Michel Berger (1947-1992) is often recognized as one of the most influential singers and songwriters of the 70’s and 80’s. He’s also known, after a few years as the companion of the French singer Véronique Sanson, for his iconic pair with another French singer, France Gall. He wrote a lot of hits, either for her or for himself. Apart from that, he wrote the famous song Message personnel for Françoise Hardy. And last but not least, he wrote all the songs for the rock opera Starmania (1978), that had a huge success, and contributed to the success of his friend Daniel Balavoine. He died prematurely of a heart attack in 1992. He remains a very respected artist in the French collective memory.
[More about him on Wikipedia]
Songs by him :
- La groupie du pianiste
- Le paradis blanc
- Diego, libre dans sa tête
- Chanter pour ceux qui sont loin de chez eux
- Quelques mots d’amour
Some of the songs he wrote for others :
- Françoise Hardy : Message personnel
- France Gall (most of her 70’s – 80’s and early 90’s songs)
- Johnny Halliday : Quelque chose de Tennessee
- Daniel Balavoine : Quand on arrive en ville (Starmania)
- Daniel Balavoine : SOS d’un terrien en détresse (Starmania)
French Music into English 