Renaud

For other uses, see Renaud (disambiguation).
Renaud

Renaud in 2016.
Background information
Birth name Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan
Born (1952-05-11) 11 May 1952
Paris
Origin Paris
Genres Chanson, Country, Pop, Rock
Occupation(s) singer, songwriter, actor
Instruments Guitar
Years active 1975–present
Labels Polydor (1975–1983)
Virgin
Website www.renaud-lesite.fr

Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan, known as Renaud (French: [ʁəno]; born 11 May 1952), is a popular French singer, songwriter and actor. His characteristically 'broken' voice makes for a very distinctive vocal style. Several of his songs are popular classics in France, including the sea tale "Dès que le vent soufflera", the irreverent "Laisse béton", the ballad "Morgane de toi" and the nostalgic "Mistral gagnant". However, with the exception of a recording of "Miss Maggie" in English[1] and a franglais recording of "It is not because you are", his work is almost unknown outside the French-speaking world.

Career

Early work

Fresh out of school, Renaud was determined to become an actor. By chance he met the actor Patrick Dewaere and was invited to join the company of the comedy theatre Café de la Gare, which had recently been founded by Patrick Dewaere, Coluche, and Miou-Miou.

His early work is characterized by a volatile temperament, innovative use of French, and edgy, dark, leftist social and political themes. Raised in an educated milieu, the son of an intellectual, Renaud adopted the looks and attitude of working-class youth in the 1970s, and reflected this in his lyrics. A recurrent theme is his disgust for the average French person with petit-bourgeois preoccupations and right-wing leanings (see beauf). His music focuses on the disparity between classes, the abuse of political power, overbearing authority and disgust for the military and the police, with rare glimpses of tenderness for his fellow humans, the planet earth, and art.

Middle period

In 1985, in a concert in Moscow, in what was an orchestrated gesture, roughly one third of the spectators upped and left the concert hall when he sang the anti-militarist "Déserteur". In the late 1980s and the 1990s, Renaud's work was distinguished by "softer" subjects such as his wife (later ex-wife) Dominique, his daughter Lolita and his friends, as well as the late comedian and singer Coluche for whom he wrote the tribute "Putain de camion" ("Bloody Lorry") after Coluche's death in a road accident. He has also ventured into regional music and language, such as the language of Marseille in La Belle de Mai, the north with Renaud cante el' Nord and even Corsican polyphonics in "Lolito lolita".

In 1992, he financially helped resurrect the defunct satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and wrote a column titled Renaud bille en tête for a couple of years. His column appeared again in 1995-1996, retitled Envoyé spécial chez moi. In 2006, he published Les Bobos, as a satire on the Parisian lower bourgeoisie.

In 1993, he also played the leading part of Étienne Lantier in the film Germinal directed by Claude Berri

Resurgence

After an unproductive period marked by alcohol addiction, he made a very significant comeback with his 2002 album Boucan d'enfer. That album's iconic hit was "Manhattan-Kaboul", a powerful duo with Axelle Red which tackled current issues by drawing a parallel between a victim of the 9-11 attacks in New York and an Afghan girl, both caught up in a war they don't understand.

In 2009 Renaud released Molly Malone – Balade irlandaise his long-awaited album of classic Irish balads. Produced by ex-Boomtown Rats bassist Pete Briquette, the album was commercially successful (certified double-platinum in just over a month)[2] but the singer's feeble, often out-of-tune vocals caused some negative reviews.[3]

In 2014, a collective of 15 artists released a tribute album containing 14 tracks covers of his songs under the title La Bande à Renaud.

On 26 January 2016, on his official web site, Renaud released "Toujours debout", the first track from his new studio album yet to be released. On the same day, he announced on the French public radio station France Inter the title of his new studio album: Toujours debout. The video "Toujours debout" is released on 26 February 2016.

On 8 April 2016, Renaud released his new long-awaited studio album, announced and known under the title Toujours debout but oddly sold under the simple title Renaud.

Personal life

Renaud's father Olivier Séchan was a prize-winning novelist and popular children's writer, born to a Protestant Languedoc family from the Cévennes and Montpellier. He taught German language in a secondary school of Paris. The director Edmond Séchan is his uncle. His grandfather was the famous scholar and Hellenist Louis Séchan, who taught in the Sorbonne. His ancestors were pastors. His mother is the daughter of a coal miner from the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. Renaud dedicated part of his work to his familial roots, singing traditional songs in the regional Picard language and acting in Germinal, a film based on the famous Émile Zola novel, in the part of Étienne Lantier.

In August 2005 Renaud married Romane Serda, the mother of his son Malone. In 2007, he announced to the press his intention to move his family to London, citing a love for British society and expressing disillusionment at the current state of France. In 2009 Renaud's daughter, writer Lolita Séchan, married French acoustic singer-songwriter Renan Luce.[4]

In September 2011, Romane divorced Renaud on the account of his alcoholism and depression.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Peak positions Notes
FR
[5]
BEL
(Wa)

SWI
1975 Amoureux de Paname (Polydor)  
1977 Laisse béton (Polydor)  
1979 Ma gonzesse (Polydor)  
1980 Marche à l'ombre (Polydor)  
1981 Le Retour de Gérard Lambert (Polydor)  
1983 Morgane de toi (Polydor)   Sold over 1,500,000 copies
1985 Mistral gagnant (Virgin)   Sold over 2,000,000 copies; it was Renaud's most successful album until 2002's Boucan d'enfer
1988 Putain de camion (Virgin)  
1991 Marchand de cailloux (Virgin)  
1992 Renaud cante el' Nord (Virgin)   Traditional folk songs from the north of France
1994 À la Belle de Mai (Virgin)  
1996 Renaud chante Brassens (Virgin) 22 10   Interpretation of songs by Georges Brassens
2002 Boucan d'enfer (Virgin) 1 1 1 Sold over 2,200,000 copies the most successful Renaud album to date
2006 Rouge sang (EMI) 1 1 3
2009 Molly Malone – Balade irlandaise (EMI) 1 4 34
2016 Renaud (Parlophone, Warner Music) 1 1 2

Live albums

Year Album Peak positions Notes
FR
[5]
BEL
(Wa)

SUI
1996 Paris-Province: Aller / Retour (Virgin) 29 32  
2003 Tournée d'enfer (EMI) 16 38  
2007 Tournée rouge sang - Paris Bercy + Hexagone (Ceci-Celà) 16 38  

Compilations

Year Album Peak positions Notes
FR
[5]
BEL
(Wa)

SUI
1995 Les Introuvables   29   A collection of rarities
Ma compil   36  
85-95   6  
The Meilleur of Renaud 75-85   11  
The Very Meilleur Of Renaud 1975/1995   14  
2000 L'absolutely meilleur of Renaud   29  
2006 Les 100 plus belles Chansons 1975-1983   76  
Les 100 plus belles Chansons 1985-2006   2  
2011 Le plein de super! 15 33   3CD Best Of
2012 Intégrale 2012 76 200  
2014 Les 50 plus belles chansons 57 59  
Les 100 plus belles chansons 1985-2006 (5 CDs) 185 2  

Singles

(Selective)

Year Single Peak positions Album
FR
[5]
BEL
(Fl)

BEL
(Wa)

SUI
1986 "Miss Maggie" 13       Mistral gagnant
1991 "Marchand de cailloux" 25       Marchand de cailloux
1992 "P'tit voleur" 35      
"La ballade nord-irlandaise" 44      
2002 "Docteur Renaud, Mister Renard" 23   6
(Ultratip)
  Boucan d'enfer
"Manhattan-Kaboul"
(with Axelle Red)
2 34 4 37
2003 "Coeur perdu" 91   11
(Ultratip)
 
2005 "Anaïs Nin
(Romane Serda feat. Renaud)
12   31 61
"Dans la jungle" 31   19 64 Rouge sang
2006 "Les bobos" 8   16 51
"Arrêter la clope!" 31   3
(Ultratip)
 
2009 "Vagabonds"     19
(Ultratip)
  Molly Malone – Balade irlandaise
2011 "La liberté en cavale" (Dr. Tom)     30
(Ultratip)
 
2012 "Mistral gagnant" 102       Mistral gagnant
2015 "Ta batterie" 36      
2016 "Toujours debout" 1   2 48

Films

Awards

See also

References

Preceded by
Gérald de Palmas
Victoires de la Musique
Male group or artist of the year

2003
Succeeded by
Calogero
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