Sète
Sète from Mont St-Clair.
Sète
Administration
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon
Department	Hérault
Arrondissement	Montpellier
Canton	Sète-1 and Sète-2
Intercommunality	Bassin de Thau
Mayor	François Commeinhes (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	0–176 m (0–577 ft) (avg. 4 m or 13 ft)
Land area1	24.21 km2 (9.35 sq mi)
Population2	42,786  (2008)
- Density	1,767 /km2 (4,580 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	34301/ 34200
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 43°24′19″N 3°41′51″E / 43.4053°N 3.6975°E / 43.4053; 3.6975

Sète (French pronunciation: [sɛt] ; Seta in Occitan) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Sétois.

Known as the Venice of Languedoc and the singular island (in Paul Valéry's words), it is a port and a sea-side resort on the Mediterranean Sea with its own very strong cultural identity, traditions, cuisine and dialect. It is also the hometown of artists like Paul Valéry, Jean Vilar, Georges Brassens, Hervé Di Rosa, Manitas de Plata, and Robert Combas.

Geography[link]

Canal Royal

Built upon and around Mont St Clair, Sète is situated on the south-eastern hub of the Bassin de Thau, an enclosed salt water lake used primarily for oyster and mussel fields. To its other side lies the Mediterranean.

A tourist lobsters up on Sete beach

History[link]

This section is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (August 2011)

• The name first appeared in:
  • Ptolemy (Geography II.10.2.) : Σήτιον ὄρος
  • Avienus (Ora Maritima) : Setius... mons
  • The maps of Aniane : fiscum..qui nuncupatur Sita
• July 29, 1666 : the first stone is officially set on the Saint-Louis pier.
• 1681 : completion of the Canal du Midi.
• 1684 : Vauban visits the port.
• 1703 : Saint-Louis church is consecrated.
• 24–26 July 1710 : during the War of the Spanish Succession the British attack Sète, soon fought back by the Duke of Noailles.
• 1710-1711 : Saint-Pierre and Butte-Ronde forts are built.
• 1724 : the townhouse is bought.
• 1744 : building of the Richelieu citadel and the Castellas tower.
• 1807-1809 : the British try to burn the town.
• May 21, 1821 : the first stone of the breakwater is set (finished in 1869).
• June 9, 1839 : opening of the Montpellier-Sète railway.
• May 6, 1872 : establishment of the chamber of commerce.
• 1882-1888 : construction works on the port.
• June 24, 1894 : Sante Geronimo Caserio, Italian Anarchist from Lombardy and apprentice baker in Sète stabs to death president Sadi Carnot in Lyon.
• 1895 : opening of the boy high school, later Lycée Paul Valéry.
• 1901 : electric trams network (used until 1935).
• January 20, 1928 : the name of the town changes from Cette to Sète.
• 1934 : Sète Football Club wins the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France and becomes the first club to win both the same year.
• May 1923 1939 : the Sinaïa leaves the port with Spanish Republicans seeking asylum in Lazaro Cardenas's Mexico.
• November 12, 1942 : the town is occupied by the German troops of the Wehrmacht.
• June 25, 1944 : bombing of Sète's train station, Balaruc-les-Bains's and Frontignan's oil refineries by the American 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force.
• August 20, 1944 : liberation of Sète.
• July 11, 1947 : The ocean liner President-Wardfield leaves for Palestine with 4 530 Jews who survived the Shoah. The port official M. Leboutet had authorised captain Ike Aronowicz to sail to Colombia and, after 5 days on the Atlantic Ocean, the ship took the name SS Exodus and changed direction towards Palestine. 27 km from the coast, they were stopped by 5 British torpedo boats. 75 passengers accepted asylum in France, while the others were brought to Hamburg via Gibraltar.
• 1960 : the Théâtre de la Mer is built.
• 1962 : opening of the technical college Joliot-Curie
• 1966-1978 : major construction works on the port.
• 1970 : opening of the Museum Paul Valéry.
• 1981-1984 : a new public hospital is built.
• October 31, 1991 : the espace Georges Brassens, a museum dedicated to the singer, opens.
• 2004 : plan to preserve the Lido and prevent further coastal damage.
• 2005 : creation of a new neighbourhood called Villeroy.
• 2006 : renovation of the espace Georges Brassens.
• January 1, 2007 : the Languedoc-Roussillon manages the port of Sète.

Population[link]

Patron Saint[link]

In 1703, when the Saint-Louis church was consecrated, Louis IX, patron of the port, also became the patron saint of the town. He has been celebrated every year on August 25, with canal jousting competitions, music and fireworks, except during wartime.

Transport[link]

Lighthouse.

Sète is the eastern starting point of the Canal du Midi, and the ending point of the Canal du Rhône à Sète. Its train station Gare de Sète is approximately 25 minutes by train from Montpellier, and is also served by long distance trains to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille and Paris. Car ferries ply between Sète and Morocco.

Culture[link]

The Secret of the Grain, a César Award-winning movie about Tunisian immigrants, was set in Sète.

Personalities[link]

Octopus fountain.

Sète was the birthplace of:

• Paul Valéry (1871–1945), author and poet of the Symbolist school
• Jean Vilar (1912–1971), actor and stage director creator of the Avignon theatre festival
• Georges Brassens (1921–1981), singer and songwriter
• Robert Combas (born 1957), sculptor and painter
• Gregory Del Piero (born 1972), producer and DJ
• Manitas de Plata (born 1921), one of the most renowned flamenco guitarists in the world

International relations[link]

Sète is twinned with:

• Neuburg an der Donau, Germany, since 1986.
• El Jadida, Morocco, since 1992.
• Cetara, Italy, since 2003.

See also[link]

• Communes of the Hérault department

References[link]

• INSEE

External links[link]

• City council website (French)
• Tourist office website
• lesjouteurs.com : Le Site du Pavois d'Or et des Joutes Languedociennes
• [1] Website of panoramic photos of Sète and its region

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sète, France

v t e Communes of the Hérault department of France Abeilhan Adissan Agde Agel Agonès Aigne Aigues-Vives Les Aires Alignan-du-Vent Aniane Arboras Argelliers Aspiran Assas Assignan Aumelas Aumes Autignac Avène Azillanet Babeau-Bouldoux Baillargues Balaruc-les-Bains Balaruc-le-Vieux Bassan Beaufort Beaulieu Bédarieux Bélarga Berlou Bessan Béziers Boisseron Boisset La Boissière Le Bosc Boujan-sur-Libron Le Bousquet-d'Orb Bouzigues Brenas Brignac Brissac Buzignargues Cabrerolles Cabrières Cambon-et-Salvergues Campagnan Campagne Camplong Candillargues Canet Capestang Carlencas-et-Levas Cassagnoles Castanet-le-Haut Castelnau-de-Guers Castelnau-le-Lez Castries La Caunette Causse-de-la-Selle Causses-et-Veyran Caussiniojouls Caux Le Caylar Cazedarnes Cazevieille Cazilhac Cazouls-d'Hérault Cazouls-lès-Béziers Cébazan Ceilhes-et-Rocozels Celles Cers Cessenon-sur-Orb Cesseras Ceyras Clapiers Claret Clermont-l'Hérault Colombières-sur-Orb Colombiers Combaillaux Combes Corneilhan Coulobres Courniou Cournonsec Cournonterral Creissan Le Crès Le Cros Cruzy Dio-et-Valquières Espondeilhan Fabrègues Faugères Félines-Minervois Ferrals-les-Montagnes Ferrières-les-Verreries Ferrières-Poussarou Florensac Fontanès Fontès Fos Fouzilhon Fozières Fraisse-sur-Agout Frontignan Gabian Galargues Ganges Garrigues Gigean Gignac Gorniès Grabels Graissessac La Grande-Motte Guzargues Hérépian Jacou Joncels Jonquières Juvignac Lacoste Lagamas Lamalou-les-Bains Lansargues Laroque Lattes Laurens Lauret Lauroux Lavalette Lavérune Lespignan Lézignan-la-Cèbe Liausson Lieuran-Cabrières Lieuran-lès-Béziers Lignan-sur-Orb La Livinière Lodève Loupian Lunas Lunel Lunel-Viel Magalas Maraussan Margon Marseillan Marsillargues Mas-de-Londres Les Matelles Mauguio Maureilhan Mérifons Mèze Minerve Mireval Mons Montady Montagnac Montarnaud Montaud Montbazin Montblanc Montels Montesquieu Montferrier-sur-Lez Montouliers Montoulieu Montpellier Montpeyroux Moulès-et-Baucels Mourèze Mudaison Murles Murviel-lès-Béziers Murviel-lès-Montpellier Nébian Neffiès Nézignan-l'Évêque Nissan-lez-Enserune Nizas Notre-Dame-de-Londres Octon Olargues Olmet-et-Villecun Olonzac Oupia Pailhès Palavas-les-Flots Pardailhan Paulhan Pégairolles-de-Buèges Pégairolles-de-l'Escalette Péret Pérols Pézenas Pézènes-les-Mines Pierrerue Pignan Pinet Plaissan Les Plans Poilhes Pomérols Popian Portiragnes Le Pouget Poujols Le Poujol-sur-Orb Poussan Pouzolles Pouzols Le Pradal Prades-le-Lez Prades-sur-Vernazobre Prémian Le Puech Puéchabon Puilacher Puimisson Puissalicon Puisserguier Quarante Restinclières Rieussec Riols Les Rives Romiguières Roquebrun Roqueredonde Roquessels Rosis Rouet Roujan Saint-André-de-Buèges Saint-André-de-Sangonis Saint-Aunès Saint-Bauzille-de-la-Sylve Saint-Bauzille-de-Montmel Saint-Bauzille-de-Putois Saint-Brès Saint-Chinian Saint-Christol Saint-Clément-de-Rivière Saint-Drézéry Sainte-Croix-de-Quintillargues Saint-Étienne-d'Albagnan Saint-Étienne-de-Gourgas Saint-Étienne-Estréchoux Saint-Félix-de-l'Héras Saint-Félix-de-Lodez Saint-Gély-du-Fesc Saint-Geniès-de-Fontedit Saint-Geniès-des-Mourgues Saint-Geniès-de-Varensal Saint-Georges-d'Orques Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert Saint-Guiraud Saint-Hilaire-de-Beauvoir Saint-Jean-de-Buèges Saint-Jean-de-Cornies Saint-Jean-de-Cuculles Saint-Jean-de-Fos Saint-Jean-de-la-Blaquière Saint-Jean-de-Minervois Saint-Jean-de-Védas Saint-Julien Saint-Just Saint-Martin-de-l'Arçon Saint-Martin-de-Londres Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers Saint-Maurice-Navacelles Saint-Michel Saint-Nazaire-de-Ladarez Saint-Nazaire-de-Pézan Saint-Pargoire Saint-Paul-et-Valmalle Saint-Pierre-de-la-Fage Saint-Pons-de-Mauchiens Saint-Pons-de-Thomières Saint-Privat Saint-Saturnin-de-Lucian Saint-Sériès Saint-Thibéry Saint-Vincent-de-Barbeyrargues Saint-Vincent-d'Olargues Salasc La Salvetat-sur-Agout Saturargues Saussan Saussines Sauteyrargues Sauvian Sérignan Servian Sète Siran Sorbs Soubès Le Soulié Soumont Sussargues Taussac-la-Billière Teyran Thézan-lès-Béziers Tourbes La Tour-sur-Orb Tressan Le Triadou Usclas-d'Hérault Usclas-du-Bosc La Vacquerie-et-Saint-Martin-de-Castries Vacquières Vailhan Vailhauquès Valergues Valflaunès Valmascle Valras-Plage Valros Vélieux Vendargues Vendémian Vendres Vérargues Verreries-de-Moussans Vias Vic-la-Gardiole Vieussan Villemagne-l'Argentière Villeneuve-lès-Béziers Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone Villeneuvette Villespassans Villetelle Villeveyrac Viols-en-Laval Viols-le-Fort

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Claude François
Claude François in 1976
Background information
Birth name	Claude Antoine Marie François
Also known as	Cloclo
Born	(1939-02-01)1 February 1939 Ismaïlia, Egypt
Died	11 March 1978(1978-03-11) (aged 39) Paris, France
Genres	Pop music
Occupations	Musician, singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1962–1978
Labels	Fontana, Phillips, Flèche

Claude François (1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978) was a French pop singer, songwriter and dancer. He notably wrote and composed Comme d'habitude," the original version of "My Way" and Parce que je t'aime mon enfant, the original version of "My Boy." Some of his most famous songs are Le lundi au soleil, Magnolias for ever and Alexandrie Alexandra.

Claude François sold some 70 million records during his career (and after his death) and was about to embark for the U.S. when he accidentally electrocuted himself in 1978 at age 39.^[1] His place in the entertainment world was roughly analogous to Cliff Richard in Great Britain, with a dash of Tom Jones.In France, he is described as the French Elvis Presley. Live, Claude François was also seen as James Brown with a soul bypass. Former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is quoted as saying Claude François was, to him, the equivalent of The Beatles.^[2]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

The son of an Italian (Calabrian) mother and a French father, Claude François was born in Egypt, in the city of Ismaïlia, where his father, Aimé François (1908–1961), was working as a shipping traffic controller on the Suez Canal. In 1951 the job took the family to the city of Port Tawfik on the Gulf of Suez.

The singer's full name was Claude Antoine Marie. It was traditional in his father's family to give boys names that start with the letter A, but his mother managed to impose her will and named him "Claude." "Antoine" was then given as a middle name, and "Marie," the name of the Virgin Mary, was also given in order to protect the child. Claude François had an older sister, Josette ( 1934- ), who wrote her memoirs in 2008.

François' mother, Lucia Mazzeï (1919–1992), also known as Chouffa, was very musical and had her son take piano and violin lessons. On his own, the boy learned to play the drums. As a result of the 1956 Suez Crisis, the family returned to live in Monaco, where they struggled financially after François' father fell ill and could not work. A young François found a job as a bank clerk and at night earned extra money playing drums with an orchestra at the luxury hotels along the French Riviera. With a good but untested nasal singing voice, he was offered a chance to sing at a hotel in the fashionable Mediterranean resort town of Juan-les-Pins. His show was well received and eventually he began to perform at the glamorous night-clubs along the Côte d'Azur. While working the clubs, he met Janet Woolcoot, an English dancer whom he married in 1960.

Professional career[link]

On stage

Ambitious, François moved to Paris, where there were many more opportunities to pursue his career. At the time, American Rock and Roll was taking hold in France and he took a job as part of a singing group in order to make a living. With the goal of eventually making it as a solo act, he paid the cost to record a 45rpm. Trying to capitalize on the American dance craze "The Twist", François recorded a song titled "Nabout Twist" that proved a resounding failure. Undaunted, in 1962 he recorded a cover version in French of an Everly Brothers song, "Made to Love" (aka Girls Girls Girls). Written by Phil Everly, it had been only a minor hit in America (Eddie Hodges took the song to number 14 in the Billboard charts in July 1962), but François' rendition titled "Belles Belles Belles" rocked to the top of the French charts, selling close to two million copies and making him an overnight star.

Under a new manager, François' career continued to blossom. In 1963 he followed the first success with another French adaptation of an American song, this time recording If I Had a Hammer and Walk Right In in French as Si j'avais un marteau and Marche Tout Droit. François met Michel Bourdais who was working for the well-known French magazine Salut les Copains ("Hi Buddies"). He liked the rigor and the precision of Michel’s drawings and asked him to draw his portrait. This drawing has remained very famous until now. Capitalizing on his blond good looks, he mimicked Elvis Presley's stage style as well as the slicked-back hair. Performing in sequined suits, François gave high-energy stage performances that had hordes of adoring teenage fans racing to the music shops to purchase his latest record or lining up to buy a ticket for his shows.

5 April 1963,^[3] he headlined at the Paris Olympia, a sign that he had arrived. At the end of that year, François created original new dance steps, and Michel Bourdais drew them. For the first time, they brought up the idea of setting up a show with female dancers. In January 1965, while returning from a trip to Las Vegas, Francois, fascinated by the American shows, decided to take them as a model, and eventually the project of performing on the stage with a female dancer band became clear in his mind.

A dedicated professional, François worked hard to achieve success, producing a string of massively popular hit songs and touring constantly. With the onslaught of Beatlemania, he covered their hits in French, adjusted the hair style a little and kept his success moving ahead. But his talent for kitsch extended beyond copying the works others had made famous, and he wrote songs for himself and displayed a melodic voice when singing romantic ballads.

In 1966, François created a complete new stage act using four female dancers as backup. Named "Les Claudettes," the sexy girls danced in the background while François did his own energetic work center stage. In a return to the Paris Olympia he added eight musicians and a full orchestra to his backup dancers, putting on a spectacular show that filled every seat in the large theater and left fans standing in the street for lack of tickets.

Divorced from his wife, in 1967 he began a relationship with Eurovision-winning singer France Gall. Their affair was short-lived and he soon met Isabelle Forêt, with whom he had two sons in two years. Flushed with enormous success and confidence, he established his own record company. In 1967, he and Jacques Revaux wrote and composed a song in French called Comme d'habitude ("As Usual"), which became a hit in Francophone countries. Canadian singing star Paul Anka reworked it for the English-speaking public into the now legendary hit most famously sung by Frank Sinatra as "My Way".

He also sang the original version of "Parce que je t'aime, mon enfant" (Because I Love You My Child) in 1971, which, while remaining relatively little-known in France, was taken over by Elvis Presley under the title "My Boy".

Although François continued his successful formula of adapting English and American rock and roll hits for the French market, by the 1970s the market had changed and the disco craze that swept North America took root in France. For the versatile François, this was not a problem. He simply re-invented himself as the king of French disco, recording La plus belle chose du monde, a French version of the Bee Gees' hit record, Massachusetts.

Looking for new talent, he came across a singing family of two sisters and their cousins. These ladies became known as "Les Flêchettes" (named after "Flêche", the production label he owned). He produced a couple of albums for them before his death, and the ladies went on to sing for some of the major stars in European music.

He worked non-stop, touring across Europe, Africa and at major venues in Quebec in Canada. However, in 1971, his workload caught up with him when he collapsed on stage from exhaustion. After a brief period off, he returned to the recording studios, releasing several best-selling hits throughout the early 1970s. He expanded from owning his own record company to acquiring a celebrity magazine and a modeling agency. Although driven to achieve financial success, in 1974 he organized a concert to raise funds for a charity for handicapped children, and the following year he participated in a Paris concert to raise funds for medical research. By the mid-1970s he was single again, dating several well-known European stars. He continued to perform while overseeing his numerous business interests. In 1975, while in London, he narrowly escaped death when an IRA bomb exploded and two years later a gangster tried to shoot him while he drove his car. In 1977 and 1978, more than 15 years after his first hit record, he was still topping the musical charts with multi-million sales from hits such as Alexandrie Alexandra (this one was issued on the exact day of his burial) and performing to large audiences.

International career[link]

He performed an international career mostly in Belgium and Switzerland but also in Italy, Spain, England and Canada. In 1976, his song Tears ont the telephone in n°34 in the english Top 40. In 1978, January 16, he performed a gala at the Royal Albert Hall in London (6000 spectators).

Death[link]

Claude François burial site in Dannemois (Essone), south of Paris

After working in Switzerland on 9 and 10 March and recording a television special for the BBC on Saturday, 11 March 1978, he returned to his Paris apartment in order to appear, the next day, on "Les Rendez-vous du Dimanche" with TV host Michel Drucker. As he was standing in a filled bath, with wet hands he tried to straighten a lighting sconce on the wall above the tub and was accidentally electrocuted. His tragic death at only 39 years of age brought a wave of public sympathy for a French "national treasure."

François owned a house near the village of Dannemois in the Essonne department about 55 km (34 mi) south of Paris. It was a place where he liked to spend time relaxing—in the quiet countryside—and Dannemois is the town where he was buried.

On 11 March 2000, on the 22nd anniversary of his death, Place Claude-François in Paris was named in his memory; it is located right in front of the building where he died.

A biopic called Cloclo (My Way internationally) was released in March 2012 to coincide with the anniversary of his death. It runs two and a half hours long and stars Jérémie Renier .

Discography[link]

This section requires expansion with: comprehensive list of albums.

• 2012: Génération Cloclo
• 2012: 30 ans - Édition aniversaire (Compilation album)

Partial list of his original songs[link]

• Nabout twist (Claude François)
• Pauvre petite fille riche (Hubert Giraud, Claude François, Vline Buggy)
• Je sais (Gérard Gustin, Claude François)
• Même si tu revenais (Bernard Kesslair, Claude François)
• Mais combien de temps (Claude François, Vline Buggy)
• Hip! hip! hip! hurrah! (Serge Gainsbourg)
• Dans une larme (Jean Renard, Gilles Thibaut)
• Mais quand le matin (Eric Charden, Gilles Thibaut)
• Comme d'habitude (Jacques Revaux, Claude François, Gilles Thibaut)
• Pardon (Jean Renard, Gilles Thibaut)
• Avec la tête, avec le cœur (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Yves Dessca, Vline Buggy)
• Dans les orphelinats (Claude François, Gilles Thibaut)
• Le Magicien (Claude François)
• Tu n'as pas toujours dit ça (Jean-Pierre Alanne, Claude François, Vline Buggy)
• Un monde de musique (Claude François, Ralph Bernet)
• Les ballons rouges (Eric Charden, Michel Delancray)
• C'est de l'eau, c'est du vent (Alice Dona, Pierre Delanoe)
• Des Roses de Noël (Alain Chamfort, Michel Pelay, Yves Dessca, Vline Buggy)
• Olivier (Jacques Revaux, Vline Buggy)
• Parce que je t'aime, mon enfant (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Yves Dessca)
• Les Ballons et les billes (Alice Dona, Pierre Delanoe)
• Plus rien qu'une adresse en commun (Alain Chamfort, Yves Dessca)
• Un peu d'amour, beaucoup de haine (Alice Dona, Michel Mallory)
• Y'a le printemps qui chante (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Jean-Michel Rivat, Franck Thomas)
• En attendant (Claude François, Michèle Vendôme)
• Le lundi au soleil (Patrick Juvet, Jean-Michel Rivat, Franck Thomas)
• Ninna Nanna (Patricia Carli, Jean-Loup Dabadie)
• Celui qui reste (Jean Fredenucci, Jean Schmitt)
• Je viens dîner ce soir (Paul Sebastian, Lana Sebastian, Michaële)
• Je t'embrasse (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Yves Dessca, Jean-Michel Rivat)
• Immortelles sont les filles (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Yves Dessca)
• J'ai perdu ma chance (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Eddy Marnay)
• Chanson populaire (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Nicolas Skorsky)
• La musique américaine (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Jean-Michel Rivat)
• Toute ma vie je chanterai pour toi (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Eddy Marnay)
• C'est toujours le même refrain (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude Morgan, Vline Buggy)
• Le Téléphone pleure (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Franck Thomas)
• Toi et moi contre le monde entier (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Eddy Marnay)
• Le chanteur malheureux (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Martial Carceles, Jean-Michel Rivat, Michel Renard)
• Joue quelque chose de simple (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Jean-Michel Rivat)
• Le spectacle est terminé (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Eddy Marnay)
• Une chanson française (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Nicolas Skorsky)
• Dors petit homme (Claude François,Eddy Marnay)
• La solitude c'est après (André Popp, Gilbert Sinoué)
• Le vagabond (Cyril Assous, Eddy Marnay)
• Les anges, les roses et la pluie (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François,Claude François, Vline Buggy)
• C'est comme ça que l'on s'est aimé, with co-singer Kathalyn Jones (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François)
• Magnolias forever (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Étienne Roda-Gil)
• Alexandrie Alexandra (Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, Claude François, Etienne Roda-Gill)

Partial list of his songs in English[link]

• Go Where the Sun Is Brighter (Viens à la maison, English lyrics by Norman Newell)
• Monday Morning Again (Le lundi au soleil, English lyrics by Norman Newell)
• Love Will Call the Tune (Chanson populaire, English lyrics by Norman Newell)
• Hello Happiness (original song by The Drifters, lyrics by Les Reed and Roger Greenaway)
• Tears on the Telephone (Le Téléphone pleure)
• I Know (Je sais, English lyrics by Norman Newell)
• You Are (Une chanson française, English lyrics by Norman Newell)
• My Boy (Parce que je t'aime, mon enfant, English lyrics by Phil Coulter & Bill Martin)
• My World of Music (Un monde de musique, English lyrics by Norman Newell)
• Crying in His Heart (Avec le cœur, avec la tête, English lyrics by Norman Newell)
• My Way (Comme d'habitude, English lyrics by Paul Anka)
• I Believe in Father Christmas (original song by Greg Lake)
• Stop, Stop, Stop
• Keep on Driving

Partial list of songs he covered[link]

This section requires expansion with: standard discography and organizing the singles as per year. The list we have is confusing and not clear.

• Reach Out I'll Be There (The Four Tops): J'Attendrai
• It's The Same Old Song (The Four Tops): C'est la même chanson
• Bernadette (The Four Tops): 'Bernadette
• Baby I Need Your Loving (The Four Tops): Tout le monde a besoin d'amour
• If I Had a Hammer (Pete Seeger): Si j'avais un marteau
• Stop in the Name of Love (Diana Ross and the Supremes): Stop au nom de l'amour
• You Keep Me Hangin' On (The Supremes)
• You Can't Hurry Love (The Supremes)
• A Little Bit of Soap (The Jarmels): Ne t'en fais mon vieux (Recorded as Koko, on his first record)
• Made to love (The Everly Brothers): Belles! Belles! Belles!, his first hit
• Venus in Blue Jeans (Mark Wynter): Ma Venus en blue jeans
• I'll Be Around (The Spinners): Soudain il ne reste qu'une chanson
• I Can See Clearly Now (Johnny Nash): Toi et le soleil
• Guava Jelly (Johnny Nash, a song from Bob Marley): Rubis
• Tears on My Pillow (Johnny Nash): Des pleurs sur l'oreiller
• Who do you think you are? (Jigsaw): On est qui on est quoi?
• Chicago (Crosby Stills & Nash): Et je ne pense plus à toi
• Terry (Twinkle): Terry
• I Want to Hold Your Hand (The Beatles): Laisse-moi tenir ta main
• Telephone Line (Electric Light Orchestra): Sacrée chanson
• Ease on Down the Road (from The Wiz): Doucement sur la route
• Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver): J'ai encore ma maison
• Freedom Come Freedom Go (The Fortunes): Il fait beau, il fait bon
• You've Got Your Troubles (The Fortunes): Tu as tes problèmes, j'ai les miens
• There's a Kind of Hush (The New Vaudeville Band): Qu'est-ce que tu deviens?
• Silhouettes (The Rays): Silhouette
• Daydreamer (David Cassidy): Le mal aimé
• Baby Now That I've Found You (The Foundations): Pourquoi?
• Simon Says (1910 Fruitgum Company): Jacques a dit
• D.I.V.O.R.C.E. (Dolly Parton): Les mots secrets
• Nasty Dan (Johnny Cash): Sale Bonhomme
• Yesterday Once More (The Carpenters): Sha la la (Hier est près de moi)
• Wild World (Cat Stevens): Fleur sauvage
• Wonderful World, Beautiful People (Jimmy Cliff): Le monde est grand, les gens sont beaux
• By the Devil I Was Tempted (Blue Mink): A part ça la vie est belle
• Winchester Cathedral (The New Vaudeville Band)
• The Reason Why (The Byrds): Toute la vie
• It Takes Two (Marvin Gaye): Il faut être deux
• Carrie Anne (The Hollies): L'homme au traineau
• My Guy (Mary Wells): Ma fille
• In the Country (Cliff Richard and The Shadows): A la campagne
• Bend Me, Shape Me (The Outsiders): Serre-moi, griffe-moi
• Young Girl (Gary Puckett & The Union Gap): Prends garde, petite fille
• Eloïse (Barry Ryan): Eloïse
• Daydream (Wallace Collection): Rêveries
• Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival): Roule
• Games People Play (Joe South): Jeux dangereux
• Beggin' (Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons): Reste
• Oh What a Night, AKA December '63 (Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons): Cette année-là
• Show Me (Joe Tex): Cherche
• Torn between Two Lovers (Mary MacGregor): Drame entre deux amours
• Every Face Tells a Story (Olivia Newton-John): Chaque visage dit une histoire
• Statues without Hearts (Larry Gatlin): Statues sans coeur
• Mandy (Scott English): Mandy, toutes les filles de ton age
• Now Is the Time (Jimmy James and the Vagabonds): Laisse une chance à notre amour
• I Go To Rio (Peter Allen): Je vais à Rio
• At Seventeen (Janis Ian): 17 ans
• I Write the Songs (The Captain and Tennille): Je chante des chansons
• Don't Let the Good Times Fool You (Melba Montgomery): Combien de temps faut-il donc?
• Please Mr. Please (Olivia Newton-John): Pourquoi pleurer (sur un succès d'été)
• Reggae Tune (Andy Fairweather Low): Où s'en aller?
• I'm Leaving It Up to You (Dale & Grace): Il ne me reste qu'à partir
• You Are Everything (The Stylistics): Tu es tout pour moi
• Our Last Song Together (Neil Sedaka): Notre dernière chanson ensemble
• Brother Louie (Hot Chocolate): Dis-lui pour moi
• I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Diana Ross & The Supremes): Où tu veux, quand tu veux
• Breaking Up is Hard to Do (Neil Sedaka): Moi, je pense encore à toi
• Tell Him (The Exciters): Dis-lui
• Walk Right In (Gus Cannon): Marche tout droit
• Language of Love (John D. Loudermilk): Langage d'amour
• Bachelor Boy (Cliff Richard and The Shadows): Moi je voudrais bien me marier
• From Me to You (The Beatles): Des bises de moi pour toi
• [[[How Do You Do It?]] (Gerry and the Pacemakers): Comment fais-tu?
• 24 Hours from Tulsa (Gene Pitney): Maman chérie
• Gentle on My Mind (John Hartford): Si douce à mon souvenir
• American Pie (Don McLean): Feu de paille
• Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves (Cher): Voleurs bohémiens
• I Got You Babe (Sonny & Cher): Je t'aime trop toi
• Jesus Christ Superstar (Murray Head): Jésus-Christ superstar
• By the Time I Get to Phoenix (Glen Campbell): Le temps que j'arrive à Marseille
• Puff, the Magic Dragon (Peter, Paul and Mary): Le dragon magique
• Rose Garden (Lynn Anderson): Je te demande pardon
• You've Got a Friend (Carole King): Un jardin dans mon cœur
• River Deep, Mountain High (Ike & Tina Turner): Combien de rivière
• Another Saturday Night (Sam Cooke): La vie d'un homme
• Reggae Like It Used to Be (Paul Nicholas): C'est le reggae
• Surrender (Diana Ross): Aime-moi ou quitte-moi
• Sugar, Sugar (The Archies): Douce Candy
• The Marvelous Toy (Tom Paxton): Le jouet extraordinaire
• And I Love You So (Don McLean): Et je t'aime tellement

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.claudefrancois-lesite.fr/
• Claude Francois biography
• Claude François at the Internet Movie Database
• Official web-site

Amel Bent Bachir
Background information
Born	(1985-06-21) June 21, 1985 (age 27)
Origin	Joué-lès-Tours, France
Genres	Pop, R&B, Adult contemporary
Occupations	Vocalist,
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Sony BMG

Amel Bent (born Amel Bent Bachir Arabic:أمل بنت بشير, on June 21, 1985 in Paris) is a French singer.

Biography[link]

Amel Bent grew up in the French commune of La Courneuve^[1] with her Algerian father and a Moroccan mother. She has a brother and a sister.^[1][2] Her career jump started after making it to the semi-finals of the reality TV show Nouvelle Star 2, France's version of Pop Idol. Although her performance did not make it to the finals, she was still noticed by some of the show's producers, and would end up making her début album later that year, titled: Un Jour d'été, released in late 2004. The album would sell more than 550,000 copies in France alone,^[3] but the success of the album would ultimately be derived from the single, "Ma Philosophie", which would sell at more than 500,000 copies, staying at the No.1 slot, in France, for more than 6 weeks during and after sales.