RIP Nicole Croisille

 

The French singer, actress and dancer Nicole Croisille, best known for her performances in “Un Homme et Une Femme” (A Man and a Woman) died on June 4^th at the age of 88. Born on October 9, 1936, in the wealthy Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. She grew up listening to Chopin and Liszt, played by her mother, an amateur pianist. Trained in classical dance from a young age, she dreamed of an artistic career, even though her father disapproved. "I always knew my place was on stage. That's where I feel best," she used to say. Discovering Sidney Bechet and the atmosphere of the jazz clubs in Saint-Germain-des-Prés as a teenager was a revelation. "I was born with jazz!" she enthused. "I feel this need for rhythm without knowing where it comes from." In 1966, she met Claude Lelouch and Francis Lai, who invited her to perform the original soundtrack for the film “Un homme et Une Femme” as a duet with Pierre Barouh. The "Da ba da ba da" chorus instantly became famous and remains etched in collective memory to this day. Croisille wrote the lyrics and sang “Daisy Town Saloon” as well as the French voice for Lulu Carabine in the 1971 Lucky Luke TV film “Daisy Town. She also wrote the lyrics for the Dalton’s musical number in 1978’s “Lucky Luke Ballad of the Daltons”.