With the release of the film Cloclo on DVD, I though it a reasonable excuse for a clip of Claude François, in this instance his Version Française of I'll be there.The song was Reach Out (I'll Be There) in English, a Holland–Dozier–Holland song recorded by The Four Tops for Motown records in 1966. It was one of the band's biggest hits, and was a number one in the UK.
The clip was from a January 1967 edition of he Sacha Show, a variety programme hosted by entertainer Sacha Distel.
Cloco remains a hugely popular figure in France, his music figuring regularly on nostalgia radio stions. He's remembered with affection, his massive output of songs over his career as well as their success probably both playing a part.
For the French listener his versions of the songs remain the definitive versions, the reverse of the experience of the English speaking listener, who'll always find them falling short of their original.
But that's not to say they lack charm. His songs remain interesting artefacts from an era when tastes were different and the world was a smaller place.
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