Florent Pagny
Florent Pagny is a French singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He records his work in French, as well as in Italian, Spanish and English. His greatest hits include "N'importe quoi", "Savoir aimer" and "Ma Liberté de penser"—all three were number one in France. As of 2018, he has sold more than 6 million singles and 10 million albums, becoming the 17th best-selling artist of all time in France.
Florent Pagny | |
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Pagny in 2017 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Florent Pagny |
Origin | Chalon-sur-Saône, France |
Genres | Pop |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments | Guitar |
Years active | 1987–present |
Website | www |
Early years
Florent Pagny began his artistic career as an actor in popular films and television dramas. He appeared in La Balance, L'As des as, and A Captain's Honor or Fort Saganne.
In 1987, he wrote his first song titled "N'importe quoi". Pagny's first album, Merci, was released in 1990. The album's songs, mainly written by himself, began to attract controversy, with the press eventually boycotting some of them. This led to a decline in sales, culminating in personal problems. His follow-up album, Réaliste, was also not as successful.
Jean-Jacques Goldman wrote three songs for Pagny under the pseudonym Sam Brewski, and presented to him a new staff. The album Rester vrai marked the beginning of his career as a performer only. Bienvenue chez moi, a semi-compilation released in 1995, was a smash success. Pagny also covered "Caruso", the hit originally performed by Lucio Dalla.
Pagny as a performer
He decided to move to Patagonia in order to escape the French tax authorities and start a new life with his wife, Azucena, and their children. Recently, Pagny said he had enrolled his children in Miami because he didn't want them to speak Arabic while returning from school. His next album, Savoir aimer, was released in 1997. It was composed by a number of writers, including Jean-Jacques Goldman, Erick Benzi, Jacques Veneruso, Zazie and, Pascal Obispo, who also produced the album. "Savoir aimer" turned out to be an immediate success.
In 1999, Pagny released an album of cover versions of his old song, Recréation. From "Môme Julie" to "Antisocial", he mixed musical styles and dabbled with techno arrangements.
Pagny then alternated studios and cover albums (at least in part) and regularly changed his look. In 2000, he released the album Châtelet Les Halles, whose title song was produced by Calogero. He followed that with 2, an album composed of duets released in 2001. In 2003, he returned with Ailleurs land, whose first single, "Ma Liberté de penser", was composed by Pascal Obispo and Lionel Florence and deals with Pagny's problems with the French treasury. Finally, in 2004, Pagny released Baryton, an album composed of opera songs.
In 2007, Pagny released an album of covers of songs originally composed and performed by Jacques Brel entitled Pagny chante Brel.
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
Year | Album | Peak position |
Certification | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FR [1] |
BEL (Fl) [2] |
BEL (Wa) [3] |
SWI [4] | ||||
1990 | Merci | 10 | — | ||||
1992 | Réaliste | 20 | — | ||||
1994 | Rester vrai | 19 | — |
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1997 | Savoir aimer | 1 | — | 1 | 23 | ||
1999 | RéCréation | 1 | — | 4 | 94 |
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2000 | Châtelet Les Halles | 1 | — | 3 | 16 | Double CD | |
2001 | 2 | 3 | — | 3 | 8 | Covers overdubbed as duets | |
2003 | Ailleurs land | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | ||
2004 | Baryton | 1 | — | 1 | 19 | ||
2006 | Abracadabra | 2 | — | 2 | 13 | ||
2007 | Pagny chante Brel | 3 | — | 1 | 28 |
|
11 covers of Belgian singer Jacques Brel |
2009 | C'est comme ça | 2 | — | 1 | 16 | Album in Spanish | |
2010 | Tout et son contraire | 1 | — | 1 | 31 |
|
|
2010 | Baryton. Gracias a la vida | 2 | 176 | 5 | 40 | Album in Spanish | |
2013 | Vieillir avec toi | 1 | 91 | 1 | 9 | ||
2016 | Habana | 2 | 146 | 4 | 6 |
|
Album in Spanish |
2017 | Le présent d'abord | 2 [17] |
110 | 1 | 1 | ||
2018 | Tout simplement | 5 | — | 4 | 17 | ||
2019 | Aime la vie | 2 [19] |
169 | 2 | 5 |
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Live albums
Year | Album | Peak position |
Certification | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
FR [1] |
BEL (Wa) [3] |
SWI [4] | |||
1998 | En concert | 2 | 3 |
| |
2004 | Été 2003 à l'Olympia | 11 | 4 | 37 |
|
2005 | Baryton – L'intégrale du spectacle | 24 | 12 | 95 | |
2012 | Ma liberté de chanter - Live Acoustic | 6 | 4 | 42 | |
2014 | Vieillir ensemble - Le live | 33 | 13 | 30 |
Compilations
Year | Album | Peak position |
Certification | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
FR [1] |
BEL (Wa) [3] |
SWI [4] | |||
1995 | Bienvenue chez moi | 1 | 1 | — |
|
1999 | Les talents du siècle | — | 47 | — | |
2008 | Les 50 plus belles chansons | — | 39 | — | |
2008 | De part et d'autre – Triple Best Of | — | 2 | — | |
2014 | Integrale | — | 2 | — | |
2018 | Toujours et encore | — | 11 | 38 |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak position |
Certification | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FR [1] |
BEL (Wa) [2] |
SUI [4] | ||||
1988 | "N'importe quoi" | 1 | - | - |
|
|
"Laissez-nous respirer" | 8 | - | - | - | ||
1989 | "Comme d'habitude" | 6 | - | - | - | |
1990 | "J'te jure" | 16 | - | - | - | Merci |
"Ça fait des nuits" | 17 | - | - | - | ||
"Presse qui roule" | 24 | - | - | - | ||
1991 | "Prends ton temps" | 42 | - | - | - | |
1992 | "Tue-moi" | 24 | 38 | - | - | Réaliste |
1993 | "Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait?" | 46 | - | - | - | |
1994 | "Est-ce que tu me suis?" | 45 | - | - | - | Rester vrai |
"Si tu veux m'essayer" | 7 | - | - | - | ||
1996 | "Caruso" | 2 | 3 | - | - | Bienvenue chez moi |
"Oh Happy Day" | 8 | - | - | - | ||
1997 | "Savoir aimer" | 1 | 1 | - |
|
Savoir aimer |
1998 | "Chanter" | 16 | 15 | - |
| |
"D'un amour l'autre" | 83 | - | - | - | ||
"Dors" | 29 | 28 | - | - | ||
1999 | "Jolie môme" | 13 | 11 | - | - | RéCréation |
2000 | "Les parfums de sa vie (je l'ai tant aimée)" | 38 | 30 | - | - | |
"Et un jour, une femme" | 3 | 1 | - | - | Châtelet Les Halles | |
2001 | "Châtelet Les Halles" | 45 | 5* | - | - | |
"Terre" | 37 | 1* | - | - | ||
2002 | "L'air du temps" (with Cécilia Cara) |
20 | 19 | - | - | 2 |
2003 | "Ma liberté de penser" | 1 | 1 | 8 | Ailleurs land | |
"Je trace" | 26 | 34 | 65 | |||
2004 | "Y'a pas un homme qui soit né pour ça" (with Calogero und Pascal Obispo) |
20 | - | 45 | / | |
"Io le canto per te" | 28 | 12 | - | Baryton | ||
2006 | "Là où je t'emmènerai" | 4 | 7 | 39 | Abracadabra | |
"Le mur" | - | 8* | - | |||
2007 | "À tout peser à bien choisir" | - | 6* | - | ||
"Un ami" (with Marc Lavoine) |
- | 25 | - | Marc Lavoine album Les duos de Marc | ||
2008 | "La chanson de Jacky" | - | 6* | - | Pagny chante Brel | |
"De part et d'autre" | - | 13 | - | De part et d'autre – Triple Best of | ||
2009 | "C'est comme ça" | - | 11 | - | C'est comme ça | |
"Amar y amar" | - | 12* | - | |||
2010 | "Que nadie sepa mi sufrir" | - | 17* | - | ||
"Si tu n'aimes pas Florent Pagny" | - | 46 | - | Tout et son contraire | ||
"Te jeter des fleurs" | - | 19 | - | |||
2011 | "8ème merveille" | - | 3* | - | ||
"Je laisse le temps faire" (with Pascal Obispo) |
- | 18* | - | |||
"Tout et son contraire" | - | 12* | - | |||
2012 | "A la huella a la huella" | - | 16* | - | Baryton. Gracias a la vida | |
2013 | "Les murs porteurs" | 23 | 25 | - | Vieillir avec toi | |
"Vieillir avec toi" | 68 | 2* | - | |||
"Souviens-toi" | 147 | - | - | |||
2014 | "Le soldat" | 61 | 50 | - | ||
2015 | "Nos vies parallèles" (with Anggun) |
47 | 39 [22] |
- | Toujours un ailleurs | |
2017 | "Le présent d'abord" | 38 [23] |
- | - | ||
"La beauté du doute" | 66 [23] |
- | - | |||
*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | Inspector Blunder | Michel's friend | Claude Zidi | |
1987 | Les keufs | Jean-Pierre | Josiane Balasko | |
Awards
Preceded by Charles Aznavour |
Victoires de la Musique Male artist of the year 1998 |
Succeeded by Alain Bashung |
References
- Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Les charts français". lescharts.com.
- "ultratop.be". ultratop.be. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- "ultratop.be". ultratop.be. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- hitparade.ch
- "Les Certifications - SNEP". snepmusique.com. 1 November 2013.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Hung, Steffen. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". www.swisscharts.com.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 2013-01-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Les Certifications - SNEP". snepmusique.com. 1 November 2013.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be.
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 39, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS 2017". ultratop.be.
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 24, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- "Gold/Platinum 1996". Ultra Top. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- "Les Certifications - SNEP". snepmusique.com. 1 November 2013.
- "Anggun & Florent Pagny - Nos vies parallèles". ultratop.be. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 39, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
External links
- (in French) Official website
- (in English) Biography of Florent Pagny, from Radio France Internationale