2024-01-01 04:00:00
When we hear Snow starit’s hard not to immediately think of the French comedy film Tanned people go skiing, filmed in Val d’Isère, in Savoie. This song, which has left its mark on several generations, continues to be hummed today in mountain chalets and on the ski slopes. Who, after all, has never sung this tune while riding the chairlift? But, beyond these memories, do you know the origin and history of this song?
An unsuspected origin
If the French version ofSnow star is the most famous, you should know that it actually has its origins in Germany, where Franz Winkler, an Austrian composer, created it in the 1930s. Originally titled Fly home with me, this melody expresses nostalgia and homesickness. Composed in the form of a waltz, the song has traveled across oceans and different languages, such as in the United States under the title Forever and everto finally become the very appreciated in France Snow star.
A song that has become a classic in France
It was only in the 1950s that Jacques Hélian discovered this masterpiece and, seduced, called on Jacques Plante to create the French version. This is how the love story of a broke Savoyard and his beloved is born, a plot radically different from the original, but which will resonate with the French soul. The melody is transformed into a hymn to the Savoyard mountains. Snow star then quickly became a success, covered by many artists such as Line Renaud, and symbolizes hope and joy in post-war France.
A revival in the 80s
Bernard Simon, a railway worker in Modane, gave the song a new lease of life in the 1980s. With his group, “Simon et les Modanais”, they reinvented the song in rock-musette mode. Their secret? A railway worker, a battery and an abandoned chapel. It was the beginning of a musical adventure that would seduce Savoie and beyond, even if the group’s glory was as fleeting as a snowflake in the sun…
A cinematic wink
Nearly 30 years later, in 1979, Snow star finds a new lease of life with the release of the film Tanned people go skiing, a cultural phenomenon in France. Directed by Patrice Leconte, this humorous film recounts the adventures of a group of friends on vacation in the mountains. Among them, the character of Jean-Claude Dusse, played by Michel Blanc, remains particularly memorable.
In the movie, Snow star is heard twice. First during karaoke during an evening in a chalet, where the characters enthusiastically launch into the interpretation of this winter melody. But it is above all the second appearance of the song which will mark the spirits: Michel Blanc, abandoned by his friends and stuck at night on a chairlift, sings this familiar tune again, creating a moment both comical and touching which will remain engraved in the memory of the spectators.
A chorus created for the film
What should be noted is that this is actually a song similar to Snow star that Michel Blanc sings, and not the original song! The production of the film and the director Patrice Leconte wanted to blackmail him Snow star, convinced that this song had fallen into the public domain. But no ! Having been unable to agree on the usage rights, which were much too high, Pierre Bachelet and Raymond Gimenes then created their own refrain: When will I see you again? Wonderful country, where those who love each other live togetherclose to the original, but different, Snow star, my loving heart has become trapped in your big eyes (refrain n1).
Still, Snow star remains an emblematic song of French popular culture. Many artists have covered this melody over the years, both in its original version and in the one sung by Michel Blanc!
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#hymn #Savoyard #mountains