View source for France Gall

{{Short description|French singer (1947–2018)}}
{{for|the self-titled albums|France Gall (1973 album)|France Gall (1976 album)}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = France Gall
| image              = Fenklup1968FranceGall3 (cropped).jpg
| caption            = Gall in 1968
| birth_name         = Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1947|10|09|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Paris]], [[French Fourth Republic]]
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2018|01|07|1947|10|09|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]], France
| burial_place       = [[Montmartre Cemetery]], Paris, France
| occupation         = Singer
| spouse             = {{marriage |[[Michel Berger]]|22 June 1976|2 August 1992|end=d.}}
| children           = 2, including [[Raphaël Hamburger]]
| father             = [[Robert Gall]]
| relatives          = {{ubl|[[Paul Berthier]] (grandfather)|[[Jacques Berthier]] (uncle)}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist | embed = yes
 | genre = {{hlist|''[[Yé-yé]]''|[[Pop music|pop]]|[[synth-pop]]}}
 | years_active = 1963–1997
 | label = {{hlist|[[Warner Music Group|WEA France]]|[[Philips Records|Philips France]]}}
 | discography = [[France Gall discography]]
}}
}}

'''Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall''' (9 October 1947&nbsp;– 7 January 2018), known professionally as '''France Gall''', was a French ''[[yé-yé]]'' singer. In 1965, at the age of 17, she won the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1965|tenth edition]] of the [[Eurovision Song Contest]] with the song "{{Lang|fr|[[Poupée de cire, poupée de son]]|italics=no}}", representing [[Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1965|Luxembourg]]. Later in her career, she  worked with singer-songwriter [[Michel Berger]], whom she married in 1976. Her most successful singles include "{{Lang|fr|[[Résiste]]|italics=no}}", "{{Lang|fr|[[Ella, elle l'a]]|italics=no}}" and "{{Lang|fr|[[Évidemment (France Gall song)|Évidemment]]|italics=no}}".

==Early life==
Gall was born in Paris on 9 October 1947, to a highly musical family. Her father, the lyricist [[Robert Gall]], wrote songs for [[Édith Piaf]] and [[Charles Aznavour]]. Her mother, Cécile Berthier, was a singer as well and the daughter of [[Paul Berthier]], the co-founder of [[Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois]]. The only daughter of her family, France had two brothers: Patrice and Philippe. In spring 1963, Robert Gall encouraged his daughter to record songs and send the demos to the music publisher [[Denis Bourgeois]]. That July, she auditioned for Bourgeois at the [[Théâtre des Champs-Élysées]] in Paris, after which Bourgeois wanted to sign her immediately. France was subsequently signed to [[Philips Records|Philips]].

At the time, Bourgeois was working for the label as artistic director for [[Serge Gainsbourg]] and assumed this role for Gall as well. He encouraged her to record four tracks with the French [[jazz]] musician, arranger and composer [[Alain Goraguer]].

==Career==
===Early career===
The first airplay of Gall's first single "Ne sois pas si bête" ("Don't Be So Stupid") occurred on her 16th birthday. It was released in November and became a hit, selling 200,000 copies.<ref>{{cite book |title=Made in France: France Gall's Baby Pop |publisher=RPM International |year=2012 |page=1}}</ref> Gainsbourg, who had released several albums and written songs for singers including [[Michèle Arnaud]] and [[Juliette Gréco]], was asked by Bourgeois to write songs for Gall. Gainsbourg's "''N'écoute pas les idoles''" ("Don't listen to the idols") was Gall's second single; it reached the top of the French charts in March 1964 and stayed there for three weeks.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

At the same time, Gall made her live debut, opening for [[Sacha Distel]] in Belgium. She teamed with Distel's business manager [[Maurice Tézé]], a lyricist, which allowed her to create an original repertoire, unlike the majority of her contemporaries who sang adaptations of Anglophone hits. Elaborate orchestrations by [[Alain Goraguer]] blended styles, permitting her to navigate among [[jazz]], [[children's song]]s, and other genres. Examples of this mixed-genre style included "Jazz à gogo" (by [[Alain Goraguer]] and [[Robert Gall]]) and "Mes premières vraies vacances" (by [[Jacques Datin]] and Maurice Vidalin). Gall and Gainsbourg's association produced many popular singles, continuing through the summer of 1964 with the hit song "[[Laisse tomber les filles]]" ("Leave the girls alone") followed by "Christiansen" by Datin-Vidalin. Gainsbourg also secretly recorded Gall's laughter to use on "{{interlanguage link|Pauvre Lola|fr}}", a track on his 1964 album ''Gainsbourg Percussions''.<ref name="ReferenceA">''France Gall par France Gall'', autoportrait télévisé ([[France 3]], 2001), quoted in the [[:fr:France Gall|French Wikipedia article about France Gall]]. Original quote: "''C'est quelqu'un que j'avais du plaisir à voir parce que je l'admirais et j'aimais ce qu'il écrivait. Et j'aimais bien sa timidité, son élégance et son éducation. C'était très agréable comme relation. [...] J'étais très impressionnée que cet homme travaille pour moi et s'intéresse à moi&nbsp;...''"</ref>

===Eurovision===
[[File:Eurovision Song Contest 1965 - Serge Gainsbourg, Frace Gall & Mario del Monaco.jpg|thumb|Eurovision Song Contest 1965 – Serge Gainsbourg, France Gall, and Mario Del Monaco]]
[[File:France Gall, 1966 (cropped).jpg|upright|thumb|France Gall in 1966]]
Gall was then selected to represent [[Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1965]]. From the 10 songs proposed to her, she chose Gainsbourg's "[[Poupée de cire, poupée de son]]".<ref name=video>{{Cite AV media |people=France GALL, Serge GAINSBOURG & Alain GORAGUER |title=à propos du Grand Prix de l'Eurovision |publisher=ORTF/Institut National de l'Audiovisuel |url=http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=notice&from=fulltext&cs_page=1&cs_order=0&mc=Gall,%20France&num_notice=8&total_notices=52 |date=28 March 1965}}</ref> On 20 March 1965, Gainsbourg, Gall, and Goraguer attended the finals of the song contest in Naples, where the song was "allegedly booed in rehearsals for straying so far from the sort of song usually heard in the Contest at this point."<ref name=boombangablog>Jamie McCloughlin, [http://boombangablog.merseyblogs.co.uk/2009/07/eurovision-1965-ireland-makes.html A Bluffer's Guide to Eurovision]. 13 July 2009. Accessed 20 February 2012. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321090741/http://boombangablog.merseyblogs.co.uk/2009/07/eurovision-1965-ireland-makes.html |date=21 March 2012}}</ref>

Although the delivery during the live show may not have been Gall's strongest performance&nbsp;— one critic wrote that Gall's performance was "far from perfect,"<ref>All Kind of Everything: The Irish Eurovision Web Site. Luxembourg 1965 – [http://www.keithm.utvinternet.ie/Poupee.htm "Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516120518/http://www.keithm.utvinternet.ie/Poupee.htm |date=16 May 2012}}.</ref> another noted that her voice was out of tune and her complexion pale,<ref>Martine Bordeneuve. Jukebox Magazine, No. 20, July–August 1988. Quoted in French Wikipedia article ''Poupée de cire, poupée de son'', access 20 February 2012. Original text: « Le 20 mars, devant 150 millions de téléspectateurs, la voix tremblante et le teint pâle, elle interprète sa chanson. Plébiscitée par le jury à la majorité absolue, elle se trouve propulsée à la première place. ... »</ref> and when Gall called [[Claude François]], her lover at the time, immediately after the performance, he shouted at her, "You sang off key. You were terrible!"<ref>Gilles Verlant. Gainsbourg (biography). Albin Michel, Paris, 2000; {{ISBN|2-226-12060-2}}. Quoted in French Wikipedia article [[:fr:Poupée de cire, poupée de son|Poupée de cire, poupée de son]]. The complete quote: « Pire que ça : Cloclo, son fiancé secret, au lieu de la féliciter, se met à hurler dans le combiné « Tu as chanté faux, tu étais nulle... »</ref>&nbsp;— the song impressed the jury and it took the Grand Prix.<ref name=video /> Success at Eurovision ensured that Gall became even better known outside Europe and she recorded "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" in French, German, Italian and Japanese. There appears to be no English version released by France Gall, although there was an English cover version by the English 1960s star [[Twinkle (singer)|Twinkle]].<ref>[[Twinkle (singer)|Twinkle]] album: ''Golden Lights. A Lonely Singing Doll'' (ASIN B0019BF9Z0).</ref> The song also was used in Ningyocho station jingles.<ref>{{cite web |title=Japanese jingles |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUnU-w94PMo |website=YouTube}}</ref>

===Summer tour===
In 1965, Gall toured France for several months with Le Grand Cirque de France (The Great Circus of France), a combination of radio show and live circus. Her singles continued to chart successfully, including the Gainsbourg-penned "Attends ou va-t'en" ("Wait for me, or go away") and "''Nous ne sommes pas des anges''" ("We are not angels"). She also had a hit with the song "L'Amérique" ("America") by [[Eddy Marnay]] and [[Guy Magenta]].{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

Stewart Mason states this early period of Gall's career, culminating in the Eurovision win:<blockquote>[A]lthough many dismissed Gall as a Francophone [[Lesley Gore]], making fluffy and ultra-commercial pop hits with little substance, Gall's hits from this era stand up far better than most. Only [[Françoise Hardy]] was consistently making records up to these standards during this era. Though Gall's high, breathy voice was admittedly somewhat limited, she made the most of it. Even dopey hits like "[[Sacré Charlemagne]]", a duet with a pair of puppets who were the stars of a children's show on French TV, have an infectious, zesty charm; meatier tunes, like the sultry jazz-tinged ballad "Pense a Moi" and the brilliant rocker "Laisse tomber les filles", were as good as any single produced in the U.S. or Great Britain at the time.<ref name="mason" /></blockquote>

===1966===
In 1966, her children's song "Les Leçons particulières" ("Private lessons") caused notoriety and displeasure; the same occurred when [[Jean-Christophe Averty]] choreographed a troupe of men on all fours to accompany her children's song, "J'ai retrouvé mon chien" ("I've found my dog"), on his television programme ''Les Raisins verts''.<ref>Video: France Gall. [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x425tg_france-gall-j-ai-retrouve-mon-chien_music "J'ai Retrouvé Mon Chien"] (1966); viewed 20 February 2012.</ref>

Also in 1966, Gall released another successful song written by Gainsbourg titled "[[Les sucettes]]" (Lollipops). Although the song was ostensibly about a young girl who likes aniseed-flavoured lollipops, plays-on-words in the lyrics implied another meaning, that of oral sex.<ref name="European">[https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-new-european/20180118/282394104860401 "SPOTLIGHT THIS WEEK: France Gall", ''The New European'', 18 January 2018]</ref> Gall was 18 at the time the song was released, and she maintained that she was ignorant of the song's double entendres.<ref name= "European"/> She said she had sung "with an innocence of which I'm proud" and later said that this humiliation caused her to avoid going out in public after being "betrayed by the adults around me".<ref name= "European"/> She then refused to sing the song and vowed never to work with Gainsbourg again.<ref name="European" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-01-07 |title=France Gall, French singer who shot to fame in 1960s, dies |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42596741 |access-date=2024-07-03 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Gall left for a tour in Japan shortly after the song was released and it has been stated that she felt mistrust for producers until meeting [[Michel Berger]].<ref name= "European"/>

===Psychedelic era and transition to adulthood===
At the beginning of 1967, Gall sang  "La Petite" in a duet with [[Maurice Biraud]], which describes a young girl coveted by a friend of her father. The controversy over this performance overshadowed her release that year of Gainsbourg's poetic ''Néfertiti''. Her next single was recorded with the orchestration of the English composer [[David Whitaker (composer)|David Whitaker]]. New authors [[Frank Thomas (lyricist)|Frank Thomas]] and {{ill|Jean-Michel Rivat|fr}} were brought on board. They wrote "Bébé requin" ("Baby Shark"), a song which was a success for Gall at the end of 1967, her last one for six years.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

This was followed by "Teenie Weenie Boppie", an anti-[[LSD]] song by Gainsbourg, which has been described as "a bizarre tune about a deadly LSD trip that somehow involves Mick Jagger".<ref name="mason">Mason, Stewart. [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/france-gall-p212397/biography France Gall biography], all Music Guide, accessed 20 February 2012.</ref> Gainsbourg then sang an anti-capital punishment song with Gall, "Qui se souvient de [[Caryl Chessman]]?" ("Who remembers Caryl Chessman?"), about a prisoner on death row.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bouvier|first=Y.-F.|author2=S. Vincendet|title=L'Integral et cætera|publisher=Éditions Bartillat|year=2005|isbn=2-84100-341-8}}</ref>

Stewart Mason wrote about this period: "The psychedelic era found Gall, under Gainsbourg's guidance, singing increasingly strange songs&nbsp;... set to some of Gainsbourg's most out-there arrangements."<ref name="mason" />
Her next record "C'est toi que je veux", again with Whitaker, also failed to make an impact. With this string of recordings in the late 1960s, none of them an unmitigated success, and making the transition from teenage to adult performer, Gall faced some challenges in this period through the early 1970s. Mason wrote,<blockquote>No longer a teenager, but without a new persona to redefine herself with, (and without the help of Gainsbourg, whose time was taken by his own albums and those of his wife Jane Birkin), Gall floundered both commercially and artistically. A label change from Philips to BASF in 1972 didn't help matters&nbsp;..."<ref name="mason" /></blockquote>

===German-language career===
[[File:Fenklup1968FranceGall1.jpg|upright|thumb|France Gall (1968)]]

Although struggling in her home country, Gall regularly recorded in Germany from 1966 to 1972, in particular with the composer and orchestrator [[Werner Müller (musician)|Werner Müller]]. She had a successful German career with songs by [[Werner_Müller_(musician)|Werner Müller]] and [[Giorgio Moroder]]: "Love, l'amour und Liebe" (1967), "Hippie, hippie" (1968), "Ich liebe dich, so wie du bist" ("I love you the way you are") (1969) and "Mein Herz kann man nicht kaufen" ("My heart is not for sale") (1970). Her other German hits included "Haifischbaby (Bébé requin)", "Die schönste Musik, die es gibt" ("The most beautiful music there is"/"Music to Watch Girls By"), "Was will ein Boy" ("What does a boy want?") (1967), "Ja, ich sing" ("Yes, I sing"), "A Banda (Zwei Apfelsinen im Haar)" ("Two oranges in my hair"), "Der Computer Nr. 3" (1968), "Ein bisschen Goethe, ein bisschen Bonaparte" ("A bit of Goethe, a bit of Bonaparte"), "I like Mozart" (1969), "Dann schon eher der Piano player" ("I prefer the piano player") (1970), "Ali Baba und die 40 Räuber" ("Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves") (1971), "Komm mit mir nach Bahia, Miguel" ("Come with me to Bahia, Miguel") (1972).

===Post-Gainsbourg career: New label, new beginnings===
Gall had several other releases in France in 1968, none of which aroused any great interest. At the end of 1968, on reaching the age of 21, Gall separated from Denis Bourgeois and spread her wings upon the expiration of her contract with [[Philips Records|Philips]]. She moved to the record label La Compagnie in 1969, with whom her father Robert signed a contract,<ref name="ReferenceB">Pierre Pernez, ''France Gall, comme une histoire d'amour'' (chapter "Un Nouveau Contrat"). Publisher: Cité {{ISBN|9782824606736}}</ref> where she made a number of recordings, but did not succeed in finding a coherent style with Norbert Saada as artistic director.

She went her own way in 1969 with two adaptations: one Italian and the other British: "L'Orage/La Pioggia)" ("The Storm") which she sang with [[Gigliola Cinquetti]] at the 1969 [[Sanremo Music Festival]], and "Les Années folles" ("Gentlemen Please"), created by [[Barbara Ruskin]].<ref name="ReferenceB" /> Ruskin had actually released it as a single herself that year on the [[President Records|President]] label.<ref>Spectropop - [https://spectropop.com/BarbaraRuskin/ Spectropop presents BARBARA RUSKIN, An Illustrated U.K. Discography]</ref> Gall's version made the [[Ultratop]] 50 Singles chart in Belgium that year.<ref>Ultratop - [https://www.ultratop.be/fr/song/9a692/France-Gall-Les-annees-folles France Gall – Les années folles]</ref> She also had it released in Spanish as "Los años locos".<ref>Popsike - [https://www.popsike.com/FRANCE-GALL-Los-aos-locos-1-SINGLE-ESPAGNE-1970-SPAIN-PS-CHANTE-ESPAGNOL/274859700424.html FRANCE GALL - Los años locos + 1 SINGLE ESPAGNE 1970 SPAIN P/S CHANTE ESPAGNOL]</ref><ref>Cover Info - [https://cover.info/en/song/Barbara-Ruskin-Gentlemen-Please Gentlemen, Please (1969) Barbara Ruskin]</ref>

Her songs "Des gens bien élevés", "La Manille et la révolution", "Zozoï" and "Éléphants" were largely ignored. La Compagnie went bankrupt within three years of its creation, co-founder and singer Hugues Aufray's blaming the failure entirely on Norbert Saada.<ref name="ReferenceB" />

The early 1970s continued to be a barren period for Gall. Although she was the first artist to be recorded in France for [[Atlantic Records]] in 1971, her singles "C'est cela l'amour" (1971) and "Chasse neige" (1971), faltered in the charts. In 1972, Gall, for the last time, recorded songs by Gainsbourg, "Frankenstein" and "Les Petits ballons", but these also failed to chart. The results of her collaboration with Jean-Michel Rivat as artistic director, "La Quatrieme chose" (1972), "Par plaisir" and "Plus haut que moi" (1973) all failed to meet with commercial success.
From the 1970s, Gall started regularly visiting Senegal. She bought a hideaway there on the island of [[Gorée|N'Gor]], close to Dakar in 1990.

===Collaboration with Michel Berger===
Gall was enthralled by [[Michel Berger]]'s music when she heard his song "Attends-moi" ("Wait for Me") one day in 1973. During a later radio broadcast, she asked him for his opinion on songs which her then producer wanted her to record. Although he was disconcerted by the quality of the songs, there would be no question of collaboration.

In 1974, after she sang vocals on the song "Mon fils rira du rock'n'roll" on Berger's new album, Gall's publisher asked him, at her behest, to write for her. Gall had already made her mind up that "It will be him and nobody else".<ref>"Ce sera lui ou ce sera personne", ''France Gall by France Gall'', documentary France 3</ref> In 1974, "La Déclaration d'amour" was to be the first in a long line of hits which marked a turning point in Gall's career. Meanwhile, the two artists had fallen in love and married on 22 June 1976, the only marriage for both.<ref name="SeniorActu">[https://www.senioractu.com/Michel-Berger-l-eternel-jeune-homme-qui-marqua-a-jamais-le-patrimoine-de-la-chanson-francaise_a8267.html "Michel Berger : l'éternel jeune homme qui marqua à jamais le patrimoine de la chanson française"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215140942/http://www.senioractu.com/Michel-Berger-l-eternel-jeune-homme-qui-marqua-a-jamais-le-patrimoine-de-la-chanson-francaise_a8267.html |date=15 December 2008 }}, ''Senior Actu'', 16 November 2007 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> After they married, Gall only sang songs written by Berger until his death in 1992.<ref name=toi-sinon-personne />

In 1978, pushed by Berger, she again trod the boards of the [[Théâtre des Champs-Élysées]], where she had auditioned 15 years earlier, starring in a show titled ''Made in France''. The most novel aspect of this show was that, except for the Brazilian drag act [[Les Étoiles]], the members of the orchestra, choir and the dance troupe were exclusively female.<ref>{{Cite AV media|people=France GALL|title=France GALL sur son concert au Théâtre des Champs-Élysées|publisher=ORTF/Institut National de l'Audiovisuel|url=http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=notice&from=fulltext&mc=Gall,%20France&num_notice=4&total_notices=55|date=9 April 1978}}</ref> In this show, France sang "Maria vai com as outras" the original, Brazilian (Portuguese) version of "Plus haut que moi".{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

In 1979, Gall took part in a show which remains memorable for many. Composed by Michel Berger and written by the Québécois author [[Luc Plamondon]], the rock opera ''[[Starmania (musical)|Starmania]]'' enjoyed a success not usual for musicals in France. The show played for one month at the [[Palais des congrès de Paris]]. In 1982, Gall rehearsed in the Palais des Sports of Paris to present ''Tout pour la musique'', an innovative spectacle marked by its use of electronic music. The songs "Résiste" and "Il jouait du piano debout" ("He played the piano standing") quickly became French pop standards.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

===1980s and humanitarian projects===
In 1985, Gall joined [[Chanteurs Sans Frontières]], on the initiative of [[Valérie Lagrange]]. She also worked for S.O.S Éthiopie for the benefit of Ethiopia under the aegis of [[Renaud]]. At the same time, she gave a successful series of concerts lasting three weeks at the new venue [[Le Zénith]] in Paris, where she performed new songs like "Débranche" ("Unplug"), "Hong-Kong Star", and gave solid acoustic performances of "Plus haut", "Diego libre dans sa tête" and "Cézanne peint".

{{Listen|filename=France Gall - Ella, Elle L'a excerpt.ogg|title=France Gall – Ella, Elle L'a |description=An excerpt from ''Ella, Elle L'a''{{deletable file-caption|Wednesday, 27 November 2024|PROD}}}}

In 1985 and 1986, Gall worked with Berger, [[Richard Berry (actor)|Richard Berry]], [[Daniel Balavoine]] and {{ill|Lionel Rotcage|fr}} for the benefit of Action Écoles, an organisation of schoolboy volunteers which collects essential food products in France for African countries where famine and drought prevail. On 14 January 1986, during a trip to Africa, Balavoine died in a helicopter crash. In 1987, the song "Évidemment", written by Berger and sung by Gall, was a moving homage to their lost friend. The song appeared on the album ''Babacar''.

On the same album, the song "Babacar" was about a child Gall and Berger had thought about adopting from Dakar, Senegal after meeting a mother who had begged Gall to take her child.<ref name= "European"/>  Instead of adopting the child Berger and Gall decided to help financially by writing a song about the dilemma and donating the proceeds of the song to the child. The costs covered an apartment for the family and paid study costs for both the mother and child.<ref name= "European"/>

Gall topped the pop charts in many countries in 1987 and 1988 with another song from the ''Babacar'' album, "[[Ella, elle l'a]]" ("Ella's got it"), a Berger tribute to [[Ella Fitzgerald]]. Following the release of ''Babacar'', Gall launched a show produced by Berger. Opening at Le Zénith, the successful production toured throughout Europe, and gave rise to the live album ''Le Tour de France '88''.

===1990s and later===
Gall took a break from singing in the early 1990s and did not record any more for several years. She did make an album titled [[Double Jeu (album)|''Double Jeu'']] with Berger, released 12 June 1992.<ref>[https://www.ledauphine.com/france-monde/2018/01/08/les-petites-histoires-des-plus-grandes-chansons-de-france-gall "Les petites histoires des plus grandes chansons de France Gall"], ''Le Dauphine'', 8 January 2018 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Following the release of [[Double Jeu (album)|''Double Jeu'']], Gall and Berger announced a series of concerts in various Parisian venues; this project was nearly cancelled by Berger's death from a heart attack on 2 August 1992. Although Gall was strongly affected by Berger's death, she wanted to complete the project they had planned. She decided to commit to the performances at [[AccorHotels Arena|Bercy]] and promoted the songs that she and Berger had created together.

She performed at the Bercy in September.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}} All the songs she performed were written by [[Michel Berger]] from ''Double Jeu'', and from their discographies. A year later, she performed in a show in the [[Salle Pleyel]] in Paris featuring new musicians. The repertoire featured songs written exclusively by Berger, but Gall included her own versions of songs originally performed by others.

In 1996, Gall asked [[Jean-Luc Godard]] to produce the video clip of her song "Plus haut", taken from her album ''France''. Godard initially refused, but later agreed, and directed a dreamy, picturesque video titled "''Plus Oh!''" near his residence in Rolle, Switzerland. It was given its first and only airing (due to copyright issues) on 20 April 1996 on the French television channel M6.

After a year in Los Angeles, she released her album ''France'' in 1996. The same year, she headlined at the [[Paris Olympia]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}} In 1997, she announced her retirement and recorded an unplugged show for French television showcasing songs from her final album.

==Personal life==
Gall married her collaborator and songwriter [[Michel Berger]] on 22 June 1976.<ref name="SeniorActu"/> They had two children together, Pauline and [[Raphaël Hamburger|Raphaël]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knoops |first=Roy |date=2018-01-08 |title=Eurovision 2024 Luxembourg: France 3 to air special documentary about France Gall |url=https://esctoday.com/155740/france-france-3-air-special-documentary-france-gall/ |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=Eurovision News |language=en-US}}</ref>

Her daughter Pauline was diagnosed with [[cystic fibrosis]] soon after she was born. She and Berger focused their hopes on the progress of medical research and to keep details of Pauline's condition a secret from the public. She entered into a pact with her husband to alternate their professional projects to take care of their daughter in the hope that a cure would be found.

Michel Berger died of a heart attack in 1992 at age 44.<ref name="SeniorActu"/> In April 1993, Gall was diagnosed with breast cancer, which was successfully treated.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}

Pauline died in December 1997.<ref name=toi-sinon-personne>{{cite web|url=http://www.france3.fr/emission/france-gall-et-michel-berger-toi-sinon-personne/diffusion-du-30-05-2016-20h55|title=France 3 – Programmes, vidéos et replay – Pluzz France 3|website=France3.fr|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref> Following the death of her daughter, Gall made only occasional public appearances.<ref name=toi-sinon-personne />

She was a patron of the French charity [[Cœurs de Femmes]] and a regular poker player until her death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/musique/videos-france-gall-face-a-nos-lecteurs-j-avais-besoin-de-retrouver-le-public-05-11-2015-5249593.php|title=France Gall face à nos lecteurs, J'avais besoin de retrouver le public|date=5 November 2015|website=Le Parisien|language=fr|access-date=11 September 2018}}</ref>

==Film career==
After a TV film directed by [[Jean-Christophe Averty]] and dedicated to the songs of Gall was distributed in the United States in 1965, Gall was sought by [[Walt Disney]] to appear as Alice in a musical film version of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'', after having already made '' [[Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)|Alice]]'' into a cartoon in 1951. Although Gall had insisted she did not want to become involved in film work, this was the only project which appealed to her. The project was cancelled after Disney's death in 1966.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

In 1966, Gall appeared in the television film ''Viva Morandi'', made in the same psychoanalytical mould as the (1965) [[Federico Fellini]] film ''[[Giulietta degli Spiriti]]'' (''Juliet of the Spirits''). She played La Grâce alongside Christine Lebail, who played La Pureté, both singing "Les Sucettes" in a segment which was prominently labelled "Fantasy" in a clear reference to the song's sexual undertones. {{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

In 1993, she considered appearing on screen for a cinematographic collaboration with her best friend, screenwriter Telsche Boorman. This planned project was never completed due to Boorman's death in 1996.

In January 2010, Gall was portrayed by [[Sara Forestier]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) - Full Cast & Crew|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1329457/fullcredits|website=IMDb}}</ref> in a feature film released in France, ''Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)'', based on the graphic novel by writer-director Joann Sfar.

==Death and legacy==
[[File:France Gall graf cimetière de Montmartre 24-02-2019 14-23-38.jpg|upright|thumb|Tomb of France Gall]]
As a farewell to her career, ''France Gall par France Gall'', a documentary movie was shot in 2001, and millions watched the documentary when it was broadcast on French television that year. She staged and appeared in the 2007 France 2 documentary ''Tous pour la musique'', marking the 15th anniversary of Michel Berger's death.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}

A long-term breast cancer survivor, Gall died, aged 70, of an infection after a two-year battle with a cancer of undisclosed primary origin, at the [[American Hospital of Paris]] in Neuilly-sur-Seine on 7 January 2018.<ref>[http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/2018/01/07/03004-20180107ARTFIG00037-mort-de-france-gall-une-chanteuse-qui-donnait-tout-pour-la-musique.php "Mort de France Gall, une chanteuse qui donnait tout pour la musique"], ''Le figaro'', 7 January 2018 {{in lang|fr}}<br />- {{Cite web |last=Guyard |first=Bertrand  |date=7 January 2018 |title=La chanteuse France Gall est morte |url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2018/01/07/97001-20180107FILWWW00035-la-chanteuse-france-gall-est-morte.php |access-date=7 January 2018 |website=Le Figaro |language=fr}}<br />-
Maev Kennedy, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/07/french-singer-and-eurovision-winner-france-gall-dies-age-70 "France Gall: French singer who inspired My Way dies age 70"], ''The Guardian'', 8 January 2018.</ref>

She was buried with her husband and daughter on 20 Avenue Rachel (division 29) at [[Montmartre Cemetery]] in Paris.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

On 9 October 2023, Google celebrated what would have been her 76th birthday, five and a half years after her death, with a [[Google Doodle]].<ref>{{cite web |title=France Gall's 76th Birthday |url=https://doodles.google/doodle/france-galls-76th-birthday/}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|France Gall discography}}
===Albums===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[N'écoute pas les idoles]]'' (March 1964)
* [[Mes premières vraies vacances|''France Gall'' (''Mes premières vraies vacances'')]] (August 1964)
* ''[[Sacré Charlemagne (album)|Sacré Charlemagne]]'' (December 1964)
* ''[[Poupée de cire, poupée de son (album)|Poupée de cire, poupée de son]]'' (April 1965)
* ''[[Baby pop]]'' (October 1966)
* ''[[Les Sucettes (album)|Les Sucettes]]'' (November 1966)
* ''[[1968 (album)|1968]]'' (January 1968)
* ''[[France Gall (1973 album)|France Gall]]'' (1973)
* ''Cinq minutes d'amour'' (1976)
* ''[[France Gall (1976 album)|France Gall]]'' (6 January 1976)
* ''[[Dancing Disco]]'' (27 April 1977)
* ''[[France Gall Live]]'' (live album, 9 November 1978)
* ''[[Starmania (musical)|Starmania]]'' (various artists) (16 October 1978)
* ''[[Paris, France (album)|Paris, France]]'' (19 May 1980)
* ''[[Tout pour la musique]]'' (10 December 1981)
* ''[[Palais des Sports (album)|Palais des Sports]]'' (live album, 4 November 1982)
* ''[[Débranche!]]'' (2 April 1984)
* ''[[France Gall au Zénith]]'' (live album, 4 February 1985)
* ''[[Babacar (France Gall album)|Babacar]]'' (19 February 1987)
* ''[[Le Tour de France 88]]'' (live album, 7 November 1988)
* ''[[Double jeu]]'' (with [[Michel Berger]], 12 June 1992)
* ''[[Simple je – Débranchée à Bercy]]'' (live album, 29 October 1993)
* ''[[Simple je – Rebranchée à Bercy]]'' (live album, 28 January 1994)
* ''[[Pleyel (album)|Pleyel]]'' (live album, concert recorded in 1994, published in December 2005)
* ''[[France (album)|France]]'' (29 March 1996)
* ''Concert public Olympia / Concert acoustique [[M6 (TV channel)|M6]]'' (live album,   ''Concert public'' recorded at [[Olympia (Paris)|Olympia]] in 1996 and ''Concert acoustique'' recorded as a ''Concert privé'' special in 1997, released 24 April 1997)
* ''[[Best of France Gall]]'' (compilation, 15 June 2004)
* ''Évidemment'' (compilation, 7 October 2004)
{{div col end}}

===Singles===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* 9 October 1963&nbsp;— "Ne sois pas si bête", adaptation by [[Pierre Delanoë]] of "Stand a little closer", original words and music by [[Jack Wolf (songwriter)|Jack Wolf]] and [[Maurice "Bugs" Bower]]
* 1964&nbsp;— "N'écoute pas les idoles", words and music by Gainsbourg
* 1964&nbsp;— "Jazz à gogo", words by [[Robert Gall]] music by [[Alain Goraguer]]
* 1964&nbsp;— "[[Laisse tomber les filles]]", words and music by Gainsbourg
* 1964&nbsp;— "[[Sacré Charlemagne]]", words by Robert Gall and music by [[Georges Liferman]]
* 1965&nbsp;— "[[Poupée de cire, poupée de son]]", words and music by Gainsbourg
* 1965&nbsp;— "Attends ou va-t'en", words and music by Gainsbourg
* 1965&nbsp;— "Nous ne sommes pas des anges", words and music by Gainsbourg
* 1965&nbsp;— "Baby pop", words and music by Gainsbourg
* 1966&nbsp;— "[[Les Sucettes]]", words and music by Gainsbourg
* 1967&nbsp;— "Néfertiti", words and music by Gainsbourg
* 1967&nbsp;— "Bébé requin", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by [[Joe Dassin]]
* 1967&nbsp;— "Toi que je veux", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by Joe Dassin
* 1968&nbsp;— "Le Temps du tempo", words by Robert Gall and music by [[Alain Goraguer]]
* 1968&nbsp;— "Y'a du soleil à vendre", words by Robert Gall and music by [[Hubert Giraud]]
* 1968&nbsp;— "24 / 36", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by Joe Dassin
* 1969&nbsp;— "Homme tout petit", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by [[Jean-Pierre Bourtayre]]
* 1969&nbsp;— "Les Années folles", adaptation by [[Boris Bergman]] of the British song "[[Gentlemen Please]]", original words and music by [[Barbara Ruskin]]
* 1969&nbsp;— "Baci, baci, baci", adaptation by [[Eddy Marnay]] from Italian lyrics by Sergio Bardotti and Claudio Tallino and music by Franco and [[Giorgio Bracardi]]
* 1970&nbsp;— "Zozoï", words by Robert Gall and music by [[Nelson Angelo]]
* 1970&nbsp;— "Les Éléphants", words by [[Jean Schmitt]] and music by [[Jean Géral]]
* 1971&nbsp;— "C'est cela l'amour", words by [[Jacques Lanzmann]] and music by [[Paul-Jean Borowsky]]
* 1971&nbsp;— "Chasse neige", words by [[Étienne Roda-Gil]] and music by [[Julien Clerc]]
* 1972&nbsp;— "Frankenstein", words and music by Gainsbourg
* 1972&nbsp;— "5 minutes d'amour", words by Jean-Michel Rivat and Frank Thomas, music by [[Roland Vincent]]
* 1973&nbsp;— "Plus haut que moi", adaptation by [[Yves Dessca]] and Jean-Michel Rivat of "Maria vai com as outras" by [[Toquinho]] and [[Vinicius de Moraes]]
* 1973&nbsp;— "Par Plaisir", words by Yves Dessca and Jean-Michel Rivat, music by [[Roland Vincent]]
* May 1974&nbsp;— "La Déclaration d'amour", words and music by Michel Hamburger (Michel Berger)
* October 1974&nbsp;— "Mais, aime la", words and music by Berger
* 1975&nbsp;— "Comment lui dire", words and music by Berger
* April 1976&nbsp;— "Ce soir je ne dors pas"
* June 1976&nbsp;— " Ça balance pas mal à Paris" (duet with Michel Berger), words and music by Berger
* May 1977&nbsp;— "Musique", words and music by Berger
* October 1977&nbsp;— "Si, maman si"
* January 1978&nbsp;— "Le meilleur de soi-même"
* March 1978&nbsp;— "Viens je t'emmène", words and music by Berger
* January 1979&nbsp;— "Besoin d'amour", words by [[Luc Plamondon]] and music by Berger
* June 1980&nbsp;— "Il jouait du piano debout", words and music by Berger
* October 1980&nbsp;— "Bébé, comme la vie", words and music by Berger
* October 1980&nbsp;— "Donner pour donner" (duet with [[Elton John]]), words by Michel Berger and [[Bernie Taupin]], music by Michel Berger&nbsp;— Archives INA : Reportage Antenne 2, 1981
* 1981&nbsp;— "Tout pour la musique", words and music by Berger
* 1981&nbsp;— "Résiste", words and music by Berger
* May 1981&nbsp;— "Amor También", words and music by Berger
* 6 April 1984&nbsp;— "Débranche", words and music by Berger
* 17 September 1984&nbsp;— "Hong Kong Star", words and music by Berger&nbsp;— Archives INA : Extrait de "Hong Kong Star", Antenne 2, 1984 FR No. 6
* 4 February 1984&nbsp;— "Calypso", words and music by Berger
* 20 May 1984&nbsp;— "Cézanne peint", words and music by Berger
* 3 April 1987&nbsp;— "[[Babacar (song)|Babacar]]", words and music by Berger FR No. 11 GER No. 14
* 24 August 1987&nbsp;— "[[Ella, elle l'a]]", words and music by Berger FR No. 2 GER No. 1 NL No. 38
* 7 March 1988&nbsp;— "[[Évidemment (France Gall song)|Évidemment]]", words and music by Berger
* 12 September 1988&nbsp;— "Papillon de nuit", words and music by Berger
* 20 March 1989&nbsp;— "La chanson d'Azima"
* 29 May 1992&nbsp;— "Laissez passez les rêves", words and music by Berger, duet with Michel Berger
* 12 October 1992&nbsp;— "Superficiel et léger"
* 15 January 1993&nbsp;— "Les élans du coeur"
* 6 May 1993&nbsp;— "Mademoiselle Chang" (live)
* 5 November 1993&nbsp;— "Si, maman si" (live)
* December 1993&nbsp;— "Il jouait du piano debout" (live)
* 2 February 1994&nbsp;— "La négresse blonde" (live)
* 15 March 1994&nbsp;— "Paradis Blanc" (live)
* 14 November 1994&nbsp;— "Les princes des villes"
* 15 March 1996&nbsp;— "Plus haut"
* 5 November 1996&nbsp;— "Privée d'amour"
* 25 October 1996&nbsp;— "[[Message personnel]]"
* 14 February 1997&nbsp;— "Résiste" (remix)
* 15 May 1997&nbsp;— "Attends ou va-t'en" (live)
* 2004&nbsp;— "Zozoï"&nbsp;— Reissue of 1970 single
* 20 August 2004&nbsp;— "La seule chose qui compte"
* 24 October 2024&nbsp;— “La prisonnière” (recorded in 1974) {{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Colard |first1=Grégoire |last2=Morel |first2=Alain |title=France Gall: le destin d'une star courage biographie |date=2009 |publisher=J'ai lu |location=Paris |isbn=978-2-290-01474-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/francegallfrench0000alai |language=fr}}
* {{cite book |last=Jelot-Blanc |first=Jean-Jacques |title=France Gall, 1947-2018: itinéraire d'une enfant gâtée |date=2022 |publisher=Camion blanc |location=Rosières-en-Haye |isbn=9782378483210 |language=fr}}

==External links==
{{commons category|France Gall}}
* [http://www.ina.fr/recherche/search?search=france+gall&vue=Video&x=0&y=0 Clips from INA archives]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041011002225/http://www.francegall.fr/ Official website managed by WEA Music] (offline)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040206023836/http://www.rfimusique.com/siteEn/biographie/biographie_6153.asp France Gall biography on RFI] (offline)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041105012444/http://www.gainsbourg.org/vrsn3/html/disco/interpretes/interpretes_francegall.html A Tribute to Gainsbourg: France Gall] (offline)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060520175139/http://153614.aceboard.fr/ French forum of France Gall & Michel Berger]

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{{France Gall}}
{{List of Eurovision Song Contest winners}}
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{{Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest|state=collapsed}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gall, France}}
[[Category:France Gall| ]]
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century French women singers]]
[[Category:Burials at Montmartre Cemetery]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in France]]
[[Category:Eurovision Song Contest winners]]
[[Category:French child singers]]
[[Category:French poker players]]
[[Category:French women pop singers]]
[[Category:German-language singers of France]]
[[Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Philips Records artists]]
[[Category:Singers from Paris]]
[[Category:Yé-yé singers]]