(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Carl Sigman)
Australia
#26 Sydney
The song has been adapted with various titles:
• Roseline (Jean Renard, unpublished
composition, c.1950),
• Connais-tu? (Jean Renard
1961, others),
• Grau war der Ozean (Dalida
1962, Lale Andersen 1963),
• Losing You (Brenda Lee
1963, Lynne Fletcher 1967, others),
• Losing You (un ange est venu) (Brenda
Lee 1963),
• Un Ange (Mario Candido
1963, Collette Deréal 1963),
• Je Te Perds (Michel Louvain
1963, Sophie José 1963).
• Loudá Se Půlměsícon (Marta Kubišova,
1965),
• Perdendo-te (Losing You) (Moacyr Franco
(1969).
♫ Listen at YouTube
Brisbane singer Lynne Fletcher (b.1947) was working as a receptionist when she auditioned successfully for a local TV pop show (possibly Teen Tops on BTQ7), where she was coached by the producer and co-host, Nat Kipner.
After moving to Sydney three months later she appeared on major network music shows and was signed to HMV for six singles from 1965.
Her recordings included:
• A version of The Easybeats’ In My
Book (1966) that was released at the same time as The Easybeats’ own version*
• An original
Barry Gibb song You Do Your Lovin’ With Me (1966, B-side of In My Book);
• You Must Be Joking (1966), an original song by Jay Justin, prolific Sydney
singer-songwriter, co-writer of Little Pattie’s popular surf-craze song He’s My Blonde-Headed
Stompie-Wompie Real Gone Surfer Boy (1963);
• Nothing Lasts Forever (1967), her last record on HMV, by successful pop and Broadway composers Peter Udell and Gary
Geld, original version by Margaret
Whiting.
• You Say Pretty Words, a Sloan & Barri song first
recorded by Ramona King.
During the Vietnam War, Lynne Fletcher sang in a show for Australian troops on Christmas Day 1965 at Bien Hoa, South Vietnam.
* See colin47’s comment at 45cat.com on the recording date of “In My Book” and its simultaneous release with the Easybeats version.
The Mike Perjanik Group:
New Zealand-born Mike Perjanik wrote and arranged for Dinah
Lee before moving to Australia, where he worked with such artists as Little Pattie and
Bev Harrell. He has written numerous advertising jingles and TV themes, and has been a board member
and chairman of APRA.
Sources: 1. “Sweetheart of Aussie Troops”, Australian Women’s Weekly, 22.12.65, p.81, archived at NLA’s Trove. 2. “Christmas morning at Bien Hoa”, AWW, 26.01.66, p.11, at Trove. 3. Lynne Fletcher discography at 45cat.com.
Further reading: “Mike Perjanik: Paving the way for young writers” at Debbie Kruger’s website.
Song history researched in collaboration with honeydhont, Joop Jansen
and Kees van der Hoeven.
The A-side is by another artist, Karel Gott, the undisputed king of Czech pop music (Radio Prague).
Marta Kubišova (b.1942) is a prominent, multi-award-winning Czech singer, actor and TV personality, formerly in pop trio The Golden Kids (1968-70, reunited 1990s). Because of her opposition to the old Communist regime she was banned from performing from 1970.
Loudá Se Půlměsícon is an adaptation by Czech lyricists Jiří Štaidl & Rostislav Černý. (The title seems to mean cuddling under a crescent moon, but I’m happy to be corrected on that.)
Sources, further reading: 1. Marta Kubišova singles discography at 45cat.com. 2. Marta Kubišova at Wikipedia, also at cs.wikipedia.org (in Czech). 3. “Loudá Se Půlměsícon”: single at Discogs.com. Follow links from there for more about the artist and Czech lyricists.
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Carl Sigman)
USA
On Love Him, album on Columbia produced by Doris Day's son Terry Melcher. Released at the end of 1963 or early 1964. YouTube
This is one of several contemporaneous versions of Brenda Lee's hit. Others include these from 1963 (see Second Hand Songs):
• Martin Denny,
• The Four Preps,
• Al Martino,
• Katy Richard
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Carl Sigman)
USA
Original English language version
#6 USA #10 UK #32 Sydney #20 Melbourne #11 Adelaide #3 Perth
English lyrics by Carl Sigman (1909-2000), composer and lyricist who wrote his first big hit Pennsylvania 6-5000 with Glenn Miller. His catalogue includes Ebb Tide, Arrivederci Roma, It's All In The Game, What Now My Love, Where Do I Begin (Theme from Love Story) and the theme song for the British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood ("riding through the glen").
Brenda Lee released the song in France on a Brunswick EP as Losing You (Un ange est venu) (1963)
Further reading: 1. Carl Sigman official site: MajorSongs.com
2. Carl Sigman at the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Ernst Bader)
Germany
B-side on Electrola by German singer and actor (1905-1972) known for the first release of Lili Marleen (1939), the popular German World War II song further popularised by Marlene Dietrich (1944).
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet)
France
On Festival (France) EP by French singer (1922-2017) from Saint-Raphaël in Provence.
Another version of Connais-tu.
See also Brenda Lee's release on a French Brunswick EP as Losing You (Un ange est venu) (1963).
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Carl Sigman - Ralph Bernet)
Canada
Michel Louvain: French-Canadian TV and recording pop star beginning in the late 50s (b. Michel Louvain,1937).
A further version of Connais-tu/Losing You, with lyrics by French composer Ralph Bernet (1927-2017). Also recorded in Canada by Sophie José. Je te perds = I'm losing you.
Also recorded by French singing star Dalida (1933-1987) in 1966 but unreleased till 1991. See below under Later versions for more details.
Further reading: 1. Michel Louvain biogrpahy by Jason Birch Meier at All Music. 2. Michel Louvain page at Rétro Jeunesse 60.
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet)
France
On Polydor EP L’an 2000 by singer-songwriter Colette Deréal (Colette de Glarélial, 1927-1988), also a TV and film actor, born in Saint-Cyr-l’École in northern France.
Source: Colette Deréal at fr.wikipedia.org (in French).
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Ralph Bernet)
Canada
On album Je ne sens bien on Quebec label Jeunesse. YouTube
Sophie José: aka Sophie Josie
Source: Second Hand Songs.
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Ernst Bader)
Germany
German-language version by singing and acting star Dalida (Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, (1933-1987), born in Egypt of Italian parents but resident in France from 1954.
German lyrics by prolific composer and lyricist Ernst Bader (1914-1999).
See below for her French version, Connais-tu (1991, unreleased recording of 1966).
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet*)
France
EP on Disques Decca, avec Jo Boyer et son Orchestre, by French singer releasing records from late-50s to mid-60s.
*Label credits Renard alone as writer.
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet)
France
On Columbia EP Marina Viva by French tenor, guitarist and actor (1907-1983) from Ajaccio on Corsica.
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet)
France
Original version
EP on Polydor by French producer-composer-singer. This appears to be the first release of the much covered and adapted song that became Brenda Lee’s Losing You.
The ultimate source of the song is Roseline (c.1950), an unpublished composition by a young Jean Renard (b. 1933), his first work.
In the early sixties, Renard recorded for a time under the name Big Twist.
Reference: Jean Renard page at Les Auteurs et Compositeurs de la Chanson Française [archived version].
Further reading: Jean Renard’s memoir Que je t’aime… la vie (2003).
Red herring: This is not the same song as Connais-tu by Nana Mouskouri (wr.
Michel Legrand – Eddy Marnay).
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Nazareno de Brito)
Brazil
Later version
Version in Portuguese on album Por Amor, lyrics by Brazilian singer-composer Nazareno de Brito (1925-1981). YouTube
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Ralph Bernet)
France
Later version
See also Grau war der Ozean (above), German version of Je te perds released by Dalida in 1962.
Je te perds was recorded 1966, unreleased until 1991, by singing and acting star Dalida (Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, 1933-1987). She was born in Cairo to Italian parents, but moved to Paris after becoming Miss Egypt 1954. YouTube
Track on Barclay LP set Les Années Barclay Vol. 1-10 (1991), and on expanded set as Les Années Barclay, L’Intégrale (1997).
Also recorded by Michel Louvain and by Sophie José (both Canada 1963), see above.
Sources: 1. Je te Perds at Delida.com (“Titre inédit sortit en 1991”). 2. Album notes at Discogs.com. linked above. 3. Dalida at at Wikipedia and Discogs.com.
(Jean Renard - Pierre Havet - Carl Sigman)
USA
Later version
On album Windy City. YouTube
(Tom Springfield - Clive Westlake)
UK
Red herring
#9 UK #37 Adelaide
SAME TITLE BUT NOT THE SAME SONG AS "LOSING YOU" BY LYNNE FLETCHER.
Single on Philips, co-written by Dusty's brother Tom who had been in The Springfields with her (their real surname was O'Brien). The other writer, Clive Westlake, was a successful professional songwriter.
BMI and ASCAP (USA) list over 500 copyrighted songs entitled "Losing You". APRA-AMCOS (Australia) similarly lists a large number of local compositions with that
title.
Three Australian examples:
• Kate Ceberano – Losing You (Ashley Cadell – Kate Ceberano)
Australia 1981 B-side on Regular by jazz-blues-pop singer (b. 1966), previously with dance-funk band I'm Talking.
• Sharon O'Neill – Losing You (Sharon O'Neill)
Australia 1983 Single on CBS by New Zealand singer-songwriter, in Australia from the early 80s. #37 Sydney #8
Melbourne #24 Brisbane #22 Adelaide #47 Perth.
• True Stories – Losing You (Herman Kovac – Tony Chambers)
Australia 1990 Single on Rapture #19901 recorded at Ramrod Studios Sydney. Writing, producing &
engineering all covered by Kovac & Chambers. Kovac established Ramrod with Les Hall, both from Ted Mulry Gang.
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Website by Lyn Nuttall. © Lyn Nuttall 2004-2024. Chart positions courtesy of Gavin Ryan’s Australian Chart Books and Dean Scapolo’s Complete NZ Music Charts. Special thanks to Terry Stacey for information, corrections and suggestions. Thanks also to Tony Watson, Philippe Edouard, Dave Overett.., More…