An unsuspected musical treasure resurfaces. “La Prisonnière”, a previously unreleased piece by France Gall, has just been unearthed from the archives. This song, recorded in 1974 and signed by Michel Berger, is about to delight the singer’s fans. But how could this title have remained hidden for five decades?
“La Prisonnière” dates from 1974, a significant year in the life of France Gall, then aged 26. She had just met Michel Berger, with whom she would form an iconic duo both artistically and personally. Together, they created some of the biggest hits of French song, but not all of them were released. Certain pieces, like “La Prisonnière”, were put aside, plunged into oblivion… until the Warner record company recently rediscovered them.
It was while exploring the archives that Warner stumbled upon this hidden treasure. The story goes that a simple cover on which “The Prisoner” was written in English aroused their curiosity. While listening to the record, they discover the voice of France Gall interpreting lyrics in French, far from the English title written on the cover.
A daring project inspired by a true story
“La Prisonnière” is not just a song. It is part of an ambitious project that France Gall and Michel Berger were developing that year: a musical comedy entitled “Angelica Dumas”, inspired by a news item. They are inspired by the Patricia Hearst affair, a young American kidnapped by a terrorist group in 1974, who ended up joining their ranks. Although this project will never see the light of day, it is a prelude to the spirit of “Starmania”, a masterpiece by Michel Berger which will be released five years later.
In 1974, in addition to “La Prisonnière”, two other titles were recorded: “À vous avis” and “Mais-aime-la”. Although forgotten, these songs were the outline of this never completed project.
And this story inspires a new project for France and Michel who, for the occasion, will record three songs, “La Prisonnière” which we are only discovering now, but also the song “À vous avis” or even La chanson. “But like it there.”
1974 marked a turning point in France Gall’s career. It was that year that she released “La Declaration”, the flagship song of her repertoire, and initiated a collaboration with Michel Berger which would propel her to the top. And the love story between the public and her songs continues: even today, she has nearly 2 million monthly listens on music platforms, and her tracks are creating a buzz on TikTok. Unsurprisingly, the track “Ella, She’s Got It” remains a favorite, with over 100 million streams on Spotify.
From November 8, France Gall fans will be able to rediscover her greatest hits in a new best-of. Big surprise: “La Prisonnière” is added to the tracklist, offering a new gem that enriches the musical heritage of France Gall and Michel Berger.
France Gall
