[LE GÉNIE FRANÇAIS] Charles Aznavour, more French than the French

In 2025, all French people should have seen Mr Aznavour at the cinema. And particularly young people, whatever their origin: from Europe, Africa or Asia. All schools should teach children about the exceptional life of the artist of emigrant origin: author, composer, performer, actor and writer. The Ministry of National Education could include it in the programs…

The obsession with equality

… instead of leveling down, instead of trumpeting equality, or so-called equality of opportunity, which only provokes jealousy, resentment or hatred… and above all equality of bad luck! Result: currently more than one in two children enters 6^e without understanding a text. The former great French school is now wearing a dunce cap: 26^e country in the Pisa 2022 ranking… Instead of wanting to “give” 80% of students a worthless baccalaureate that does not fool any business leader… Instead of creating SOS Racisme by starting with a threat, “Don’t touch my friend », Mitterrand, his successors and the complicit media should have taken inspiration from Charles Aznavour and taught him as a model of life, he who only had a school certificate.

An unattractive physique

What a joy to see in this film this man slowly climb the ladder of success, then glory, even though he initially has everything against him: an unattractive physique, an impossible nose, a hoarse voice, a short stature and not the penny! But he believes in himself and respects this France which welcomed his family; he loves its language and its words with which he sings about love and true life. He says it himself: “I have retained my love of well-written things. I learned by reading the classic authors, Corneille, Racine, Molière and La Fontaine. A song must be able to be said even without music. »

Love stronger than activism

He never backed away from difficulties. Instead of playing politics, campaigning for his minority, he thinks of others, approaches all the subjects of life with his heart and his guts. Her songs don't have to be feminist to honor women; and for homosexuality which is still taboo, he touches with his compassion shared by the public. He will never be a lesson giver. But simply a donor, who will work all his life for the Armenia of his ancestors.
When asked his secret, Aznavour replies that he doesn't have one, except that you have to write a lot: several dozen songs to give the chance to see one emerge!

1924, the Aznavourian family fled Armenia

The Aznavourian family is a victim of the Turkish genocide and must flee Armenia. The same year, 1924, Charles was born when his parents had just arrived in Paris. His father, a former baritone, works in a musical restaurant and sings there on weekends to make ends meet. He then opened his own restaurant, the Caucasuswhich attracts artists. He sings there for his customers and passes on his taste for music and song to his little Charles who, sitting in his corner, doesn't miss a beat. Ambitious for his son, he dreams, in this country where everything is possible more than elsewhere, of seeing him go to the Conservatory or the Comédie Française.

On stage from 9 years old

The father joined the French army in 1939 and went to war. Charles, who appeared on stage at the age of 9, was forced to work at 15. Figurations, songs, small roles – while waiting for big ones that he will also play –, and even a dancer in a tutu… He touches everything. And above all he writes and composes every day. He sympathized with Charles Trenet whom he admired, then became the chauffeur and confidant of Édith Piaf. She him “offers a new nose”. He tried his hand on stage with the pianist and composer Pierre Roche, former Compagnon de la chanson. Together they left to try their luck as a duo in New York, then in Canada. And it works. But Charles is nostalgic for his country, France.

The hoarse towards gold

When he returns to Paris, no one believes in him except himself. Journalists headline “The hoarse one towards gold”, “the cripple of the song”. However, he wrote successes but for others: M. Chevalier, J. Gréco, G. Bécaud, M. Mathieu, J. Halliday, S. Vartan. For the latter, he created two unforgettable texts: “Retain the night” and “I will be the most beautiful to go dancing”.

Glory at 36

Charles must wait until the age of 36 to finally experience the glory that will never leave him. So, on December 12, 1960, at the Alhambra, in front of 3,000 people, the whole of Paris finally wanted to see this promising artist on stage. First song… nothing! Second song… great silence. Three, four, five, six… At 7^e title, it is standing ovation with premonitory lyrics, “I already saw myself at the top of the bill”.

180 million records

The sale of his records and concerts all over the planet continued until the year of his death, at the age of 94: 70 years of career, 1,200 songs and a record with 180 million records sold in 8 languages. Aznavour will be taken over by the greatest, up to Franck Sinatra and Ray Charles.

In short, the immense French artist wonderfully applied this simple rule of Saint Augustine that every schoolchild should know: “ Love and do what you want »that's to say “put your heart at the service of your will. »