Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, composer of Claude François hits such as “Alexandrie Alexandra”, has died at the age of 82, we learned on Tuesday from Sacem (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers), of which he was vice-president. -Honorary President.
We also owe him the melodies of “Y'a le Printemps qui chante”, “Le Telephone Cleur” and “Magnolias for Ever”. This latest track, “Alexandrie Alexandra,” marks a turning point in the star’s career.
“In 1977, Claude, in search of everything that was happening in music, wanted to start with the disco style,” the composer explained to Sacem, which paid tribute to him on its website on Tuesday. “At first he wanted to sing in English, but I stopped him because Sheila and Patrick Juvet were already there: he wouldn’t be third.”
It was Jean-Pierre Bourtayre who suggested Étienne Roda-Gil write lyrics for the singer, including “Magnolias for Ever” and “Alexandrie Alexandra”. Étienne Roda-Gil “was not at all enthusiastic, but I managed to organize a meeting and they got along very well,” recalls Jean-Pierre Bourtayre. “However, one feared that he would end up with a restless idiot, the other with a boring intellectual…”.
This composer was the son of a composer: his father Henri Bourtayre signed music for Tino Rossi, Luis Mariano and Maurice Chevalier. The son initially composed original themes for Dick Rivers and Eddy Mitchell. Then there were Françoise Hardy, France Gall, Richard Anthony and Marie Laforêt.
The man, who was also artistic director of Barclay Records, composed the theme “A Bench, a Tree, a Street,” which won French singer Séverine the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest. He is also the one who found the end credits of a television series about Arsène Lupin, sung by Jacques Dutronc (“Gentleman Burglar”).
“I bow to this great name in French songs (…). His work will forever remain in our collective memory,” explains Christine Lidon, President of the Sacem Board, on the institution’s website.