Songs, film scores, credits, musical tales… Sacem will be paying tribute to the composer, born in 1924, whose glorious record of achievements would be the stuff of dreams for many of today’s musicians.
Celebrating the 100th anniversary ofe anniversary of André Popp’s birth, Sacem will be paying tribute to a composer whose record of achievements would be the stuff of dreams for many of today’s musicians. He wrote the melody for Tom Pilibiwho, in 1960, helped Jacqueline Boyer and France to win the Grand Prix of France. Eurovision prize. In 1964, he took part in the competition again with Mallory’s Song by Rachel, and in 1967 Vicky Leandros defended the colors of Luxembourg with L’amour est bleu.
The 4e place awarded by the jury, the song was immediately noticed and recorded by Michèle Torr and the Compagnons de la Chanson. Because he was missing a track on the LP he was preparing, conductor Paul Mauriat produced an instrumental version. He never imagined for a moment that it would become a hit. So it came as a surprise to him and André Popp when, in the summer of 1968, he learned that the album had been released on the other side of the Atlantic, Love is blue has entered the Bilboard – the equivalent of our hit parade – and is now in first place. The craze is such that the chart will remain unchanged for six weeks.
A Minneapolis DJ is behind the craze. Immediately seduced by the music, he began broadcasting it every hour in his nightclub. A radio programmer picked it up, and soon other stations followed suit. Sales of the song, subsequently recorded by dozens of artists including Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis, will pass the milestone of 40 million records sold worldwide. And there’s more to come. It will feature on the next album by George Benson.
Other songs signed by André Popp have had their moment of glory, albeit more modest, but nonetheless significant. They include Les lavandières du Portugalby Jacqueline François and Manchester and Liverpool by Marie Laforêtas well as songs sung by Barbara, Juliette GrécoIsabelle Aubret, Brigitte BardotFrance Gall, Nana Mouskouri, Françoise Hardy and Catherine Sauvage.
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He was also responsible for a number of television credits, such as Head and Legsthe first game show on the small screen, hosted by Pierre Bellemare. Babar and Colargol. He also wrote several film scores, including that for Tintin and the Mystery of the Golden Fleecein 1961, with Jean-Pierre Talbot and Georges Wilson.
Boris Vian, Raymond Queneau…
André Popp has also created a series of five educational musical tales, which have become classics in every sense of the word. The adventure began in 1956 with Piccolo Saxo et Compagnie, or the story of a large orchestra. Jean Broussolle – one of the Compagnons de la Chanson – has written a story set in the Kingdom of Music, in which most musical instruments are the heroes. André Popp illustrates the story with a score featuring contributions from the string, woodwind and brass families, enabling young ears to learn how to recognize them. François Périer agrees to tell the story.
This 33 rpm record, initiated by Jacques Canetti, then artistic director of Philips discs, was awarded a Grand Prix du Disque. It was followed by four sequels, and has since touched several generations of children. Today, it remains “a symphonic educational work of reference”. It is a regular feature on the programs of classical orchestras, Piccolo Saxo was performed two years ago in Rouen, with François Morel in the role of narrator. The Ecological Symphonythe 5th part of the story, premieres on December 14 and 15 at the Opéra de Dijon.
In his 50-year career, André Popp has worked with Boris Vian on several occasions, Raymond Queneau and Philippe Soupault. He has also accompanied Georges Brassens during the recording of his first album and produced arrangements and orchestrations for Anthony Perkins, Henri Salvador, Zizi Jeanmaire, as well as the first songs of Jacques Brelincluding Quand on a que l’amourhis first hit. Keen to perpetuate his memory, Daniel Popp, one of his three sons, delved into the family archives and found the tapes enabling him to produce a 13-CD instrumental set. A work that he describes as a “musical planet”, and which is clearly still going strong.