Song:Je Suis Comme Je Suis
Album:Je Suis Comme Je Suis
Though she is unknown here in North America, Juliette Greco is a chanson legend in France and also a successful actress. Je Suis Comme Je Suis is one of her earlier hits from the 50s. She became a big star and moved to Hollywood and was an even bigger star in France when she moved back in the 60s. She was born Feb. 7 ,1927 in Montpelier, France. Her parents divorced and she was raised by her maternal grandparents. She moved to Paris at age 15 and befriended several artists and adopted a bohemian lifestyle. One of those friends was legendary existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre. She was an aspiring singer so Sartre sent her to Hungarian born composer Joseph Kosma. Kosma was mainly a composer of film music. But he also wrote songs with lyricist Jacques Prevert and worked with a few singers including Yves Montand. Juliette made her recording debut in 1949. At the same time, she fell in love with Miles Davis who was living in Paris at the time. He wanted to get married but she didn't want to leave France. He moved back to New York. Juliette recorded Je Suis Comme Je Suis in 1951 and it has become one of her signature songs. Juliette was also acting in films and was cast in the 1957 20th Century Fox film The Sun Also Rises. She remained in Hollywood after meeting and falling in love with 20th Century Fox head Darryl Zanuck. She made a few films and returned to Paris after her relationship with Zanuck ended in 1961. In the 60s, she was one of the most popular performers in France both on records and in films. In the 70s, her music career was stalled by record company problems. She left Philips for Barclay. That didn't work out and after she got her release from Barclay, she moved to RCA. This 2CD Universal comp covers Juliette's entire career. Juliette Greco still performs and records. Her latest CD Juliette Greco Sings Brel was released Oct. 2013. Her most recent film appearance was in the 2009 British film An Education. Here's Juliette Greco performing Je Suis Comme Je Suis on the 1965 TV special Greco 65. This video is not on Youtube.
Juliette Gréco: Je suis comme je suis (Live 1965) by sylvainsyl
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