Christine Charbonneau

Christine Charbonneau

Charbonneau in 2008
Background information
Born October 18, 1943 (1943-10-18) (age 68)
Montréal, Canada
Genres Pop, French songs
Occupations Singer, songwriter, composer, poet, author
Instruments Guitarre, piano
Years active 1963–2005
Labels Les Disques Mérite,Les Disques Pleïades Polydor, Les Disques Gamma, Les Disques Triomphe, Les Disques Sélect

Christine Charbonneau is a singer and songwriter born in Montréal, Canada, in 1943. She began her career in 1959, singing and writing songs in the genre that was popular at the time in Quebec music clubs, known as "boîtes à chansons".[1][2] While completing her education, she toured around the Province with her guitar and songs, and was part of the cultural movement known as the Quiet Revolution[3] (La Révolution Tranquille)[4] that gave birth to Quebec National Identity.[5] After the decline of these music clubs around 1965, Charbonneau oriented her career towards television, radio, and recording, as well as on composing and writing for others. Her career spanned over three decades of recording her own material and songwriting for well-known artists. She has been recognized as the female songwriter with the most songs recorded by other artists during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Contents

Early career

Charbonneau wrote her first song at the age of 12.[6] In 1958, she studied decorative arts at the Institut des arts appliqués in Montréal. While studying she compiled her first repertoire of songs. In 1959, Charbonneau was one of the few females chansonnier[7] in Quebec and was invited to La Butte à Mathieu, the Mecca of Quebec song,[8] where she gained recognition as one of the icons[9] of the chansonniers Circle.[10]

In 1966, Charbonneau participated in several programs of the popular television series Chansons (broadcast in French as Mon pays mes chansons) a Canadian music television series that aired on CBC television and Radio-Canada from 1966 to 1969. Created for the Canadian Centennial, the series was directed by Anton Vandewater, filmed and presented across Canada. One of the program featured (besides Charbonneau), Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell,[11] Pauline Julien, The Travellers, Jean-Pierre Ferland and Claude Léveillé. In 1967, Charbonneau was invited to the Quebec Pavilion to present her tour de chant during Expo 67, the 1967 World's Fair, held in Montréal and themed Terre des hommes. Summer 1969, Charbonneau was chosen to represent Canada and to perform at the Spa Festival in Belgium.[12]

In the 1970s, Charbonneau co-starred on the Radio-Canada TV variety show Smash with Patsy Gallant. She would later team up with Gallant to write most of the lyrics of Gallant's two major French albums, Patsy Gallant (Tout va trop vite) (1972) and Toi l'enfant (1974),[13][14] both released by Columbia Records, bringing Gallant early success.[15] Some of Gallant's hits, such as Tout va trop vite, Le lit qui craque, the French version of Thank you come again and Un jour comme les autres reached the Top 20 on the charts.[16]

Later years

In the following years, Charbonneau wrote most of the original songs that appear on six albums by France Castel, namely, France Castel 1973 (Disques Profil), France Castel 1973 English adaptations (Profil Records), Je le vois dans ma soupe (1974) (Image Records), Moi je n’veux pas déranger personne (1974) (Image Records), Collection France Castel (1975) (Trans-World Records), and Amoureuse (2000) (Mérite Records, Compilation).[17][18] Castel's hit songs by Charbonneau include Château de sable, Du fil des aiguilles et du coton,[19][20] Je le vois dans ma soupe,[21] and Ça m'fait du bien.[22]

During the late 1970s, Charbonneau also wrote songs and lyrics for Claude Valade, Ginette Reno, Michel Louvain, Michèle Richard, Pierre Lalonde, Sheila, and others.

Over the course of her singing career, Charbonneau recorded six albums and fifteen singles including Les insolences d'une jeune femme (Sélect records). Her self-titled album followed in 1966 and was produced and released by (Triomphe Records). In 1968, she recorded Christine Charbonneau Le Pays dont je parle (Gamma Records) records. In 1975, she turned to pop music with her release of the album C'est pas ce que tu penses (Pleiade/Polydor Records), which included her disco hit Censuré and then Quintessence (Polydor Records) in 1977. Censuré (Mérite Records), a compilation of her second and fourth albums, was remastered and distributed in 2000.[23]

Hits

Charbonneau's hits include La guerre des jupons, La beatnick, Ça commence toujours par l'amour, Ahuntsic, Héros du quotidien, Je t'aime même quand tu me boudes, and Les faiseurs de chansons. But her most successful hit was the disco song Censuré,[24][25] released in 1975 and part of the album C'est pas ce que tu penses. La chanson écrite au féminin,[26][27] describes Charbonneau as having written songs that were the hits of the 70s, such as Du fil des aiguilles et du coton recorded by France Castel (and sang by Céline Dion[28] in her first public appearance in 1973, at the age of five),[29] Tout va trop vite, Les femmes (Qu'y a-t-il dans le cœur des femmes), and Censuré.

Discography (albums)

Christine Charbonneau "En amour toujours" ( Charbonneau Prod.)(2005)

Christine Charbonneau "Censuré" (Mérite Records), Compilation, (2000)

(Compilation of two albums: "Christine Charbonneau" -(1966) (Orchestrations and Direction, Georges Tremblay, Triomphe Records). And "C'est pas c'que tu penses" (Production, Orchestration, Leon Aronson, Pleiade/Polydor Records) (1975) : Recorded at Listen Audio Studio, Old-Montréal. Sérapis Publishing, Socan. Sodrac.

Christine Charbonneau "Quintessence" (Pleiade/Polydor Records) (1977)

Christine Charbonneau "C'est pas c'que tu penses" (Pléiade/Polydor Records) (1975)

Christine Charbonneau (Gamma Records) (1968)

Christine (Charbonneau) (Triomphe Records), (1966)

Christine Charbonneau "Les insolences d'une jeune femme" ( Sélect Records) (1963)

Discography (singles)

Recordings of Charbonneau's Songs by other Artists

Du fil, des aiguilles et du coton, Château de sable, Sur le pont, Un petit peu d'amour, Cette mélodie, Femme, To one and all, Castle's in the sand, Going on, Pussy galore, Lovers refrain, Time, Moi je n'veux pas déranger personne, Le puzzle, La terre, l'air, le feu et l'eau, Dominique, Au tournant de ma vie, Au fond de nous, Le goût de l'amour, Ils ont marché sur la lune, Le bonheur, Castel's in love, L'amitié, Donne un peu d'amour, Je le vois dans ma soupe, Pilule d'amour (pilule de lune), Ça m'fait du bien, Si tu t'ennuies; Promenade

Adaptations, Original Lyrics, Collaborations and Original Songs recorded

Pourquoi faut-il? (Forcier/Charbonneau), Allons nous coucher (Richards/Charbonneau); Le temps des jeux (Chapados/Charbonneau); Je voudrais quelqu'un qui m'aime (Lapierre/Charbonneau); Un monde est en voie de naître (Lapierre/Charbonneau), J'aime l'amour (Forcier/Charbonneau), Tout va trop vite (Lapierre/Charbonneau), Un jour comme les autres (Lapierre/Charbonneau), Toi l'enfant (Gallant/Charbonneau), Daya dou dum (Forcier/Charbonneau), J'veux m'en r'tourner chez-nous (Gallant/Charbonneau, Les femmes (Qu'y a-t-il dans le cœur des femmes) (Charbonneau), Le lit qui craque (Gallant/Owen/Charbonneau), J'aurais voulu t'aimer (Beard/Charbonneau), L'argent, l'amour, peace (Gallant/Charbonneau), Thank you come again (Lapierre/Charbonneau), Un jour comme les autres (Lapierre/Charbonneau), Cendrillon(Richards/Charbonneau)

Claude Valade: Est-ce si facile de m'oublier (/Charbonneau), C'est parce que je t'aime (/Charbonneau), Aide-moi à passer la nuit (Kristopherson/Charbonneau), Le chemin de tes rêves (/Charbonneau), J'ai dit non (/Charbonneau), Je veux être près de toi (/Charbonneau), Quand tes yeux, Viens t'étendre au creux de mes bras, Sincèrement je t'aime, Les enfants sont partis, Au bout du monde' (Bettis/Carpenter/Charbonneau)

Singers and Songs on You Tube

References

  1. ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000352,"Boites à chansons, Music Clubs that existed from 1959 to the late 1970S in Quebec, Canada"
  2. ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia: "Chansonnier in French Québecois, Canada"]
  3. ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia: "Chansonniers and les Boites à chansons contributed to the Quiet Revolution in Quebec"
  4. ^ multimania: '(Les Boites à chansons)' and the (chansonniers) contribute to the cultural achievement of the Quiet Revolution" (La révolution tranquille),
  5. ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia: "Thanks to Félix Leclerc', the new Québec song (chanson) would become the natural path for the collective identity of all Quebecers and the first Ambassador of this Society in complete mutation..."
  6. ^ Tremblay-Matte, Cécile, La chanson écrite au féminin de Madeleine de Verchères à Mitsou 1730-199, Éditions Trois, Québec. p.103 ISBN 292088765
  7. ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia: "Paragraph entitled 'Discographie', (Translation: Canadian Recordings, The Québec Chansonnières, (The note book of the ARMuQ, April 1990, collected and written by C. T.-Matte who proceeds to the exam of songs and recordings of (...) Christine Charbonneau"
  8. ^ lejournal: "Christine Charbonneau at La Butte à Mathieu"
  9. ^ https://papyrus.bib.umontreal.ca/jspui/bitstream/1866/4133/2/Lapierre_Marc-Antoine_2010_m%C3%A9moire.pdf "Marc-Antoine Lapierre, University of Montréal, Master's Thesis, (Départment of Anthropology ), «Le mythe de la chanson québécoise» (The myth of Quebec songs): 'Certains artistes deviennent des icônes du milieu...dont Christine Charbonneau', page 20 (Some artists (namely Christine Charbonneau) become icons of the Circle)",
  10. ^ papyrus
  11. ^ "Mon Pays mes chansons", Joni Mitchell agenda with other artists invited on the show(...) Christine Charbonneau 1967"
  12. ^ http://www.disquesmerite.com/HTM/fiche.asp?NumArtiste=88, "Christine Charbonneau represented Canada at Spa Festival in Belgium , Summer 1969.
  13. ^ qim.com: "Patsy Gallant, Québec Info Musique, Biography"
  14. ^ leparolier: "Patsy Gallant Discography, Album Tout va trop vite (1972), Columbia Records and album Toi l'enfant (1974) on Columbia Records",
  15. ^ MySpace: Patsy Gallant has her first hits with songs written by Christine Charbonneau: Tout va trop vite, (the French version of) Thank you come again, Toi l'enfant, Le lit qui craque, Un monde en voie de naître
  16. ^ 2.banq.qc.ca: Winners Patsy Gallant songs on the charts: Tout va trop vite, Le lit qui craque, Un jour comme les autres, Thank you come again (French Version),
  17. ^ Google: France Castel, Mérite records, (France Castel sings Charbonneau...)
  18. ^ France Castel: "France Castel Discography"
  19. ^ Céline Dion web site: On 18 August 1973, Céline sang Du fil, des aiguilles et du coton, for the first time in public at her brother Michel's marriage"
  20. ^ banq.qc.ca Winners: France Castel, Charts, Du fil des aiguilles et du coton,
  21. ^ France Castel, Charts: Je le vois dans ma soupe
  22. ^ banq.qc.ca Winners: Ça m'fait du bien.
  23. ^ disquesmerite: "Biographie Christine Charbonneau".
  24. ^ banq.qc"Christine Charbonneau, Censuré
  25. ^ Christine Charbonneau, Censuré, on the Billboard Charts, for the New York State Discotheques, 1975
  26. ^ Tremblay-Matte, Cécile (musicologist) La chanson écrite au féminin de Madeleine de Verchères à Mitsou 1730-1990, p.103, Éditions Trois, Québec, ISBN 2-920887-16-5
  27. ^ Alonso, Anne-Marie (ed.) (1990) La chanson écrite au féminin, Collection Trois Guinées. Dépot légal- BNQ, BNC troisième trimestre, 391 pages.
  28. ^ http://www.portrait-star.fr/st-celine-dion.html, Portrait Star Site, Céline Dion, French Biography,(...Céline sang Christine Charbonneau"s song Du fil des aiguilles et du coton,
  29. ^ Céline Dion Web Site: Céline sings Du fil, des aiguilles et du coton, for the first time in public at her brother Michel's marriage, 18 August 1973