how, more than fifty years ago, Charles Aznavour went beyond taboos by playing a homosexual in song

Charles Aznavour was at the peak of his career when, in 1972, he decided to write As they saya pioneering text which deals with homosexuality at a time when it was still criminally sanctioned (the “offense of homosexuality” would not be repealed by the Forni law until 1982).

For the singer of Armenian origin, “all segregations must be condemned” and throughout his career, he courageously addressed several social themes in songs. But this time, he pushes the cursor even further.

In a still conservative France where homosexuality is a taboo and arouses mockery, Charles Aznavour writes a text in the first person. He puts himself in the shoes of a homosexual subjected to the gaze of others. “I wanted homosexuals to be seen in a natural way and no longer by pointing fingers at them,” he explains in an archive distributed in “1:15 p.m. Sunday” (X(New window), #13h15(New window)).

A total break with the songs of the decade; a few months earlier, Michel Sardou sang The Sergeant’s Laughtera caricature text about a homosexual sergeant mocked by a young conscript.

It was in his direct entourage, among those he nicknamed “The Elegant”, that Charles Aznavour found inspiration: surrounded by homosexual collaborators, he borrowed their gestures and their experiences for the duration of a song.

Excerpt from “In the Skin of Charles“, broadcast in “1:15 p.m. on Sunday(New window)“October 20 2024.

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