Ironically, when you hold us. In 2009, Gilbert Montagné won a legal battle against Flunch, whom he accused of plagiarism on their remix of “On va s'aimer”, transformed into “On va fluncher” during a famous advertising campaign broadcast in the 1990s But this time, it is the French singer who is accused of plagiarism in his turn on the same emblematic hit, after a complaint filed by the heirs of the Italian artist Gianni Nazzaro, who accuse him of having copied his song “Une fille de France” according to information from The Informed.
To summarize, Gilbert Montagné and his lyricist Didier Barbelivien will no longer receive royalties from the streams and broadcasts of “On va s'aimer”, a title popular with French listeners. Released in the early 1980s, this hit brought him back to the forefront after his exile in the United States and allowed him to begin a tour in France alongside Johnny Hallyday. The Parisian singer even recorded a version translated into English, “Just for Tonight”, which was a hit in Europe.
The complaint against him and that of his lyricist dates back to 2012, when Gianni Nazzaro was still alive (the Italian artist died in July 2021). If Gilbert Montagné and Didier Barbelivien refused to recognize the dispute and pay the requested royalties for a dozen years thanks to the support of SACEM, they were finally overtaken by French justice. According to the judgment of the Paris Court of Appeal rendered on October 9, 2024, they will have to pay nearly 30,000 euros in damages to the plaintiffs as compensation for copyright. Originally, the Italians asked for… 1.67 million euros.
