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36-448: Jacques Dutronc ( French pronunciation: [ʒak dytʁɔ̃] ; born 28 April 1943) is a French singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actor. Some of Dutronc's best-known hits include " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille " (which AllMusic has called "his finest hour"), "Le Responsable", and " Les Cactus ". Dutronc played guitar in the rock group El Toro et les Cyclones. He wrote successful songs for singer Françoise Hardy in

72-476: A beatnik singer called Benjamin. Benjamin released an EP in 1966, featuring songs written with Dutronc and a Lanzmann–Dutronc composition, "Cheveux longs" (Long Hair). However, Wolfsohn was disappointed by Benjamin's recording of a song titled " Et moi, et moi, et moi ". A second version was recorded, with Dutronc's former bandmate Hadi Kalafate on vocals. Wolfsohn then asked Dutronc if he would be interested in recording his own version. The single reached number 2 in

108-518: A cult following in the UK. He later branched out into film acting, starting in 1973. He earned a César Award for Best Actor for the leading role in Van Gogh , which was directed by Maurice Pialat . He married Hardy in 1981 and together they have a son, guitarist Thomas Dutronc (born 1973); the couple separated in 1988, but never divorced. Jacques Dutronc was born on 28 April 1943 at 67 Rue de Provence in

144-545: A TV special broadcast on Antenne 2 , beating Jacques Brel 's " Ne me quitte pas " into second place. Dutronc's songs have been covered by Matthieu Chedid , Vanessa Paradis , Mungo Jerry , Etienne Daho , Sylvie Vartan , Miles Kane , the Divine Comedy , Serge Gainsbourg , Black Lips , Zine , the Last Shadow Puppets among others. Dutronc is also mentioned in the lyrics of Jacques Brel 's " Vesoul " as well as

180-406: A band with himself as guitarist, schoolfriend Hadi Kalafate as bassist, Charlot Bénaroch as drummer (later replaced with André Crudot) and Daniel Dray as singer. They auditioned in 1961 for Jacques Wolfsohn, an artistic director at Disques Vogue , who signed them and gave them the name El Toro et les Cyclones. The group released two singles, "L'Oncle John" and "Le Vagabond", but disbanded when Dutronc

216-514: A break with the literary tradition of French chanson in his creative use of the sounds, rather than just the syntax, of the language. Dutronc's self-titled debut album , released at the end of 1966, sold over a million copies and was awarded a special Grand Prix du Disque by the Académie Charles Cros , in memoriam of one of its founders. A second single, " Les play boys ", spent six weeks at number one and sold 600,000 copies. Dutronc

252-533: A less soothing scene of trucks, cars and strippers. Familiar Parisian landmarks such as the Place Dauphine are reexamined for the 1960s; the grand railway station Gare Montparnasse is described as "no more than a carcass" (" ...n'est plus qu'une carcasse... ") because, at the time the song was written, it was in the process of demolition to make way for the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper. The flute solo in

288-484: A meal at his home with songwriting partners Jacques Dutronc and Jacques Lanzmann . He suggested a song on the subject of Paris in the morning. The other two Jacques began writing the song at around 11 pm that evening, and completed it at daybreak. It takes inspiration from " Tableau de Paris à cinq heures du matin ", an 1802 song by Marc-Antoine Madeleine Désaugiers . The modernized lyrics replace Désaugiers' sunrise tableau of bakeries, fruitstands and street cleaners with

324-552: A million copies in total. The single "Les play boys" was number one in the French charts from 3 December 1966 until 13 January 1967. In recognition of the album's success, Dutronc was awarded a special Grand Prix du Disque by the Académie Charles Cros , in memoriam of one of its founders. The album is included in Philippe Manœuvre's 2010 book Rock français, de Johnny à BB Brunes, 123 albums essentiels , which contains reviews of

360-444: A new album under the direction of Jacques Wolfsohn, now an executive at Gaumont Musique  [ pt ] . Wolfsohn proposed that Dutronc write with both Jacques Lanzmann and Serge Gainsbourg. During recording, Wolfsohn proposed to Lanzmann and Gainsbourg that they each work on alternative lyrics to go with one of Dutronc's instrumental demos. Lanzmann objected to being placed in competition against another writer, and dropped out of

396-491: A relationship with Vogue label-mate Françoise Hardy in 1967. In 1973, they had a son, Thomas , who grew up to become a successful jazz and pop musician. In 1981, they were married, "for tax reasons", according to Hardy. In 1998, Jacques began a relationship with a stylist whom he had met on the set of the film Place Vendôme . Dutronc and Hardy separated in 1988, but remained married and were reported to have seen each other regularly. Hardy died in 2024. He currently lives near

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432-436: A series of concerts with Eddy Mitchell and Johnny Hallyday at Paris Bercy , under the name "Les vieilles canailles" ("The Old Gits"). It was reported that, following these performances, Dutronc intended to begin recording a new album with his son Thomas. Said album, Dutronc and Dutronc , was released 4 November 2022 and features 13 songs originally released by Jacques Dutronc during his early career. Father and son rearranged

468-464: Is the first studio album by the French singer-songwriter Jacques Dutronc , released in 1966. Since Dutronc's first seven albums are all self-titled, the album is commonly referred to by the title of any of its three tracks which were released as singles (" Et moi, et moi, et moi ", " Les play boys " and " Les Cactus "). The album went straight to number one in the French charts upon its release and sold over

504-485: The 9th arrondissement of Paris , the home of his parents, Pierre and Madeleine. His father was a manager for the state-run Office of Coal Distribution. Jacques was educated at Rocroy-Saint-Léon elementary school (now a lycée ), the École de la Rue Blanche  [ fr ] (now a drama school) and then at the École Professionnelle de Dessin Industriel, where he studied graphic design from 1959. In 1960, Dutronc formed

540-704: The Cornershop song " Brimful of Asha ". In 2015, a tribute album was released by Columbia Records with various artists interpreting songs by Jacques Dutronc. The 13-track album titled Joyeux anniversaire M'sieur Dutronc contained performances by artists Julien Doré , Gaëtan Roussel , Zaz , Joeystarr , Nathy (Tüxo), BAGARRE, Thomas Dutronc , Annie Cordy , the duo Brigitte , Miossec , Francis Cabrel , Francine Massiani, Tété and Camélia Jordana in addition to "L'opportuniste" sung by Jacques Dutronc with Nicola Sirkis . The album charted in France and Belgium. Dutronc began

576-611: The César Award for best supporting actor, for his role in Claude Sautet 's Mado . Steven Spielberg reportedly considered Dutronc to be the best French actor of his generation, and had the role of René Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark written with him in mind. Dutronc was not given the role, however, because it transpired that his English was not adequate. In 1980, Dutronc began work on

612-606: The 1960s before moving on to pursue a successful solo career. His music incorporated traditional French pop and French rock as well as styles such as psychedelic and garage rock . He was also very important in the yéyé music movement and has been a longtime songwriting collaborator with Jacques Lanzmann . According to AllMusic, Dutronc is "one of the most popular performers in the French-speaking world", although he "remains little known in English speaking territories" aside from

648-1067: The 1990s, Dutronc appeared in two films by Patrick Grandperret and was nominated for a César Award for best supporting actor in 1999, for his role in Nicole Garcia 's Place Vendôme . Dutronc starred in Claude Chabrol 's 2000 film Merci pour le chocolat . He was awarded the Best Actor prize at the 2001 Marrakech International Film Festival and was nominated for the César Award for best actor for his role in Jean-Pierre Améris ' C'est la vie . In 2002, he starred in Michel Blanc 's Summer Things . In 2003, Dutronc reunited with Jacques Lanzmann for Madame l'existence , an album described by rock critic Christophe Conte as "surpassing, without much apparent effort, everything that [Dutronc] has created in

684-457: The French charts in September 1966. Cultural historian Larry Portis describes the arrival of Dutronc on the French music scene, along with that of Michel Polnareff at around the same time, as representing "the first French rock music that can be considered a musically competent and non-imitative incorporation of African-American and African-American-British influences". For Portis, Dutronc marks

720-426: The album was only a moderate commercial success. The follow-up, 1982's C'est pas du bronze , was written with Anne Ségalen, by now divorced from Jacques Lanzmann, and was released to a frosty critical reception. Dutronc's acting career continued during the 1980s, and he appeared in films such as Malevil and Barbet Schroeder 's Cheaters (Tricheurs) . In 1987, he released a further album, C.Q.F.Dutronc . Most of

756-421: The composer Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, for a TV adaptation of Arsène Lupin . Co-writing credits on Dutronc's self-titled 1975 album are split between Lanzmann, Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Loup Dabadie . In 1973, "Et moi, et moi, et moi" was adapted with English lyrics as "Alright Alright Alright" and became a UK No. 3 hit for the group Mungo Jerry . Also in 1973, Dutronc began a second career as an actor in

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792-404: The film Antoine et Sébastien , directed by Jean-Marie Périer . Dutronc's second film, That Most Important Thing: Love , directed by Andrzej Zulawski , was a major box-office hit in France. In the following years, Dutronc devoted most of his energies toward his acting career, appearing in films directed by Jean-Luc Godard , Claude Lelouch and Maurice Pialat . In 1977, he was nominated for

828-564: The finished track. The lyrics to the song are co-credited to Lanzmann's wife at the time, Anne Ségalen. "Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille" was released as a four-track EP in France in March 1968. Dutronc performed the song on the Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française television shows Tilt magazine , broadcast on 27 March 1968, and Palmarès des chansons , broadcast on 18 April 1968. On 23 March 1968, "Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille"

864-450: The first campus occupation at Paris X University Nanterre began. It has since been described as a "hymn" to those events. A re-written version was mimeographed and sung at the barricades. The song was withdrawn from the playlists of most radio stations. It was quickly adapted by the protest singer Jacques Le Glou, with new verses depicting a city of overturned Peugeots and dead policemen. In 1991, "Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille"

900-480: The imagination to move with the musical times as psychedelia and hard rock entered the picture at the end of the decade)". Most of Dutronc's songs up to 1975 were written with Jacques Lanzmann, with only two written solely by Dutronc. Lanzmann's wife Anne Ségalen is also credited on some songs. Dutronc wrote three songs with comic-book writer Fred , whose stories he also narrated for commercial release in 1970. Two songs were written in 1971 by Lanzmann, Franck Harvel and

936-470: The last two decades". In 2005, Dutronc was awarded an Honorary César . Since then, he has appeared in films by directors including Gabriel Aghion and Alain Corneau . In 2010, Dutronc toured for the first time in 17 years, and released recordings from the tour as a live album and DVD, Et vous, et vous, et vous . Dutronc's 41st film, Les Francis , was released in 2014. In November 2014, Dutronc performed

972-426: The project. The resulting album, Guerre et pets ("War and Farts" – a play on the title of Tolstoy's novel ), consequently only includes two Lanzmann-Dutronc compositions, and is mainly written by Dutronc and Gainsbourg. The album's lead single, "L'hymne à l'amour", received little airplay because its lyric consists primarily of racial epithets (the opening line, roughly translated, is "gook, wog, towel-head, yid"), and

1008-423: The recording was added at the end of the session. Dutronc and Lanzmann were unhappy with the arrangement and felt that it lacked something. Dutronc had the idea of adding a manouche -style guitar part, but a flutist working elsewhere in the same building, Roger Bourdin  [ fr ] , was asked to listen to the recording and agreed to improvise the short but evocative solos that appear after each sung line on

1044-474: The searing Dutronc is the real reason to sit through the film". In November 1992, Dutronc played three comeback concerts at the Casino de Paris , highlights from which were released as a film, directed by Jean-Marie Périer and as a live album, Dutronc au Casino . At around this time, Dutronc began work on a new studio album, Brèves rencontres , but work progressed slowly and it was not released until 1995. During

1080-436: The songs and both sing on the album. According to a 1979 editorial in the French magazine Rock & Folk , Dutronc is "the one singer who is so closely identified with the 1960s that it has become impossible to talk about them without talking about him". In 1991, " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille " was voted the best French-language single of all time in a poll of music critics organised by Le Nouvel Observateur for

1116-673: The songs were written by Dutronc without a partner, although he collaborated with Etienne Daho on one track and with Jean-François Bernardini of the Corsican folk group I Muvrini on another. In 1992, Dutronc was awarded the César for Best Actor for the title role in Maurice Pialat 's biographical film Van Gogh . Critic Christopher Null commented that Dutronc "manages to embody the obvious manic depression from Van Gogh's later years, all exuding from his scraggly face, sunken eyes, and bony frame...

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1152-463: The town of Monticello , Corsica. In 2015, Dutronc revealed he had a brief relationship with Romy Schneider that lasted as long as they were shooting the film That Most Important Thing: Love . Il est cinq heures, Paris s%27%C3%A9veille In 1991, it was voted best French-language single of all time in a poll of music critics. The song originated from an idea put forward by Jacques Wolfsohn, an artistic director at Disques Vogue , during

1188-530: Was Dutronc's third single to reach number one on the French charts, where it stayed for one week. It also reached number two in Belgium and number four in The Netherlands. Although the song was not intended to be political, its refrain of " Paris s'éveille " ("Paris awakens") was adopted by protesters during the events of May 68 . A few weeks after the song's release and the day before the song reached number one,

1224-491: Was obliged to undertake military service. After being discharged from the army in 1963, Dutronc briefly played guitar in Eddy Mitchell 's backing band and was also given a job at Vogue as Jacques Wolfsohn's assistant. In this capacity, he co-wrote songs for artists such as ZouZou , Cléo and Françoise Hardy . Wolfsohn asked Dutronc to work with Jacques Lanzmann , a novelist and editor of Lui magazine, to create songs for

1260-667: Was one of the most commercially successful French music stars of the late 1960s and early 1970s. During that period, he released seven hit albums and more than 20 singles, including two further number ones: " J'aime les filles " in 1967 and " Il est cinq heures, Paris s'éveille " in 1968. According to music critic Mark Deming: "Dutronc's early hits were rough but clever exercises in European garage rock ... like Dutronc's role models Bob Dylan and Ray Davies , he could write melodies strong enough to work even without their excellent lyrics, and his band had more than enough energy to make them fly (and

1296-603: Was voted the best French-language single of all time in a poll of music critics organised by Le Nouvel Observateur for a TV special broadcast on Antenne 2 . Jacques Brel 's " Ne me quitte pas " landed second place in the same poll. Rock critic Thierry Coljon describes Dutronc's song as "one of the most beautiful there is". The song has been covered by Sylvie Vartan , Patrick Genet, Ange , Zaz , Dominique Grange (Le Glou's version) and An Pierlé . Words by Jacques Lanzmann and Anne Ségalen, music by Jacques Dutronc . Jacques Dutronc (1966 album) Jacques Dutronc

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