Michel Delpech, a famous French singer, songwriter, and actor, passed away on January 2, 2016 after a long battle with throat cancer. Delpech first gained attention in the 1960s and became a beloved musician to the French. In the mid sixties, Delpech grew famous from his interpretation of “Chez Laurette,” and his version of the song has become the definitive version\u00a0ever since. He also gained attention for such songs as “Il y a des jours o\u00f9 on ferait mieux de rester au lit,” and, of course, “Wight is Wight,” a song dedicated to the famous rock festival on the Isle of Wright that sold over a million copies in Europe when it was released in 1969.<\/p>\n
In “Wight is Wight,” Delpech croons about the festival’s fans:<\/p>\n
“Ils sont arriv\u00e9s dans l’\u00eele nue
\nSans un bagages et les pieds nus
\nComme un cyclone inattendu
\nComme une fleur avant la saison
\nComme une pluie de papillons
\nA laquelle on a jamais cru.<\/p>\n
Wight is Wight
\nDylan is Dylan
\nWight is Wight
\nViva Donovan
\nC’est comme un soleil
\nDans le gris du ciel
\nWight is Wight
\nHippie, hip hip hip
\nhip hip hip
\nhip hip hip<\/p>\n
Toi qui a voulu t’emprisonner
\nAs tu le droit de condamner
\nCelui qui cherche \u00e0 s’\u00e9vader
\nChacun m\u00e8ne sa vie comme il veut
\nTu ne peux plus baisser les yeux
\nCar aussi vrai que tu es n\u00e9.”<\/p>\n
At the height of the peace-loving sixties, Delpech created a French hit about losing oneself in music and not caring about the judgment of others. Set to a catchy rhythm, this song also gained fans\u00a0for capturing the spirit of the decade.<\/p>\n
A moving obituary<\/a> to the singer in\u00a0Le Monde<\/em>, elaborated: “Avec son sourire chaleureux, sa s\u00e9duction tranquille dans la voix, bien pos\u00e9e, juste, assez \u00e9conome d\u2019effets, Michel Delpech aura \u00e9t\u00e9, du milieu des ann\u00e9es 1960 \u00e0 la fin des ann\u00e9es 1970, l\u2019un des interpr\u00e8tes les plus populaires de la chanson fran\u00e7aise…l restera l\u2019interpr\u00e8te d\u2019une bonne trentaine de grands succ\u00e8s, souvent de jolies romances, un rien nostalgiques, dont il signe les textes, allant parfois vers un l\u00e9ger commentaire\u00a0social, aux m\u00e9lodies bien tourn\u00e9es.”<\/p>\n Check out some of Delpech’s most famous music videos, or\u00a0tubes,\u00a0<\/em>here<\/a> throughout the 1960s and 1970s. And make sure to listen to “Wight is Wight” below.<\/p>\n