>With the Claude François biopic getting some attention, I thought I'd put on a clip of him doing his thing in his own unique style.It's a hilarious clip that looks like something that might appear these days in a comedy show. There are many who believe that the 70s were a decade that taste forgot. There are also those that believe French music is rubbish. This clip seems to back those arguments.
However, worth trying to put things into some kind of historical context. This kind of music was in its day seen as pretty sophisticated and modern, to a commercial audience at least. The music business was geared up to be forward looking and constably in search of the latest trend.
Combine this with a limited opportunity for television exposure, and a television system that was aiming for a wide audience rather than niche target markets - no doubt staffed by workers who were there when things were all done in black and white and keen to make the most of colour - and you can see why spectacle could take precedence to artistic sensibility.
In comparison, it's worth remembering that France certainly didn't have a monopoly on this kind of thing. Cloclo also appeared on TV in the UK, on Seaside Special. Older readers might remember this kind of "Light Entertainment" television. Suffice to say it wasn't exactly The Old Grey Whistle Test.
Cloclo's work wasn't always so disco orientated, but this came towards the end of his career when this was the music that was popular, and Cloclo was always one to keep up with whatever style was in vogue.
Released as a single in 1978, on the day of his burial following his sudden death in March that year, it remains one of his best-known songs.
No comments:
Post a Comment