Renoir", used to take him out
painting. His poetry is said to have the painter's eye for detail and colour.[5] Many of
his songs had references to his surroundings such as places near Narbonne, the
Pyrenees and the Mediterranean coast.

He passed his baccalauréat with high marks in 1927. After leaving school he left for
Berlin where he studied art, and later he also briefly studied at art schools in
France.[5] When Trenet first arrived in Paris in the 1930s, he worked in a movie
studio as a props handler and assistant, and later joined up with the artists in the
Montparnasse neighbourhood. His admiration of the surrealist poet and Catholic
The house where Charles Trenet
mystic Max Jacob (1876–1944) and his love of jazz were two factors that influenced was born, in Narbonne (Aude),
Trenet's songs.[5] France, now opened to visitors.

Before World War II

From 1933 to 1936, he worked with the Swiss pianist Johnny Hess as a duo known as Charles and Johnny. They performed at various
Parisian venues, such as Le Fiacre, La Villa d'Este, the Européen and the Alhambra. They recorded 18 discs for Pathé, the most
successful of which was "Quand les beaux jours seront là/Sur le Yang-Tsé-Kiang". The Charles and Johnny records feature Hess on
piano, with the two frequently singing in two-part harmonies with quickly alternating solo spots for the two. Around 1935, the duo
appeared regularly on the radio on a broadcast calledQuart d'heure des enfants terribles.

The duo continued until 1936 when Trenet was called up for national service. It was after his national service that Trenet received the
nickname that he would retain all his life: "Le Fou chantant" (The Singing Madman). In 1937, Trenet began his solo career, recording
for Columbia, his first disc being "Je chante/Fleur bleue". The exuberant "Je chante" gave rise to the notion of Trenet as a "singing
vagabond", a theme that appeared in a number of his early songs and films.

World War II
At the start of World War II, Trenet was called up. He was in barracks at Salon-de-Provence until he was demobilized in June 1940,
when he moved back to Paris. There he performed at the Folies Bergère or at the Gaîté Parisienne (two famous cabarets) in front of a
public often consisting of German officers and soldiers. The collaborationist press tried to compromise his name and published that
"Trenet" was the anagram of "Netter" – a Jewish name.[6] He was able to show his family tree to the authorities, proving that he had
no Jewish origin.

Like many other artists of the time, he chose to go on entertaining the occupying forces rather than sacrifice his career. He agreed,
when asked by the Germans, to go and sing for the French prisoners-of-war in Germany. The Épuration légale ("legal purge"), the
wave of official trials that followed theLiberation of France and the fall of the Vichy Regime, examined whether Trenet was guilty of
[7]
collaboration but the inquiry resulted in a mere reprimand without any further consequences.

After World War II

After the end of hostilities, he moved to the United States where he lived for a few years and where he quickly became a success.
After a few triumphant concerts at the Bagdad in New York, Trenet became a big hit and was approached by Hollywood. He met the
likes of Louis Armstrong and began a long-lasting friendship withCharlie Chaplin.

On 14 September 1951, Trenet returned to Paris and made a comeback at the Théâtre de l'Étoile. He incorporated ten new songs into
his act, including "De la fenêtre d'en haut" and "La Folle Complainte". In 1954 he performed at the "Olympia" music-hall in Paris for
the first time. The following year he wrote the famous Route
" nationale 7", a tribute to the introduction of paid holidays.

In 1958, Trenet was the headlining act at the Bobino and the Alhambra. In 1960, he returned to the Théâtre de l'Étoile, appearing on
stage for the very first time without the famoustrilby hat which had for so long been part of his act.

In 1963, Trenet spent 28 days in prison in Aix-en-Provence. He was charged with corrupting the morals of four young men under the
age of 21 (they were 19). His chauffeur claimed that Trenet was using him as a pimp. The charges were eventually dropped, but the
affair brought to public light the fact that Trenet was homosexual.[8] He was never particularly public about it and spoke of it rarely.
In his authorized biography of Maurice Chevalier, author David Bret claims that Chevalier and Mistinguett were the ones who first
"shopped" Trenet to the police for consorting with under age boys, around 1940. renet
T never learned of their action.[9]

1970s
In 1970, Trenet flew to Japan to represent France at the Universal Exhibition in
Osaka. The following year he left Columbia, his long-time record label, and
recorded Fidèle and Il y avait des arbres. He also made a memorable appearance at
the "Olympia".

In 1973, Trenet, who had just celebrated his 60th birthday, recorded a new album,
Chansons en liberté. The twelve songs on this album were an interesting mix of old
and new compositions. His 60th birthday was celebrated in grand style by the French
media.

Trenet made a surprise announcement in 1975, declaring that he was retiring from
the music world. At the end of his final concert at the "Olympia" he bade his
audience an emotional farewell. Following the death of his mother in 1979, he shut
himself away from the world for the next two years. Charles Trenet at the first Printemps
de Bourges in 1977.

Later career and death

Nevertheless, in 1981, Trenet made a comeback with a new album devoted to sentimental memories of his childhood. Trenet then
returned to his peaceful semi-retirement in Occitania (South of France), occasionally reappearing for a special gala performance in
France or abroad. After giving farewell concerts in France, Trenet was persuaded out of retirement by a French Canadian lawyer,
Gilbert Rozon, in 1983 for a farewell concert in Montreal. Rozon became Trenet's manager thereafter and as a result Trenet
performed many more concerts including a series every night for three weeks at the
Palais des Congrès in Paris in 1986.
On 21 May 1999, he returned to the forefront of the music scene with his brand new album, Les poètes descendent dans la rue
(meaning Poets Take to the Streets).[10] Nearly 60 years later after writing "La Mer", Trenet released fourteen new tracks. Following
the success of the album, Trenet returned to the live circuit. His concerts proved a huge success, fans in the audience breaking into
rapturous applause.

In April 2000, old age began to catch up with Trenet, and he was rushed to hospital after suffering a stroke. The singer was forced to
spend several weeks in the hospital while recovering, but by the autumn of that year, he was well enough to attend the dress rehearsal
of Charles Aznavour's show at the Palais des Congrès on 25 October
. This was his final public appearance.

In November 2000, theNarbonne house in which Trenet was born – which had become 13 Avenue Charles Trenet – was turned into a
small museum. Visitors were able to view souvenirs from Trenet's childhood and family life (especially those belonging to his
mother, who had spent most of her life in the house), as well as original drafts of the songs whichad
h made his career.

Trenet died two months later on 19 February 2001.[11]

In 2017, a service centre on the A9 autoroute between Narbonne and Béziers was renamed in his honour and contains an exhibition
[12]
evoking his life and work and sculptures by Pascale et Thierry Delorme.

References
1. Trenet La Mer Interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHYj1-3QrrY#t=1m33s) on YouTube, at 1:33.
2. Jean-Philippe Segot Charles Trenet à ciel ouvert 2013 "Et pour consoler les Français de l'avoir provisoirement
perdu, il tient à leur donner danssa chanson 'Formidable' quelques nouvelles de ses voyages aux États Unis et tout
particulièrement de sa découverte de San Francisco : Formidable!"
3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy soundtrack(http://www.what-song.com/Movies/Soundtrack/860/Tinker-Tailor-Soldier-Spy),
La Mer, Julio Iglesias version.
4. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067699/soundtrack?ref_=tt_ql_trv_7
5. Sleeve notes of CD of Trenet's hits The Extraordinary Garden
6. André, Halimi (July 1983).La délation sour l'occupation. Alain Moreau. pp. 157–160.ISBN 2-85209-005-8.
7. Behr, Edward (1993). Maurice Chevalier. Paris / London: Robert Laffont. p. 284. ISBN 2-221-07388-6.
8. "French singer's aide accused over will"(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/24/france). The Guardian. 23
August 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
9. Maurice Chevalier: The Authorized Biography, by David Bret, 2002, pg 113ISBN 1-86105-499-8
10. Kirkup, James (20 February 2001)."Charles Trenet" (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/charles-trenet-
728839.html). The Independent. Retrieved 2011-09-10.
11. Charles Trenet (http://www.rfimusic.com/artist/chanson/charles-trenet/biography), Radio France Internationale
12. Jean-Marc Aubert, "A9 : Charles Trenet vous salue bien sur l’aire de Narbonne-Vinassan" (https://e-metropolitain.fr/2
017/07/08/a9-charles-trenet-vous-salue-bien-sur-laire-de-narbonne-vinassan/), Métropolitain, 8 July 2017

External links
International Jose Guillermo Carrillo Foundation
Charles Trenet on IMDb
Fond In mémory of Charles Trenet
Le portail des amis de Charles Trenet In French. Provides a complete biography and discography
.
Radio France InternationaleIn French. Biography and discography.
Google Music: Charles Trenet
Charles Trenet – on Allmusic

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renet&oldid=882441515"
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