Michel Berger, who was actually christened Michel-Jean Hamburger, was born on 28 November 1947. The young boy grew up in a comfortable bourgeois family in Neuilly sur Seine, a well-to-do suburb just outside Paris. His father Jean Hamburger, an extremely cultured man, was a renowned professor of medicine while his mother, Annette, was a brilliant concert pianist who had been a pupil of the great Marguerite Long. Despite the fact that Michel and his siblings, Bernard and Françoise, received a strict Protestant education they enjoyed an absolutely idyllic childhood at home. The three of them grew up in a huge Paris apartment where two grand pianos stood in the living room and a host of famous scientists and authors (including Bernanos, André Maurois and Henri Troyat) frequently came to call.

Michel was a sensitive child whose idyllic world was turned upside down by a family drama which occurred when he was just ten years old. His father Jean, a brilliant scholar whose complex personality had always led to him being rather reticent and secretive, was struck down with a lung infection which suddenly took a turn for the worse. Jean was considerably weakened by his illness and extremely depressed during his convalescence. One day, without ever really explaining why, he suddenly decided to move out of the family home and cut himself off from his wife and children. In spite of the fact that Michel's mother, Annette, did her best to preserve the family's equilibrium, creating a warm, trusting relationship between herself and her children, young Michel suffered a great deal because of his father's sudden act of abandonment.

Growing up in such a fertile musical environment it was not long before young Michel followed in his mother's footsteps, discovering the world of classical music and learning to play the piano then the clarinet. In his teens Michel made another important discovery, when Ray Charles's legendary song "Georgia on My Mind" introduced him to black American music. Michel, a hard-working and gifted pupil, excelled at his school studies without too much effort, which left him plenty of time to indulge in his favourite hobby, writing songs with his friends at the Lycée Carnot.

In the early 60's the Yéyé movement erupted onto the French music scene, sweeping thousands of teenage fans in its wake. This soft French version of American rock'n'roll (which had successfully crossed the Atlantic and was suddenly proving all the rage in Europe) led to a flurry of activity in the record industry. Several of the major French labels began scouting around for fresh new talent and Jacques Sclingand, artistic director at Pathé Marconi, launched a series of auditions for up-and-coming young singers and musicians. Michel and his schoolfriends soon got a group together and turned up at the Pathé Marconi auditions, but lead singer Michel was the only successful applicant. Impressed by his vocal talent, Sclingand offered the young 15-year-old a recording contract and Michel Jean Hamburger suddenly found himself with a full-blown singing career on his hands. His mother, Annette, while happy at his success, urged her son to finish his studies and pass his baccalauréat before devoting all his time to his new music career.

Adopting the stage name Michel Berger, the young singer went into the studio in the spring of 63 to record his début single "Amour et Soda". Unfortunately this first single failed to make a major impact on the French music scene. Indeed, it received scarcely any airplay at all. Michel Berger's second single, "Tu n'y crois pas", proved a different story altogether. Picked up on by the hit radio show "Salut les Copains" (broadcast on Europe 1), Berger's second single was played practically non-stop, launching the 17-year-old singer's career in style. Between 1963 and 1966 Berger recorded no less than seven singles. However, respecting his mother's wishes, the teenage singing star did not drop his studies in favour of his music career. Unlike his contemporaries, Berger did not perform concert tours or get involved in personal publicity campaigns. 

After passing his 'baccalauréat' with flying colours, 18-year-old Michel enrolled at university to study philosophy. Yet, while he occasionally attended lectures on rationalism and existentialism, Michel was more often to be found in Pathé Marconi's recording studio. Pathé Marconi's artistic director, Jacques Sclingand, had noticed Berger's enthusiasm and professionalism in the recording studio and offered him the job of supervising the label's "Young Talents" division. Working in close collaboration with Claude Michel Schönberg, Michel Berger was responsible for launching the career of many a young up-and-coming French star. 

Turning his attention away from his own singing career, Michel Berger began to focus on his songwriting. Berger's first composition which became a major hit was "Quand on est malheureux", a song which rocketed a young singer called Patricia to overnight fame. This first success not only earnt Berger a small fortune in copyright dues (which bought him a magnificent Triumph motorbike), it also encouraged the young songwriter to devote more time to his compositions. He went on to write a series of songs for other young singers, but none of them enjoyed the same phenomenal success as "Quand on est malheureux". 

In 1966 Michel Berger met the young up-and-coming singer Véronique Sanson through one of his friends in the music business. The following year Michel auditioned Véronique and her group les Roches Martin for Pathé Marconi's "Young Talents" division, offering the group their first recording contract. Les Roches Martin split up shortly after their big break, but Michel Berger and Véronique Sanson continued to see one another with increasing frequency and the pair of talented young musicians soon began a long, passionate love affair. 

In the summer of 1970 Michel Berger headed off to the United States in search of new musical inspiration. It was there that the young French songwriter met Ira Gershwin, the brother of George Gershwin (author of the famous stage musical "Porgy and Bess"). Michel's experiences in the States convinced him that compositions did not need to be pigeon-holed into one particular genre (songs, film music etc.). He realised that he could give his songwriting talent free rein and explore several different directions at the same time. 

On his return to France Michel went into the studio to begin work on his début album "Puzzle". Recorded in collaboration with the talented musical arranger Michel Bernholc, this highly personal album was a fusion of Michel Berger's widely diverse musical influences. Miniature piano concertos and symphonic orchestrations were fused with catchy pop tunes and bursts of 70's rock, creating a rich musical patchwork of genres. But the French public was not ready for quite such an innovative fusion and the album "Puzzle" proved to be a commercial flop. This was to be Michel Berger's last recording with the Pathé Marconi label, for shortly after the release of this album Jacques Sclingand quit his job as artistic director, leaving his young protégé Berger to make his own way in the music profession.

In 1971 Berger switched his alliance, leaving Pathé Marconi to take up the post of artistic director at WEA-Filipacchi. The very first artist he signed to his new label in 1972, was none other than his girlfriend Véronique Sanson. Yet this first signing was no act of selfish nepotism. Berger knew that Véronique Sanson had been building up a treasure trove of excellent songs and that the young singer was more than ready to record her first album. Teaming up with his loyal sidekick, the musical arranger Michel Bernholc, and the talented guitarist Gérard Kawczynski (aka Crapou), Berger supervised every single detail of Véronique Sanson's first album. The album, symbolically entitled "Amoureuse" ("In Love"), was a highly accomplished début, Véronique's exceptional voice fusing powerful melodies with superb lyrics. Music critics showered the album with rave reviews and the French public also gave "Amoureuse" an enthusiastic reception. Indeed, it came as no surprise to anyone when the first single "Besoin de personne" rocketed straight to the top of the charts within a few weeks of its release. 

Following the success of "Amoureuse", Véronique soon returned to the studio with Berger to begin work on her second album. Yet, in October the young singer suddenly disappeared without any warning, abandoning her new recording work halfway through and leaving Berger and her group of studio musicians totally mystified as to her whereabouts. The album was finally completed and released at the end of 1972. But Michel and Véronique's relationship was in ruins, the young singer heading off to America with her new boyfriend, the American guitarist Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills and Nash fame). The break-up with Véronique left Berger feeling abandoned and betrayed for the second time in his life. Berger consequently threw himself into his work with a vengeance, seeking solace in the recording studio. 

The result of this frenzied period in the studio was Michel Berger's 1973 album "Coeur brisé" ("Broken Heart"). This highly personal album was a veritable cry from the heart, expressing the singer's pain and suffering following the break-up of his relationship. Berger never completely got over the circumstances of his split with Véronique Sanson, but at least his new album helped him partly come to terms with it. 

Meanwhile Michel Berger continued his work as artistic director at WEA. One day he received a phone call from French singing star Françoise Hardy. Greatly impressed by the work Berger had put into Véronique Sanson's first two album and eager to shed her own image of teenage pop idol, Hardy believed Berger was the only songwriter who could help her reinvent herself. Berger accepted the challenge and immediately began writing material for Hardy's album "Message personnel", which was released in 1973. In spite of the fact that the recording sessions for "Message personnel" had been somewhat fraught, the album went on to be a great success. Indeed, the title track from the album proved to be one of Françoise Hardy's most famous hits, the song's opening line - "Si tu crois un jour que tu m'aimes ... " ("If one day you think you love me ...") - remaining etched in fans' minds for many years to come. 

Berger devoted a great deal of time and energy to Hardy's album, but he did not neglect his own singing career in the meantime. In 1974 he went into the studio to record his own album, "Chanson pour un fan" ("Song For a Fan") as a tribute to the countless fans who had sent him letters of encouragement during his period of emotional turmoil. Now that Berger had come to terms with the break-up of his relationship with Véronique Sanson, the melancholy ballads of his previous album were replaced by new upbeat songs infused with positive feelings. The first single release, entitled "Ecoute la musique, quelle consolation fantastique" ("Let Music Be Your Consolation"), conveyed a new message of hope and healing.

Berger's salvation did indeed come through music, for it was through his songwriting that he met a young French singer by the name of France Gall. France Gall, who had emerged from the Yéyé movement like Berger himself, had also launched her singing career at an early age, winning the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest in her early teens with the hit song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son". In the early 70's France Gall (who had a recording contract with WEA where Berger was working as artistic director) decided that Berger was the man to help her change the musical direction of her career. The young singer approached Berger to ask him if he would write a few songs for her next album. Berger was initially reluctant, preferring to devote his time and energy to his job as artistic director, but France Gall finally managed to persuade him to work with her. The pair's successful songwriting collaboration soon developed into a deeper relationship when the couple fell head over heels in love. 

The single "La Déclaration", the first result of Michel Berger and France Gall's collaboration, was followed in 1975 by France Gall's eponymous album. Later that same year Berger went into the studio to record his own album "Que l'amour est bizarre". This album failed to make any major impact on the French music scene in spite of the fact that it featured a number of truly exceptional songs such as "Seras-tu là".

Berger, an extremely private person, appeared more than happy to stay out of the media spotlight, preferring to let other singers perform his work and express his feelings for him. He would occasionally venture into the studio to record his own work (as he did with his 1976 album "Mon piano danse") but when he did his work met with a rather lukewarm reception from the public. Somehow Berger's gentle nature, his boyish enthusiasm and his appearance of being an eternal student did not quite fit with the French public's idea of a rock star. Berger certainly appeared a million miles away from the disco craze which dominated the French music scene in the early 70's. Fortunately, Berger himself appeared to place less importance on his singing career than his songwriting and he was happy to devote most of his time and energy to his production work. 

Meanwhile, Michel Berger and France Gall continued their relationship in the strictest privacy, doing their utmost to keep their personal life out of the French media. On June 22 1976 the couple arranged a quiet wedding in Paris, inviting only a small circle of relatives and close friends. Throughout their respective careers, Berger and Gall, one of the most famous celebrity couples in France, continued to defend their privacy, leading a low-profile lifestyle in their house in Rueil Malmaison on the outskirts of Paris. 

In the summer of 76 French television paid a special tribute to Michel Berger, broadcasting "Emilie ou la petite sirène", a programme entirely devoted to his musical achievements. During the programme Berger teamed up with his wife France Gall to perform a duet entitled "Ça balance pas mal à Paris" (which was later released as a single). The following year France Gall returned to the studio to record a new album, "Dancing Disco", which was entirely written by Berger. (This was to be the first of a series of highly successful albums for France Gall).

Meanwhile Berger had been increasingly preoccupied with the idea of writing a musical. Many of his friends and acquaintances in the music business had warned him that musicals were a typically American genre that could never be adapted for the French market, but Berger was convinced that a musical could work in France. And he would soon shut himself away to begin work on "Angelina Dumas". Berger’s musical was inspired by the real-life story of Patricia Hearst, the rich American heiress kidnapped by a gang of terrorists who would eventually take up arms tp defend her captors' cause. Berger was not completely satisfied with his initial score for the musical, however, and he soon asked the famous Canadian songwriter Luc Plamondon (renowned for his work with Diane Dufresne) to help him with the project. 

The pair soon developed a close working partnership, frequently getting together throughout 1976 to work on a new joint musical entitled "Starmania". After several months Berger and Plamondon had enough material for a double album and they set about finding singers to play the lead roles in the studio recording of "Starmania". The pair soon enlisted the aid of a cast of talented stars including Diane Dufresne, Daniel Balavoine, France Gall and Fabienne Thibeault. When the album "Starmania" was released on 16 October 1978, Michel Berger proved the critics wrong. The phenomenal sales of "Starmania" in France and Canada proved that musicals were certainly not reserved for an American public. After the album had earnt two gold discs in France and remained at the n°1 spot in the Canadian charts for an incredible 20 weeks, it was time to think about putting "Starmania" on the stage.  

After many long months conducting business negotiations and seeking financial backers Berger and Plamondon were finally ready to launch the stage version of "Starmania" . The French rock opera was a grandiose affair, its decor and lighting equalling that of the biggest American shows. "Starmania" premièred in Paris at the Palais des Congrès in April 1979, and its three-week run proved a phenomenally successful. More than 96,000 French music fans turned out to see the musical, and when "Starmania" was performed at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal on 24 June, audiences of 80,000 greeted the French rock opera with rapturous applause. 

While "Starmania" proved a veritable triumph for Berger in his professional life, the songwriter also enjoyed a happy event in his personal life when his wife France Gall gave birth to a baby daughter, Pauline, on 14 November 1978. 

Berger's career continued to go from strength to strength and in the summer of 1980 the singer enjoyed a sudden surge of popularity when his single "la Groupie du pianiste" rocketed to the top of the charts. (This was one of the rare hits which Berger wrote and actually performed himself). Berger's success appeared unstoppable, for later that same year his new album "Beauséjour" produced two further hit singles, "Celui qui chante" and Quelques mots d'amour". Following this unexpected burst of popularity, Michel Berger disappeared behind the scenes once more. His later work would never equal the commercial success of "Beauséjour". 

Berger remained as much of a music workaholic as ever and following the release of his own album in 1980, he immediately began writing new material for his wife. In fact, Berger wrote all the tracks for France Gall's new album "Paris, France" which was released later that same year. 1980 proved to be an eventful year for Berger. After recording his own album and helping France Gall in the studio, Berger was contacted by international pop star Elton John. Elton John was a great Berger fan - indeed, the British singer knew all his hits by heart - and he was most eager to work with the talented French songwriter. Berger, overjoyed at the prospect of working with the international star, penned a duet for Elton John and France Gall entitled "Donner pour donner", which went on to become an absolute smash hit.

Berger, an intensely shy and private person, had reached this point in his career without ever having performed a live concert. But in 1980 the singer overcame his stage fright to give a memorable concert in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées (30 June - 5 July). Berger was accompanied on stage by a group of ten rock musicians and the Orchestre des Concerts Colonne, conducted by his old friend Michel Bernholc. Sitting behind his piano centre-stage, Berger appeared to enjoy himself immensely as he performed his greatest hits. The audience adored Berger's cover versions of "Message personnel", "Les uns contre les autres" and a number of other songs he had penned for a variety of French stars. 

The following year Michel Berger became a father for the second time when France Gall gave birth to a son, Rafaël, on 2 April 1981. The couple decided that henceforth they would try and fit their professional commitments around their family life. From that moment on Michel Berger and France Gall would record their albums on alternate years, so that one of them could spend the maximum amount of time with the children. In October of that year Michel Berger embarked upon a national tour while France Gall stayed at home with Rafaël and Pauline. 

Berger's new album "Beaurivage" was also released in 1981. This album did not equal the phenomenal success of "Starmania" or Beauséjour". Indeed it produced only one hit, "Mademoiselle Chang". This moving ballad was inspired by a young Cambodian au pair who looked after the couple's children. Mademoiselle Chang had fled her homeland, losing all trace of her family, and was unhappily exiled in France. It was Berger who took charge of the young girl's administrative problems in France and Cambodia and eventually helped her track down her relatives. 

Later that year Michel Berger experienced another personal tragedy when his elder brother Bernard (who had replaced his absent father as the head of the Berger family) died after a long illness. Once again, Berger threw himself into his work with a vengeance, seeking solace in his music. After working on an American project, which was never to come off, Berger tried his hand at writing film music, composing the soundtrack for Jean Paul Rappeneau's film "Tout feu tout flamme" (which starred the late great Yves Montand). Berger also performed another series of memorable concerts, headlining at the Olympia between 13 and 29 April 1982. The singer had totally vanquished his stage fright by now and he was evidently much more at ease in front of his audience. Berger's new shows certainly proved extremely successful with the French public. 

Yet, in spite of his new-found popularity Berger decided it was time to take a short break from the music scene and recharge his batteries. The singer decided it was time to set off on his travels and he chose China as his first destination. But Berger, ever the workaholic, did manage to combine his holidays with work, writing a travel diary which was published in the French newspaper Libération. After China, Berger moved on to explore Brazil. 

The following year Berger was back in the studio, recording a new album entitled "Voyou". The album got a rather lukewarm reception from French music critics, however, although it did produce one minor hit "Le Prince des Villes". Following this new album release, Berger set off on another national tour with his group of musicians.  

On his return Berger proved that he was not only an exceptional singer/songwriter but that he also had a flair for business. He went on to set up his own recording label Apache with his long-term collaborator Patrick Villaret. The label gave Berger complete control over his own albums and those of his wife, France Gall. But, just as importantly, Apache also gave Berger the chance to indulge in his activities as talent scout, providing a launch-pad for a number of young up-and-coming groups.  

Meanwhile Michel Berger and France Gall continued their respective singing careers, France's 1984 album "Débranche" closely followed by Berger's 1985 opus "Différences". (Berger's new album soon spawned the hits "Y'a pas de honte" and "Chanter pour ceux qui sont loin de chez eux").  

Later that year Berger flew to London to watch the famous Band Aid concert in Wembley Stadium (which featured a host of international stars performing together to raise money for famine victims in Ethiopia). Impressed by the British fund-raising project, Berger got involved in the French version of Band Aid, recording "Chanson pour l'Ethiopie" with a number of other French stars. But Berger soon decided that he would like to help the Third World in a more direct and constructive way. Teaming up with other French showbiz stars such as his old friend Daniel Balavoine and France Gall, Berger set up "Action Ecole", a charity which raised funds to provide education in Third World countries. Michel Berger and France Gall's trips to the region proved to be an enlightening, but often distressing, experience, inspiring Berger to write a moving ballad for his wife. ("Babacar", a song about a child in Mali suffering from severe malnutrition, is considered by many critics to be one of France Gall's finest works).

After this charity work Berger turned his attention to his songwriting career once again. Shortly after his return from Mali, the director of Polygram Records introduced Berger to Johnny Hallyday, the French music scene's top star. Hallyday, who was looking to renew his repertoire suggested Berger should write a song for him. Berger accepted on condition that he wrote not just one single but Hallyday's entire album.

 Berger and Hallyday appeared to be a completely oddball couple, the extrovert 60's rocker and the shy retiring songwriter having ostensibly very little in common. Yet their collaboration proved immensely successful, their radically different personalities complementing one another perfectly. Hallyday's album "Rock and Roll Attitude", released in 1985, was a great success, producing the hit single "Quelque chose de Tennessee". Hallyday and Berger went on to become great friends and when Hallyday followed the album with a mega-concert at Bercy Stadium in Paris in 1987, he entrusted every detail of the show's staging to Berger.  

Meanwhile Berger quietly continued his own singing career, giving a series of concerts at the Zénith in Paris in April 86. The concerts were as memorable for their incredible black-and-white decor as they were for Berger's excellent live performance. 

In 1988 Berger and Plamondon decided it was time to revive their hit musical "Starmania". The pair rewrote several of the show's main numbers and invented a totally new decor. They also recast all the lead roles. (Young up-and-coming Belgian singer Maurane would get her first big break in the new version of "Starmania" when she was chosen to play one of the female leads).

Berger and Plamondon's famous rock opera turned out to be just as phenomenally successful the second time round, spawning a new studio album, a best-selling live album and a video cassette. "Starmania" would continue its run right up until 1989, scoring a great hit with audiences on its international tour. 

Following the success of the "Starmania" revival, Berger returned to the studio at the end of 1990 to record another album, entitled "Ca ne tient pas debout". This austere album - on which Berger appeared increasingly cold and distant (c.f. the track "Paradis blanc") - was to be the last of the singer's career. Berger would keep a low profile after the album's release, refusing to become involved in tours or promotional campaigns. 

In fact Berger was busy working on a new project with his songwriting partner Luc Plamondon. The pair were busy composing a second rock opera, "La légende de Jimmy", inspired by the life of the legendary American actor James Dean. This new musical would not enjoy the same success as "Starmania". However, the singer Diane Tell did score a hit with the rock opera's theme tune in the autumn of 1990. 

In February 1991, just as "La légende de Jimmy" was coming to the end of its run, Michel Berger began work on a new musical project, writing an English adaptation of "Starmania". After battling long and hard to negotiate contracts and find financial backing, the English version of "Starmania", entitled "Tycoon", was finally recorded as a studio album in 1992. The cast list for the album "Tycoon" featured a host of British and American stars including Céline Dion, Kim Carnes, Tom Jones, Nina Hagen, Peter Kingsberry and Cindy Lauper (who performed an incredible version of "The World is Stone"). 

The following year in February Michel Berger's world was turned upside down once again, when he learnt of the death of his father Jean Hamburger. The pair had scarcely been on speaking terms since Michel's father had abandoned the family while Michel was still in his childhood, but the singer was deeply affected bu his father's death nevertheless.

Throwing himself into his work once again, Berger began writing material for a joint album with France Gall. "Double jeu", released in June 1992, was a perfect musical fusion between the husband and wife team. The couple were planning to set off on a national tour at the end of the year. But tragedy struck before the end of the year and the tour would never happen. On 2 August 1992 Berger died of a heart attack after a game of tennis at his home in Ramatuelle in the South of France.  

The following year France Gall returned to Bercy Stadium alone to perform a special tribute concert to her late husband. Thousands of fans, devastated by the loss of one of France's most important singer/songwriters, were moved to tears as France Gall performed songs from the couple's last joint album. Following the death of the couple's daughter, Pauline, in 1997 France Gall disappeared from the French music scene for a while.

Meanwhile, a special tribute was organised for the tenth anniversary of Berger's death in 2002, the singer's record label releasing a special boxed set of CDs featuring a selection of his greatest works. The album, entitled "la Fille au sax" (The Girl on the Sax), went down a storm with fans.

*

In the course of his career, so tragically cut short in its prime, Michel Berger carved out a place for himself at the very forefront of the French music scene. His untimely death at the age of 44 has deprived the French music world of one of its most talented songwriters and composers.

August 2002