Corynne Charby

Corynne Charby
Birth name Corinne Charbit
Born 12 June 1960
Origin Paris, France
Genres Italo disco, euro disco, pop
Occupation(s) model, singer, actress
Years active 1981–1987

Corynne Charby (born 12 July 1960) is a French actress, pop singer and model.

Career

Modeling

Born Corinne Charbit in Paris, Charby grew up in France, and left school after the troisième (form 3). In the late 1970s, she began a successful career as a model.[1] She appeared on the cover of major magazines such as Elle and Lui and participated in several runway shows for large fashion houses.

Cinema

In the early 80s, she began a brief career in cinema. Her first and probably best known role was in the 1981 film, La Chèvre, where she played the part of a young woman sought by Pierre Richard and Gérard Depardieu.[1] In 1982, she appeared in Plus beau que moi tu meurs with Aldo Maccione, and then in Rebelote the following year. Finally, in 1984, she played a prostitute in Un Été d'enfer with Thierry Lhermitte. Her career as an actress effectively ended after this film, and she struggled to find another important role.

Music

In 1984, she began singing under the name of Corynne Charby. Her first 7 inch, "À cause de toi", was written by Didier Barbelivien. It was followed the same year by the track "Ma Génération", and a mini album of the same name composed of six songs.[1] In 1985, Charby released her third single, "J't'oublie pas", which did not appear on any album.

These first productions passed almost unnoticed. Charby didn't really gain popularity until 1986 with her summer hit "Boule de flipper", a song composed by the French singer Christophe. This was followed by other hits such as "Pile ou Face" in 1987, another song of hers that dominated the French SNEP Singles Chart (Top 50).[2] Staples of French popular music, these two songs are now available on many compilations of 80s hits.

On 17 June 1987, Charby teamed up with Johnny Hallyday to perform "Elle était toute seule" on the variety television show Embarquement immédiat pour l'Irlande on FR3.[3]

In 1987, Charby released her second album entitled Toi. The album's songs were written by Franck Yvy and composed by Jean-Louis d'Onorio,[4] and featured three singles : "Pas vu, pas pris", "Elle sortait tard le soir" and "Même". The album was a commercial failure, with only "Pas vu, pas plus" obtaining relative success as a single.

After that, Charby's artistic career came to an end. She married the boss of a record company, and decided to devote herself to her family. According to various rumours, she subsequently worked as a writer for sitcoms and TV dramas.

Charby's musical career was recapitulated in a Greatest Hits compilation released in 2001. In addition to her most well known songs from the 1980s (in extended versions), the disc contains a megamix. A new compilation named Boule de flipper was released in 2003 by Sony Music Entertainment.

Covers of her songs

In 2007, the French singer Leslie covered the song "Boule de flipper" on her album. This song was also briefly parodied in a sketch by the comedian Gad Elmaleh, part of which went: "Qui c'est qu'a mangé un bout du flipper? C'est pas cool!".

In addition, the actress Emmanuelle Béart performed an uptempo rendition of "Pile ou Face" for the soundtrack of the 2002 film, 8 Femmes.

Discography

Singles

With peak positions in French Singles Chart:[2]

  • "À cause de toi" – 1984
  • "Ma Génération" – 1984
  • "J't'oublie pas" – 1985
  • "Boule de flipper" – 1986 (#17 in France)
  • "Pile ou Face" – 1987 (#5 in France, Silver disc[5])
  • "Pas vu pas pris" – 1987 (#39 in France)
  • "Elle sortait tard le soir" – 1987
  • "Même" – 1987

Albums

  • Ma Génération – 1984
  • Toi – 1987
  • Greatest Hits – 2001
  • Boule de flipper (compilation) – 2003

Filmography

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Corynne Charby's biography MCM.net (Retrieved 10 February 2008)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Peak positions of Corynne Charby's singles in French Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved 10 February 2008)
  3. Johnny Hallyday – Les duos "1987" Johnnymusic.fr (Retrieved 10 February 2008)
  4. Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, 2002, p. 108 (ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  5. Corynne Charby's certifications Chartsinfrance.net (Retrieved 10 February 2008

External links