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Francis Lai

{{Short description|French composer (1932–2018)}}

{{distinguish|Francis Wai}}

{{Expand French|topic=bio|date=November 2018}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Francis Lai

| image =Francis Lai 1972.jpg

| caption = Lai in 1972

| birth_name = Francis Albert Lai

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1932|4|26|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2018|11|7|1932|4|26}}

| death_place = Paris, France

| occupation = Film score composer

| years_active = 1952–2018

| website = http://www.francis-lai.com/

}}

Francis Albert Lai ({{IPA|fr|fʁɑ̃sis lɛ|lang}}; 26 April 1932{{snd}}7 November 2018) was a French composer, noted for his film scores. He won the 1970 Oscar for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film Love Story. The soundtrack album went to No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film's theme, "Where Do I Begin", was a hit single for Andy Williams.

He also composed the music of A Man and a Woman, an international success that won the Palme d'Or, a few Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

Life and career

Lai was born on 26 April 1932, in Nice, France, the son of market gardeners of Italian origin.{{cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2018/11/08/d-un-homme-et-une-femme-a-love-story-la-carriere-exceptionnelle-du-compositeur-francis-lai_5380464_3382.html|title=La carrière exceptionnelle du compositeur Francis Lai|newspaper=Le Monde.fr |date=8 November 2018 |access-date=10 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/92/Francis-Lai.html#ixzz5WIDcvTW3|title=Francis Lai Biography (1932-)|website=www.filmreference.com|access-date=8 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006162/|title=Francis Lai|website=IMDb|access-date=8 November 2018}} From a very early age, Lai was fascinated by music and he played first in his local regional orchestras. In Marseille he discovered jazz and met Claude Goaty, a singer of popular songs in the 1950s.{{cite web|url=https://www.francis-lai.com/en/biography.html|title=Official site |website=www.francis-lai.com|access-date=8 November 2018}}

While in his twenties, Lai left home and followed Goaty to Paris, where he became part of the Montmartre music scene. At the "Taverne d'Attilio" on the Place du Tertre in Montmartre, Lai met {{ill|Bernard Dimey|fr}} with whom Lai composed his first song, the start of a partnership which would produce over one hundred songs. After a short period with the orchestra of Michel Magne, Lai became an accompanist for Édith Piaf and composed for her.

In 1965, he met filmmaker Claude Lelouch and was hired to help write the score for the film A Man and a Woman. Released in 1966, the film was an international success, earning a number of Academy Awards.{{cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/events/man-and-woman-ny|title="A Man and a Woman" (NY)|date=16 September 2014|access-date=8 November 2018}} The young Lai received a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Original Score".{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061138/awards|title=Un homme et une femme|access-date=8 November 2018|via=www.imdb.com}} This initial success brought more opportunities to work for the film industry both in his native France, where he continued to work with Lelouch on scores to films such as Vivre pour vivre (1967), Un homme qui me plaît (1969), Le voyou (1970) and La bonne année (1973), as well as in the United Kingdom and the United States. He was known for his support of Mireille Mathieu in many compositions and recordings. In 1970 he wrote the score for director René Clément's film, Rider on the Rain ("Le passager de la pluie"). It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc in September 1971.{{cite book

| first= Joseph

| last= Murrells

| year= 1978

| title= The Book of Golden Discs

| edition= 2nd

| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd

| location= London

| pages= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/281 281–282]

| isbn= 0-214-20512-6

| url-access= registration

| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/281

}}

In 1970, Lai won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film Love Story. In the United States, the soundtrack album reached No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film's theme, "Where Do I Begin", was a hit single with lyrics by Carl Sigman for singer Andy Williams.{{cite book

| last = Whitburn

| first = Joel

| title = Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 1955-2008

| year = 2009

| publisher = Record Research Inc.

| isbn = 978-0898201802}}{{cite book

| last = Whitburn

| first = Joel

| title = Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006

| year = 2007

| publisher = Record Research Inc.

| isbn = 978-0898201697}} The song would also be recorded successfully by Lai himself, with a full orchestra, and by Henry Mancini and Shirley Bassey.*{{cite book

| last = Whitburn

| first = Joel

| title = Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 1955-2008

| year = 2009

| publisher = Record Research Inc.

| isbn = 978-0898201802

| page =552}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/theme-from-love-story-where-do-i-begin-mt0012886902|title=Theme from "Love Story" (Where Do I Begin) - Henry Mancini - Song Info - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=9 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/(where-do-i-begin)-love-story/|title=(where do i begin) love story - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company|website=Official Charts |access-date=9 November 2018}} Lai's "Love Story" theme was heard in the 1978 Love Story sequel titled Oliver's Story, although the main score was composed by Lee Holdridge.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/15/archives/screen-after-love-story.html|title=Screen: After 'Love Story'|first=Janet|last=Maslin|work=The New York Times |date=15 December 1978 |access-date=10 November 2018}}

His movie scores included films as diverse as Mayerling, Three into Two Won't Go, International Velvet, Édith et Marcel, and Michael Winner films such as I'll Never Forget What's'isname and Hannibal Brooks. Lai also had success with music written for softcore erotic films like Emmanuelle 2 (1975) and Bilitis (1977).{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/09/francis-lai-obituary|title=Francis Lai obituary|first=Adam|last=Sweeting|date=9 November 2018|website=the Guardian|access-date=9 November 2018}} Reviewing the soundtrack for Bilitis for AllMusic, Thom Jurek said: "The result would be hilarious if it weren't so predictable. This music is light to the point of almost not being there... Lai uses synthesizers, acoustic guitars, and a truckload of strings to weave what is supposed to be the perfect setting for two young lovers to do what young lovers do, but has it all coming out of the wash sounding like a commercial for those laundry detergents that are airy fresh, or a silent movie score where the music is supposed to tell you that this is a pensive moment."{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bilitis-original-film-soundtrack-mw0000373768|title=Bilitis (Original Film Soundtrack) - Francis Lai - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=9 November 2018}}

His composition "Aujourd'hui C'est Toi" (Today It's You) is probably best known in the UK as the theme music for the long-running BBC current affairs documentary series Panorama.{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_7682000/7682434.stm|title=Panorama's theme tune|date=10 December 2008|access-date=9 November 2018|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}

In a career spanning forty years, Lai also wrote music for television programs and alone or in collaboration with others composed music for more than one hundred films and personally wrote more than six hundred songs. He wrote the music for the Perry Como hit "I Think of You", with lyrics by Rod McKuen.{{cite web|url=http://www.kokomo.ca/album_26.htm |title=I Think of You |publisher=Kokomo |access-date=5 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429043931/http://www.kokomo.ca/album_26.htm |archive-date=April 29, 2013 }}

Personal life and death

In 1968 Lai married Dagmar Puetz. The couple had two sons and one daughter.

Lai died on 7 November 2018, aged 86, at his home in Paris.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46139415|title=Oscar-winning Love Story composer dies at 86|work=BBC News |date=8 November 2018|access-date=8 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/francis-lai-dead-dies-love-story-composer-1203022821/|title=Francis Lai, Oscar-Winning 'Love Story' Composer, Dies at 86|first=Jon|last=Burlingame|date=8 November 2018|access-date=8 November 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/11/08/arts/ap-eu-france-obit-lai-.html|title=Francis Lai, Oscar-Winning 'Love Story' Composer, Dies at 86|access-date=8 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://vaaju.com/austriaeng/a-great-musician-and-composer-francis-lai-is-dead/|title="A Great Musician and Composer": Francis Lai is dead|website=vaaju.com|access-date=8 November 2018}}

Filmography

Lai enjoyed frequent collaborations with French director Claude Lelouch. As a composer, Lai has at least 131 film credits to his name. AllMusic lists 1,321 individual credits.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/francis-lai-mn0000188981/credits|title=Francis Lai - Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|access-date=9 November 2018}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

Various – Sins -Francis Lai- Original TV Soundtrack|website=

Discogs|year=

1986|access-date=22 June 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006162/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr7|title=Francis Lai|website=IMDb |access-date=24 June 2021}}

{{div col end}}

Awards

  • Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score for Love Story (1970){{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goJh0kaW3LI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/goJh0kaW3LI |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Love Story Wins Original Score: 1970 Oscars|last=Oscars|date=8 February 2014|access-date=9 November 2018|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for Love Story (1970){{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/1971-drama-love-story|title=1971 - Drama: Love Story|website=www.goldenglobes.com|date=15 November 2017 |access-date=9 November 2018}}
  • Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Soundtrack Academy (2014){{cite web|url=https://www.worldsoundtrackawards.com/en/news/14th-world-soundtrack-awards-ceremony-concert/23-10-2014/2049|title=14th World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert!|first=World Soundtrack|last=Awards|website=World Soundtrack Awards|access-date=9 November 2018|archive-date=17 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217160900/https://www.worldsoundtrackawards.com/en/news/14th-world-soundtrack-awards-ceremony-concert/23-10-2014/2049|url-status=dead}}
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, Ghent Film Festival, 2014

Award nominations:

References

=Notes=

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

=Other sources=

  • {{cite book |first1=Alain |last1=Lacombe|first2=Claude|last2=Rocle |chapter=Lai, Francis |title=La Musique du film|editor=Francis van de Velde |year =1979|pages=277–278|publisher=F. van de Velde |isbn=978-2-862-9900-57|language=fr}}

External links

  • {{Official website|http://www.francis-lai.com/}}
  • {{IMDb name|6162}}
  • [http://www.soundtracks4ever.com/frlai/index.htm Vivre pour la Musique - Unofficial Site]
  • [http://www.epdlp.com/compbso.php?id=588 Francis Lai] at Epdlp

{{Navboxes

| title = Awards for Francis Lai

| list =

{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalScore 1961-1980}}

{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score 1970–1989}}

{{WSA – Lifetime Achievement}}

}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lai, Francis}}

Category:1932 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:French film score composers

Category:French people of Italian descent

Category:French male film score composers

Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners

Category:Golden Globe Award–winning musicians

Category:Musicians from Nice

Category:Varèse Sarabande Records artists