"La Mer" | |
---|---|
Single by Charles Trenet | |
B-side | "Seul... Depuis Toujours" |
Released | 1946 |
Recorded | 25 March 1946 |
Genre | |
Length | 3:20 |
Label | Columbia (France) |
Songwriter(s) | Charles Trenet |
Producer(s) | Albert Lasry |
Music video | |
"La Mer" on YouTube |
"La Mer" ("The Sea") is a song by the French composer, lyricist, singer and showman Charles Trenet. The song was first recorded by the French singer Roland Gerbeau in 1945. When Trenet's version was released in 1946, it became an unexpected hit and has remained a chanson classic and jazz standard ever since.
Trenet said that he had written an initial version of the song's lyrics as a poem at the age of 16, many years before he came up with a tune for it. The tune came to him while he was travelling by train in 1943 between Montpellier and Perpignan as he was gazing out of the window at the Étang de Thau, a lagoon in the south of France. He jotted it down on a piece of paper and in the afternoon he worked out the details with his pianist Léo Chauliac. That evening they performed it in front of an audience without much of an impact. [1]
The song was not recorded before the end of World War II. It was first offered to Suzy Solidor who declined it, then to Roland Gerbeau who recorded it with Jo Bouillon's orchestra at the end of 1945. The orchestration and chorus were provided by Albert Lasry. Trenet himself recorded his song for the first time in 1946. [2]
Over the years the song became popular throughout the world and developed into a chanson classic and jazz standard with a large number of prominent artists recording their own versions. Besides the original in French, the song was also recorded in several other languages, with the English version "Beyond the Sea" being particularly popular and becoming the signature song for the American singer Bobby Darin. [3] In 1966 there were already over 100 different recordings of "La Mer", and it was considered to be France's best-selling song, together with Édith Piaf's "La Vie en rose". [4] By the time of Trenet's death in 2001, there were more than 4,000 different recordings of it, [5] [6] with over 70 million copies sold in total. [7]
Despite various translations into other languages, the original French version was popular outside France and with non-French musicians as well. Trenet published his recording in the US in 1947 and Bing Crosby recorded "La Mer" on his 1953 album Le Bing: Song Hits of Paris .
Charles Trenet's recording of "La Mer" is choreographed in Matthew Bourne's 1989 ballet suite Infernal Galop, "a French dance with English subtitles", in which a merman seduces three matelots. [8]
The song was also recorded by Cliff Richard. [9] In 1976 Julio Iglesias included the song on his live album En el Olympia. [10] The song was included on Dalida's 1999 posthumous album Besame Mucho. [11] Demis Roussos included the song on his 1995 studio album Immortel. [12]
More recent versions include Kristina & Laura, Miguel Bosé, Manlio Sgalambro, Lisa del Bo, Biréli Lagrène, Patricia Kaas, Lola Dutronic, Mireille Mathieu, Chantal Chamberland and others. The Avalon Jazz Band, with lead singer Tatiana Eva-Marie, included a contemporary arrangement of "La Mer" on their 2021 album April in Paris. [13]
Instrumental versions were done by Benny Goodman, [14] Ray Conniff His Orchestra and Chorus, Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat, Richard Clayderman and Django Reinhardt.
The English-language version of "Beyond the Sea" was first recorded by Harry James and His Orchestra in 1947. Its lyrics, telling the story of two lovers separated by the sea, were written by Jack Lawrence. It has since been recorded by many artists, including Bobby Darin, Stevie Wonder, Mantovani, [15] Roger Williams [15] and Gisele MacKenzie. [15]
In 1970, Belgian singer Lize Marke released a version of the song with added lyrics by Johnny Steggerda and Jack Bess. [16]
The first German version was written in 1948 by Hans Fritz Beckmann and Lale Andersen. The latter recorded it with Michael Jary and his orchestra in the same year. However, Beckmann was unhappy with the first attempt and rewrote it. The new version was first recorded by the German actress and singer Liselotte Malkowsky in 1949 and became rather popular in German-speaking countries. [17] Later recordings comprise the Austrian Schlager singer Lolita, the Austrian soprano Eva Lind, the Italian-German singer and entertainer Caterina Valente, and the German entertainer and band leader Götz Alsmann. [18]
A Russian version named "Волна" ("Wave") was adapted by two Soviet Russian poets and translators, Samuil Bolotin and Tatiana Sikorskaya, in the 1950s for Leonid Utesov, a popular Soviet singer. It was included on the album called Ах, Одесса моя ("Oh, my Odessa"). [19]
Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso released a 2024 version of the French song, singing it in French. He says he recorded the song at the request of writer Christine Angot, who was in the audience at a Paris performance where Caetano sang "La Mer" as a posthumous tribute to his manager Guilherme Araújo, who had always asked him to record the French song. [20]
The French original is featured prominently in a variety of films, including L.A. Story , in which it is played during the opening montage; French Kiss (1995), in which it is sung by lead actor Kevin Kline [21] and Mr. Bean's Holiday , which uses a recording of Trenet himself in its final scene. It also is played in the last episode of White Collar . The song is sung in the French documentary film Blood of the Beasts (1949). It is performed in the film A Life Less Ordinary (1997) by Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz. The Trenet recording is heard over the end credits of an episode of The Simpsons titled "The Squirt and the Whale". [1] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26]
On British television, the original version of the song was used as the title music for ITV's coverage of UEFA Euro 2016. [27]
The Robbie Williams version plays over the closing credits of Finding Nemo and is included on the soundtrack. [28]
"La Mer" has been used in films such as Bernardo Bertolucci's 2003 The Dreamers , the 2010 German film Animals United , and Natalie Portman's 2015 A Tale of Love and Darkness . A Julio Iglesias version plays in the final scene of the 2011 spy film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy . [29]
Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli's recording of "La Mer" features in the video games BioShock (2007) and BioShock Infinite (2013). Director Ken Levine additionally wanted Charles Trenet's original rendition but could not secure the rights. [30]
"La Mer" also features in Irish Ferries' TV and radio advert in Ireland, as part of their "Sail In Style" campaign to advertise their Dublin–France route. [31]
"La Mer" was used in Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones' sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror . It is featured in the third episode of Season 6 "Beyond The Sea". [32]
Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the turn of the millennium, he made a successful crossover into the mainstream English-language market. He signed a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for US$68 million with Universal Music Latino to release his Spanish albums and Interscope Records to release English albums. Enrique is the third child of Spanish singer-songwriter Julio Iglesias.
Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics for nearly 1,000 songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These songs include "Boum!" (1938), "La Mer" (1946) and "Nationale 7" (1955). Trenet is also noted for his work with musicians Michel Emer and Léo Chauliac, with whom he recorded "Y'a d'la joie" (1938) for the first and "La Romance de Paris" (1941) and "Douce France" (1947) for the latter. He was awarded an Honorary Molière Award in 2000.
Roberto Carlos Braga is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, also known as "King of Latin Music" or simply "the King". Most of his songs were written in partnership with his friend, singer and songwriter Erasmo Carlos. Roberto Carlos has sold over 70 million albums around the world. He is considered one of the most influential artists in Brazil, being cited as a source of inspiration by many artists and bands. His net worth is estimated at US$160 million.
"Begin the Beguine" is a popular song written by Cole Porter. Porter composed the song during a 1935 Pacific cruise aboard the Cunard ocean liner Franconia from Kalabahi, Indonesia, to Fiji. In October 1935, it was introduced by June Knight in the Broadway musical Jubilee, produced at the Imperial Theatre in New York City.
"Beyond The Sea" is the English-language version of the French song "La Mer" by Charles Trenet, popularized by Bobby Darin in 1959. While the French original was an ode to the sea, Jack Lawrence – who composed the English lyrics – turned it into a love song.
"If I Were a Carpenter" is a folk song written by Tim Hardin in the 1960s, and re-recorded with commercial success by various artists including Bobby Darin, The Four Tops and Johnny Cash. Hardin's own recording of the piece appeared on his 1967 album Tim Hardin 2. It was one of two songs from that release performed by Hardin at Woodstock in 1969. The song, believed by some to be about male romantic insecurity, is rumored to have been inspired by his love for actress Susan Morss, as well as the construction of Hardin's recording studio.
"Manhã de Carnaval", often referred to as "Black Orpheus", is a song by Brazilian composer Luiz Bonfá and lyricist Antônio Maria.
"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" is a song written by Hal David (words) and Albert Hammond (music). It was originally recorded by Hammond in 1975 on his album 99 Miles From L.A., but is more famous for a 1984 recording by Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson, which appeared on Iglesias's album 1100 Bel Air Place. A breakthrough for Iglesias in the English language market, though he had enjoyed a 1981 UK number one with a largely Spanish-language version of Begin The Beguine, the song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" went to number one on the country chart, and was one of two entries on the country chart for Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson as a duo.
"Lara's Theme" is the name given to a leitmotif written for the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago by composer Maurice Jarre. Soon afterward, the leitmotif became the basis of the song "Somewhere, My Love". Numerous versions, both orchestral and vocal, have been recorded, among the most popular was the version by Ray Conniff Singers.
"Que reste-t-il de nos amours ?" is a French popular song, with music by Léo Chauliac and Charles Trenet and lyrics by Charles Trenet. A version of the song with English lyrics entitled "I Wish You Love" is recognizable by the opening line "I wish you bluebirds, in the spring".
Caravelli was a French orchestra leader, composer and arranger of orchestral music.
Raymond Lefèvre was a French easy listening orchestra leader, arranger and composer.
"Amor", also known as "Amor Amor" and "Amor Amor Amor" is a popular song published in 1943.
"Rhythm Divine" is a song by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias from his fourth studio album, Enrique (1999). The song was written by Paul Barry and Mark Taylor with Taylor and Brian Rawling handling its production. It is a dance-pop rhythmic romantic ballad that mixes with Latin and Mediterranean music. Lyrically, Iglesias asks the listener if they can hear the rhythm, and one music journalist compared it to USA for Africa's "We Are the World" (1985). A Spanish-language translation of the song titled "Ritmo Total" was also recorded and features additional lyrical contributions by Rafael Pérez-Botija.
"Que nadie sepa mi sufrir", also known as "Amor de mis amores" is a song originally composed by Ángel Cabral that has been recorded by numerous Spanish language artists such as Alberto Castillo, Julio Jaramillo and María Dolores Pradera. However, it is also known as "La Foule", a French language version with new lyrics written by Michel Rivgauche, popularized by famed French vocalist Édith Piaf and released in 1957.
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record sellers in music history, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide in 14 languages. It is estimated that during his career he has performed in more than 5,000 concerts, for over 60 million people in five continents. In April 2013, Iglesias was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Thérèse Maria Léonie Gendebien, known by the stage name Léo Marjane was a French singer who reached the peak of her popularity in the late 1930s and early 1940s before her career went into sharp decline after the end of World War II.
That's All is an album by American singer Bobby Darin released in 1959 and arranged by Richard Wess. It was on the Billboard LP charts for 52 weeks and peaked at number seven. It also includes Darin's US No. 1 hit "Mack the Knife", which spent nine weeks at the top spot, and "Beyond the Sea", which was a Top 10 hit. At the second Grammy Awards, Darin won Record of the Year and Best New Singer.
Léo Chauliac, né Léon Chauliac, was a French jazz pianist, composer and conductor.
Liselotte Malkowsky was a German singer, actress, and cabaret artist.