It’s a beautiful novel, it’s a beautiful story, it’s a romance for today… sang Michel Fugain in his famous title, the action of which was initially to take place along Route 66, in the United States. However, the story ofA beautiful story, song released in 1972, takes place on a French highway! Invited on the TF1 morning show hosted by Bruce Toussaint, Michel Fugain returned to the genesis of his hit which has become a classic of French song, written by lyricist Pierre Delanoë, and evokes an insane detail.
“A rather Franco-French trick” : Michel Fugain evokes the genesis ofA beautiful story and evokes the insane detail of its title
At the microphone of Bruce Toussaint, Michel Fugain explained how he came up with the idea for his title A beautiful story. Inspired by the genre of “road movie”, the artist testifies: “It started from an image that I had, I was part of the generation that saw lots of road movies at the time, and I saw Route 66, with a guy on one side, a girl on the other, dressed like back then… That is to say very little for the girl and haphazardly for the dude !“. Wishing to develop a story around this image, he turned to Pierre Delanöe: “I see that, I give it to Pierre who doesn’t know Route 66 and who doesn’t care at all about it and who gave me something rather French-franchouillard and who put them on the highway!“. Instead of taking place on the famous American road, the lyricist therefore decided to adapt the meeting place of the famous title, the singer continues: “I never understood how the guy, who is on one side of the highway, and the girl, on the other side, met… It’s impossible, but people don’t have it noted either!“, he laughs. The meeting indeed seems difficult when at least four ways separate the two people, but, whatever the case, A beautiful story will remain anchored among the flagship titles of French song.
“We heard the tape all the way.” : Michel Fugain discusses the success of his title released in 1972
In the same show, the interpreter ofA beautiful story also mentioned the reason, according to him, for the dazzling success of his title published in 1972: “One day I’m with an economist and he says to me ‘The song worked, why? Because the States, just a little before, had enriched the European peoples and their first purchase was a car.”, he says, before delivering an anecdote on the fans’ feedback: “The whole family left in the car and they stopped to pee and refuel… And they bought the tape and, each time, they tell me, ‘We heard the tape the whole time, with dad smoking ‘…” he confides.
