Songs performers are not always singers

@topffer (42156)
France
December 5, 2017 7:54am CST
They might be actors as well. I thought at that today when I posted a link to a Youtube clip of an old rock’n roll. The performers on the clip are not singers, only actors, the sound is from a 1956 vinyl, but the clip is good, and it would be impossible to tell for somebody not knowing the song. Thinking at it again, I suppose that a good example would be Plastic Bertrand. He is mainly known for a 1977 song «ça plane pour moi», adapted to English by Elton Motello («Jet Boy, Jet Girl»). 6 millions single sold through the world, it is a major hit for a punk-new wave song. It can be heard in many ads and movies, («127 hours», «The Wolf of Wall Street», and in the last Guillaume Canet movie (2017)among others). It was composed by Lou Deprijck who searched for a performer having the right look for his song, that would be called «Plastic Bertrand» (a kind of joke, Bertrand was the name of a Belgian columnist writing on punk music). He found another Belgian, Roger Marie François Jouret, who was playing drums in a little punk group, «Hubble Bubble» under the name «Roger Junior». The bass player of the group had died in a car accident, and Junior was looking for another band. Jouret accepted to be the performer of the song and signed a contract as performer, offering him only 0.5% of the income to come. It seems weird to accept so low wages, isn’t it ? There was a good reason : Roger Junior had the right look to become «Plastic Bertrand», but he was a drums player, not a singer. The real singer heard on the clip linked is Lou Deprijck himself. When he tried later to tell that he was the singer, Plastic Bertrand started a trial against him, showing his contract to the judges, who admitted that he was the performer, because... it was written on the contract (typical judicial logic). It was in 2006. Then an expert did a digital analysis of the voice and discovered that some words were pronounced, not with the accent of Brussels, the Belgian capital where was born Plastic Bertrand, but with a country accent from Picardy, the native area of Deprijck. Worst, the same accent was present in the four first albums of Plastic Bertrand. It was in 2010, and he finally admitted that Deprijck was the singer. Plastic Bertrand continues to «perform» though, he had 60 concerts this year. So, if you did not knew, you do not need to sing to be known as a famous singer. I hope that this discussion opened new opportunities to those of you dreaming to be a singer, and not knowing how to sing.
Ça Plane Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand
11 people like this
9 responses
@Alian123 (549)
• Philippines
5 Dec 17
Lol there really are a lot of singers who are not actually "singers" a lot of celebrities here in our country are like that, launching their album, even though it is very obvious that they cannot sing. That is the power of lip syncing and voice editing
4 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Dec 17
Technics can make a singer from a goat today, but I would not have thought that it was so common. I see that you were already aware of this opportunity. Soon, an album from you?
@much2say (53942)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Dec 17
Lip syncing! Oh the flip side, there are some amazing singers around who lack stage presence - "actors" would do a much better performance job. As I do not know much about Plastic Bertrand, how does he do with his live concerts (has he actually done his own singing?)? Are his fans still his fans after the controversy came out? So I still have a chance at becoming a singing sensation ! I've been lip syncing all my life . . . that part I know I can do !
2 people like this
@much2say (53942)
• Los Angeles, California
6 Dec 17
@topffer He is a success story, I guess. Lucky for him! Maybe he has discovered his singing voice and perhaps the fans like it or are at least used to it by now. Or maybe they just like him - is/was he considered to be hot stuff? Oh, but I do have a voice . . . um, but for singing, that is debatable .
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Dec 17
Sincerely I do not know if he really sings today or if a record is played. Since 1977 he might have learned to sing, I give him the benefit of the doubt. Difficult to believe, but when it has been known, it has not dissuaded his fans to go to his concerts. He has gray hair now. Indeed you can become a celeb singer, you just need to recruit a voice.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
6 Dec 17
@much2say Now he does mainly big concerts with other singers of the 70's/80's. Playing on nostalgia works well. I am far to be a singer, but I might be gifted for lip syncing.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (459735)
• Switzerland
5 Dec 17
It was a very long time I did not hear this song. I did not know that also singers not always use their voice, just like actors.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Dec 17
It was also my case, I thought to start this discussion when I saw a song clip done by some actors, and Plastic Bertrand came to my mind... Lip syncing would have been a good thing for some silent cinema actors who have been unable to adapt to talking cinema.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Dec 17
@LadyDuck No, I know only the song, I am not a big fan of musical comedies. It is a good one ?
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (459735)
• Switzerland
5 Dec 17
@topffer Have you watched "Singing In The Rain", it's all about giving the voice to a famous silent cinema actress with a horrible voice.
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
6 Dec 17
Lip syncing, and he still "sings", how nice that he somehow managed this, even with the court battles. I will stick to singing in the shower.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
6 Dec 17
He will stick to play drums in the shower.
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
6 Dec 17
@topffer , he should.
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20261)
23 Dec 17
Not my type of music, but that guy did very good there. If you didn't say it, I would never know.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 Dec 17
It took 33 years to him to admit that he was not the singer, and nobody was aware of that before the singer started a trial against him.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
23 Dec 17
@YrNemo He won the case because of his contract, so I guess it was Deprijck who paid, at least for the court fees.
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20261)
23 Dec 17
@topffer I read about it a few minutes ago and thought he did have a nerve, saying something that was not true. Did he have to pay back the litigation fee etc to the other side re: the case?
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Dec 17
Wow, I had no idea he wasn't the real singer. This reminds me of Milli Vanilli back in the 90's. I think the same thing happened to them--the actual singer came forth and told the truth. It's a sad situation for everyone.
2 people like this
@much2say (53942)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Dec 17
@misunderstood_zombie It was shocking when that all came out! They were cute and had the image, but not the voices. It bit them in the butt and for one of them it did not end well.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Dec 17
In this case, he admitted that he was not the singer 33 years later, and he continues to "sing". For Milli Vanilli, there were a lot of composers and singers behind, and it turned really bad, they even gave back a Grammy Award they had received.
2 people like this
• United States
5 Dec 17
@topffer For sure, there's a big 33 year time difference between the two of them. I know Milli Vanilli scammed everyone, but I always felt kind of sorry for them and now for Plastic Bertrand.
2 people like this
@vandana7 (99024)
• India
5 Dec 17
I heard that song and I really liked the part where he throws his head up, and does oo oo oo oo..lol. It was so funny. lol. I am sure if I started singing, people would throw eggs and tomatoes at me.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Dec 17
I had not heard it since several years when I thought at it for this post, and for a song from the 70's it is aging well. The decor behind him is horrible though, typically from the 1970's. I have had something similar in a flat that I was renting. It would give me nightmares today. You just need to do like him and you have a chance to become famous.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (326467)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Dec 17
I just wish I'd known all this twenty years ago. I could have been a famous singer!
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
6 Dec 17
You would have done better. Your music would have had certainly more than one single musical note like this one (refrain excepted).
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Dec 17
I once had Ca Plane Pour Moi on 45. I loved that song.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Dec 17
Good memory then. It is aging well, isn't it ?
1 person likes this