Golodrak, Peter and Sloane, Eurovision... Jean-Pierre Savelli recounts his thousand lives in a book

Some people had been asking him for this for years. Through the stories he shared during his appearances in newspapers, on the radio, and on television, singer-songwriter Jean-Pierre Savelli was regularly asked by his friends and admirers. "Hey, Jean-Pierre, you have to write a book!" they would say to him.

The singer of the cult song " Being in Need of Nothing, Wanting You" has finally taken the time. And, after more than a year of work, her biography has finally been published.

For the Valettois resident, who will celebrate his 76th birthday on May 18, Regarde, le jour se lève is the result of a deep dive into more or less buried memories. Those of a French star from the 1970s and 1980s, but also (and above all) those of a man born in Toulon, raised on rugby and song by his father, himself a former crooner.

"I didn't want to write a book about showbiz ," he assures. "In this book, I talk about the journey before the journey. People who want to sing must not believe that it was an easy path. They must know that luck and encounters have a lot to do with it."

Hairdresser for ladies and chichis frégis

Throughout 180 pages tinged with anecdotes, "Peter" looks back on the different stages that have marked his life, from his childhood in the Besagne district to today. Eurovision, the duo Peter and Sloane, international tours, the credits of Goldorak or Albator , his serious accident, Covid, but also his experience as a ladies' hairdresser, his love for RCT, his taste for chichis frégis and the cade of the Cours Lafayette... Everything is there.

Everything, and everyone else too. Leading the way: Michel Legrand, the sacred monster of music, to whom he dedicates a multi-page tribute at the end of the book. Claude François, Serge Lama, Michel Sardou, Claude-Michel Schönberg and many other artists are also mentioned in this biography, which is intended to be rich in archive images. "My daughter Lola found and edited all the photos. Patricia Lenoir, my lyricist, designed the book with me. We really did it as a family. It's a collective work, like a record," insists the music producer, who also published the work without a publisher.

"Ah, it was you!"

The title itself echoes the hit " Besoin de rien, envie de toi " , performed as a duet with Chantal Richard, and first number one in the Top 50 in France. For the artist, it was a high point of the 1980s which had such an impact on him.

At the beginning, another title had been chosen: "I wanted to call it: "Ah, it was you!" (laughs) Because, when people discover my biography, with Peau d'Âne , Goldorak , Les Uns et les Autres , La Révolution française , their reaction is always: "Ah, it was you!" Well yes, it was me!"

A "chameleon singer", sometimes in the spotlight, sometimes in the shadows, Savelli has indeed long navigated between cartoon credits, great film compositions, French variety shows, and even advertisements for some well-known brands! "Diversity suited me well" , confides the septuagenarian, who is now preparing to embark on yet another adventure: promoting his book in the coming months, through the numerous festivals in the department of his heart, the Var.

Look, the day is breaking . By Patricia Lenoir and Jean-Pierre Savelli. 20 euros. Available on Amazon or by writing to [email protected] (payment by check or PayPal). Coming soon to supermarkets.

Tribute concerts to Michel Legrand

Having returned to the Var region where he grew up for several years, the singer is anything but retired today. He notably runs a musical comedy school at the Espace Pierre-Bel in La Valette and continues to organize performances here and there. Upcoming shows in tribute to the late Michel Legrand are planned, notably at the Jardin remarquable de Baudouvin in La Valette (August 2) and at the Palais Neptune in Toulon (in the fall).