Mojo Music is excited to announce a deal with the Estate of Gilbert Becaud to represent US rights to the original French versions of more than 60 of his classic songs. The deal with Becaud’s family reflects the first time that his songs have ever been represented exclusively in America.
Becaud, who enjoyed a more than 50-year career as a popular composer, artist and actor, is known as one of France’s greatest songwriters having penned and performed scores of standards from the 1950’s through the ’70s which went on to international fame. The catalog includes “Je T’Appartiens” a/k/a “Let It Be Me”, originally popularized by Becaud throughout Europe and the Everly Brothers in America and covered more than 1,000 times, “Et Maintenant” a/k/a “What Now My Love”, one of the biggest selling singles in French history, popularized further by Shirley Bassey and nearly every other standards singer, “Le Jour Ou La Pluie Viendra” a/k/a “The Day The Rains Came”, made famous in the US by Jane Morgan, and “Plein Soleil” a/k/a “Sand And Sea” a pensive, emotional ballad equally powerful in its original French and via Sinatra’s captivating 1966 cover. Also included are “Nathalie” and Marlene Dietrich staple “Marie Marie”.
Becaud began his professional career in 1948 writing songs with Maurice Vidalin and Marie Bizet. After working for a year as Edith Piaf’s touring pianist, he took her suggestion to begin recording and touring himself. His first two singles, “Les Croix” and “La Corrida”, were huge mid-‘50s hits in France and across Europe. With 1958’s “Le Jour Ou La Puie Viendra”, 1960’s “Je T’Appartiens” and 1961’s “Et Maintenant” all topping charts in France and becoming global standards in their English versions, Becaud was firmly established as one of the top songwriters in the world. Through the ‘60s, he continued his string of hits which included “Seul Sur Son Etoile” a/k/a “It Must Be Him”, a smash for Vikki Carr, and “L’Important C’est La Rose” a/k/a “The Importance Of Your Love”. In the early ‘80s, he collaborated with Neil Diamond on two of the singer’s biggest hits, “Love On The Rocks” and “September Morn”. Becaud also composed a cantata, two concertos, two operas and a musical. From 1953 through 1999, Becaud released 23 studio albums and became one of France’s most celebrated performers, dubbed “Mr. 100,000 Watts” for his high energy act.
Becaud won multiple awards including the Grand Prix du Disque, honoring his breakout record sales in 1960, multiple Victoires de La Musique (equivalent of the Grammy’s) and was given his country’s highest honor in 1974 when he joined the Legion d’Honneur.
The Mojo team have already secured several syncs for Becaud including the use of three songs in Bardot, Netflix’ Brigitte Bardot biopic, and a song in Amazon’s French language comedy Alphonse.