Originally written in 1960 by Jack Diéval with French lyrics by Michel Rivgauche the song that would become “Parlez-moi de lui” was first introduced as ‘J’ai le mal de toi’.
In June 1965 the English rendering was retitled to “The Way of Love” and was issued in the UK as a single by Kathy Kirby.
“The Way of Love” failed to reach the UK Top 50 but became a regional hit in the United States reaching #88 nationally.
In 1966 a new French version, also by lyricist Michel Rivgauche, was recorded by Dalida as “Parlez-moi de lui” (“Tell me about him”). This rendition slightly alters the original melody. This adaptation was covered by Françoise Hardy on her 1968 album Françoise Hardy .
The most well-known version of “The Way of Love” was recorded by Cher. Her version spent three weeks within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, reaching a peak of number 7 and ultimately selling almost one million copies. Billboard ranked it as the No. 62 song for 1972.
You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful because you’re brave To look deep into the eyes Of the one who challenges you to be happy
You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful as a silent scream, Strong as a precious metal, who fights to heal its bruises, It is like an old tune, A few notes in torment, That force my heart, That force my joy, When I think of you, Now.
It is no good, It is no good saying to myself that it is better this way, Even if it still hurts, I don’t have any silent refuge.
It is beautiful, It is beautiful because it is stormy, With this weather I know very little, The words that stay at the corner of my eyes. It is like an old tune, A few notes in torment, That force my heart, That force my joy, When I think of you.
You, you’re leaving the stage Without a weapon and without hatred I’m afraid to forget, I’m afraid to accept, I’m afraid of the living, Now.
Another influential French singer/songwriter who became popular during the war years, was Charles Trenet. “Without Trenet, we would all be accountants,” said Jacques Brel. Nicknamed “Le Fou Chantant” (the Singing Madman) and resembling Harpo Marx, Trenet wrote mainly comical, some might say “eccentric” songs – nearly a thousand catalogued. His classic “La Mer” (The Sea) is a beautifully melancholic exception. The song has been recorded hundreds of times since it debuted in 1945, and Trenet’s own version is still the best. Nearly 60 years later after “La Mer,” Charles Trenet was still recording his music, releasing Poets Take to the Streets in 1999. Between 1945 and 1999, there were some bumps in the road. In 1963, Trenet spent 28 days in prison in a French prison, charged with consorting with underage boys. It was revealed after Trenet’s death that it was actor Maurice Chevalier who informed the police about his fellow entertainer. Would Trenet have appreciated the irony of being shopped to the cops by the guy who sang “Thank Heaven for Little Girls?” Peut-être.
Constantin “Tino” Rossi (29 April 1907 – 26 September 1983) was a French singer and film actor. Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, was gifted with a voice well suited for opera. He became a tenor in the French cabaret style. Later, he appeared in various movies.
During his career it is reported he recorded over 2000 songs and he appeared in more than 25 films.
Tino Rossi
Among his most famous hits, Petit Papa Noel sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Over the course of his 50-year singing career, Tino Rossi recorded over 2000 songs and sold over 200 million albums making him one of the best selling (and mostly forgotten) artists of all time.
I’ve always loved the hilariously desperate song “It Must Be Him” performed by Vikki Carr. The song sold over 1 million copies in 1967 and millions more since.
Vikki Carr remains a very under-appreciated vocalist, one who gets unfairly lumped-in with her white bread contemporaries dominating that woeful/golden era of 1960s MOR (Middle of the Road) radio.
On trips in the Stevenson family station wagon, my dad would play this musical spam on the car radio, punching in the dreaded WLKW button, while we kids in the back seat begged for DJ Joe Thomas playing Beatles, Beach Boys and Motown on WICE. But alas – this was elevator music without doors that open and let you out.
It was in the back seat of the Pontiac Tempest, that I learned Vicki Carr sang ‘grown-up” music that I actually liked. Eventually I saw her perform on TV with Merv, Johnny and Mike, where she was always beautiful, charming, and singing brilliantly. Still later, I became the odd used record customer who purchased both Vikki’s Greatest Hits album AND Moby Grape’s groovy debut (sans “flipping the bird”) while shopping at In Your Ear. Has anyone else ever purchased these two records together? No? Hooray for me.
Born Florencia Bisenta de Casillas-Martinez Cardona before opting for the anglicized stage name, Vikki Carr eventually enjoyed great success in the Latin music world, winning Grammy Awards for Best Mexican-American Performance in 1986.
This version of her hit song “It Must Be Him” is performed in Spanish, but the original song was sung in neither English nor Spanish, but in French – a reworking of Gilbert Becaud’s “Seul Sur Son Etoile.”
In 1971, she established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, dedicated to offering college scholarships to Hispanic students in California and Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
Such a lovely woman.
Though the lyrics to this song are quite dated (“Hello? Hello?…my dear God!”) when this tune is performed, let it not be sung by Jerry Vale, Jack Jones or Edie Gorme. Let it please be Vikki Carr!
Pas De Merde 