Hélène - Julien Clerc

'Hélène' is the Eighties summer hit you may have missed if you weren't living in France or the Netherlands at the time. It was Julien Clerc's last hit in the Netherlands, peaking at number 5 in the Dutch Top 40 in the summer of 1987.

Clerc was best known for his Seventies hits 'Venise' and 'This melody' and this summery song with the mock-'Lion sleeps tonight' rhythm was a bit of a diversion in style for him. I didn't like the song very much back then, but these days it sounds fresh and much better than most music that is released these days...

My collection: 7" single no. 6145
Found: Gilbert Joseph, Paris, July 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Hélène' / 'Avoir 15 ans'

This melody - Julien Clerc

Julien Clerc was born as Paul-Alain Clerc on October 4, 1947 in Paris, France. In 1969 he got the leading role in the musical 'Hair'. Since then, he's released a few dozen albums and even more singles. Some of them achieved international fame.

'This melody' was released in the summer of 1976 and rose to number 1 in the Netherlands. I always confuse this song with the previous single 'Venise', which I'm still searching for...

My collection: 7" single no. 2729

Found: September 7, 1996

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'This melody' / 'Prends ton coeur par la main'