French singer-songwriter Gérard Berliner dies

The French singer-songwriter and actor Gérard Berliner is dead.

Gérard Berliner singing "Louise" during TV performance (screenshot from video clip)

Best known in France for his million-selling 1982 hit "Louise", Berliner died this earlier week at the age of 54 following a heart attack.

Berliner's name might be unfamiliar to many outside of this country, and indeed his work is probably not that well known to younger French generations.

But one song in particular, "Louise", stands out.

It sold 1.5 million copies when it was released in 1982 and was, according TF1, a song he was regularly invited to sing on television shows throughout the years.

More than a one-hit wonder, Berliner wrote and recorded several albums and appeared on television and stage as an actor.

His performance in the 2006 Molières-nominated show "Mon alter Hugo", inspired by the life of Victor Hugo, won him critical acclaim.

Back to the THAT song though, and listening to and watching his performance, perhaps two things stand out.

First of all no matter how long you live in a country which isn't your homeland or how well-versed (forgive the pun) you might have thought yourself with many of the music standards that have marked previous generations there's still inevitably something to discover - even when it's sadly too late.

And secondly, as the cliché goes, great songs, like (some) wine, only improve with age.


Gerard BERLINER "louise"
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