France Gall is an artist who made an impression. Died in January 2018, the singer had been forced to change her first name. Closer tells you more.
On January 7, 2018, it was sad news that was announced by Geneviève Salama in a press release. “There are words we would never want to say. France Gall joined the white paradise on January 7”had first explained the communication officer of the singer before specifying that it was fighting against cancer. “After defying for two years, with discretion and dignity, the recurrence of his cancer”, she concluded. It was in 1963 that the career of France Gall began. Beginnings that were eventful since the artist was forced to change his first name. Indeed, her real name was Isabelle. “When it started in 1963, there was already a singer in the same record company called Isabelle Aubret, who had won Eurovision in 1962″, had explained Fabien Lecoeuvre, specialist in French song, on the antenna of BFMTV. “And at the time the boss of the record company, the artistic director Denis Bourgeois did not want there to be two Isabelle. He asked Robert Gall to change his first name”, he continued. A name that allowed him to find a place in the middle of the song and that France Gall has never changed again.
When her career started, France Gall had no choice but to change her first name. However, Fabien Lecoeuvre had explained that she was not at the origin of this change. “And since Denis Bourgeois and Robert Gall were rugby fans and they never missed no France-Wales match, they had the idea after a very drunken evening to rename it France“, he had explained. For her part, the main concerned had explained on the antenna of France 3 that she had had a lot of trouble getting used to this change. “I’ve always been against “France”, I thought it was too hard. “Isabelle”, it suited me, I liked it”, she had first confided. A choice that she did not particularly appreciate but which eventually suited her over the years. “I don’t know what happened to make me fall in love with my name. And now it’s “France Gall“.That’s exactly me”, she concluded, delighted. As a reminder, the singer won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965, only three years after the one to whom she left her first name.
France Gall, honored by the French Rugby Federation on her death
It is Denis Bourgeois and Robert Gall who are at the origin of the first name of France Gall. A choice that was made following a rugby match between France and Wales. On the day of his disappearance, it is logical that the French Rugby Federation wanted to pay tribute to the singer when the announcement of his death was made. It’s a photo in which we could see her showing an oval balloon on which was written “Long live France-Wales, France Gall” which had been published. In caption of this publication was simply indicated: “There were a lot of France-Wales. But there was only one France Gall”. France Gall has therefore marked the French song but also rugby.