Famous in the 1960s, singer Gilles Dreu died at the age of 90 this Tuesday, January 7, at his home located in Vals-les-Bains in Ardèche, as announced by producer Pierre- Nicolas Cléré to AFP on behalf of the family. The artist, who had performed on the various “Age tender et tête de bois” tours and whose last album dates back to 2020, had notably known glory with his famous hit “Alouette”, released in 1968. However, he had recorded nearly 200 songs over the course of his career. Gilles Dreu also celebrated his 63 years of career with a concert at the Nouvelle Eve in Paris two years ago. Very affected by his death, his friend Serge Lama paid tribute to him on Instagram with a sober but touching message. “ To my friend Gilles Dreu, who died at 90 and to his Yoyo of love » he wrote before recalling many memories with the lyrics of the song “Alouette”: “ Lark, lark / You’ve lost your wings / You’ve gone on a quest / Fairies in the sky / Lark, is the sky blue? / At the heart of the party / Is there a good God? ».
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“We used the same sounds”
It must be said that this single title was to turn Gilles Dreu’s career upside down in April 1968 after several years of struggle. If the lyrics are by Pierre Delanoë, the music goes to Ariel Ramírez and Félix César Luna, since it is in reality an adaptation. Indeed, “Alouette” took up the religious melody of “La peregrinación” by the Argentine songwriter and pianist Ariel Ramírez, taken from the album “Misa Criolla” released in 1965. It’s an Argentinian folklore. I believe it is a transformation by Argentinian Creoles of a Gregorian kyrie. It’s taken from an Argentinian Creole mass. We found it wonderful when we listened to it with Pierre Delanoë and we immediately decided to write lyrics which are, strangely enough, phonetic lyrics. » explained Gilles Dreu in “Schnock”, still surprised by the success of his “Alouette”: “ We used the same sounds as in this famous piece. (…) And ultimately, it’s quite funny, because we manage to have a text that is full of good humor even though it is initially sacred music ».
-The story is even crazier because Gilles Dreu should never have sung “Alouette”! Indeed, the hit was first intended for the artist Jean-Claude Pascal, who preferred to decline the title. Except that Gilles Dreu being one of the singers whose voice resonates on the original model, the producer Norbert Saada submitted the final title to him. Supported by Europe 1, “Alouette” became number one in the hit parade and one of the hits of the year in the process, selling more than 1.5 million copies in France. The mustachioed singer became an overnight celebrity. In the show “Samedi et société” in October 1970, Serge Lama and Gilles Dreu covered “Alouette” and “D’aventures enaventures” live. “ And to think that you made it a hit! » his sidekick calls out to him, before he responds: “ Yes, I wonder how again! ».
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