We are necessarily thinking of him. When we talk about the songs written by Jean-Loup Dabadie, who died this Sunday at the age of 81, we instantly hum "Italian", by Reggiani, or "Letter to France", by Polnareff, but also the essentials "Women, I tell you love ”and“ My preference ”, two of Julien Clerc's greatest successes. The singer agreed to evoke memories of his collaboration with his missing friend.
What did Jean-Loup Dabadie represent for you?
JULIEN CLERC. It is a big brother who disappears for me, as was Etienne Roda-Gil in his time, (Editor's note: another favorite lyricist of Julien Clerc), these people who are ten years older than me. But with him, there were more friendly relationships. We often went on vacation with Jean-Loup, which was not the case with Etienne. It's a whole part of my life that goes away.
How did your collaboration start?
It was at a time when I wanted to open up to new authors. Jean-Loup was the first, because he had already made successes, he had the ear of the popular public. The idea is that he can make me say I in a song and I love you, if possible. I was not used to that, big popular and elegant words, like those he had already made for Reggiani or Polnareff. Our first collaboration was called Je suis mal (1976). We looked a bit at the start and hit the target in the next album.
With "My preference" in 1978?
Yes. It's the song in my repertoire that is the most downloaded, the most listened to on streaming platforms, and by far. She was born on vacation together in the Basque Country. We had rented a house with him and Miou-Miou (Editor's note: Julien Clerc's partner at the time) . There was a piano. He heard a melody while passing in the living room and said to me: I implore you, keep it for me . Once in Paris, I went to record the composition on his purple upright piano in his apartment. He called me back saying to me for the text: I have two ideas around a woman. One using a vocabulary around precious stones. For the other I have only one word, it is preference. And I told her to go for it then . And he wrote My preference , thinking of Miou-Miou, of course.
Same thing for "Women, I love you"?
It is also music that I gave him. He was rewinding the tape all the time in the same place on two notes where he finally placed the chorus. It's one of the songs I was wondering if I should record it for. I found it too much , too direct ... The guy who proclaimed it to the world ... At that time, I was recording an album in London with an English producer to whom I said: Oh that one, I do not know if i will put it in the disc. And he said to me: But you're sick, do it! It's an exemplary song because it had several lives. At the time of the album, in 1982, but also when she used it in an ad for typically female products (Editor's note: Nett periodical protections) . The film was very beautiful, it was made by photographer Peter Lindbergh. And, afterwards, it continued to exist in karaokes.
Do you remember other key songs with him?
Yes. "The murderer assassinated", against the death penalty, in 1980. I had been asked to attend a trial where Robert Badinter pleaded and saved the accused from the guillotine. It was the end of the Giscard years. The song was written at that time. I see us again with Jean-Loup near the piano. We had to finish the text together. I also put this song in a drawer for a while. I was wondering a lot. I was wondering: Am I right to commit to this? And, one day, a program was devoted to Jean-Loup on FR3, a Sunday afternoon. And he said to me: It's the friend who asked you to come and sing this song live . I went there, I sang it on the piano. And the standard had jumped because it had aroused a lot of reactions. We were in the middle of a debate on the death penalty in France. Robert Badinter had sent me a letter afterwards which had touched me enormously.
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Why did you stop working together?
One has the impression of having said everything sometimes in a collaboration. It's cruel, I know. But the musician that I am still waiting for words that will surprise him. Our last song together is called "The Time to Love", in 2011. He must have suffered that our collaboration stopped. But he always had the nobility to remain a friend despite this. Even after our last collaboration, I was going to ask him for his opinion on my new albums that were going to be released, when he was not on it. It was difficult sometimes, but his opinion mattered to me. And he gave it to me very cash, telling me what he liked, what he didn't like.
Have you always stayed in touch?
Yes. We saw each other less, but we found time to have lunch together often in pairs. I am glad I spoke to him ten days ago. He was on the Ile de Ré, we talked about everything, confinement. He had a less youthful voice, whereas he had always had it. And he's also one of the people I laughed the most with. What we could laugh about, on everything! Let us not forget his sketches for Bedos or Villeret, his talents as a comic author. He was like that in life.