Richard Cocciante is an Italian singer-songwriter born in Vietnam to an Italian father and a French mother. And it was not until the age of 11 that his parents decided to return to Europe to settle in Italy. It was then that he learned to speak Italian although he had only spoken French until then.
At 19, we find him in a group called The Nations, an adventure that will last 4 years from 1965 to 1969 and especially allow him to put forward a voice that is raucous to say the least and which will quickly become his trademark. .
His solo career began in 1972, when he released his first Single in France called "Bonne nuit Elisa" and an album named "Mu" in Italy. Outings that will unfortunately go somewhat unnoticed.
It was the track "Bella senz’anima" that really revealed it in 1974, track taken from the album "Anima". An album concocted by a certain…Ennio Morricone, just that !
He will have to wait for the year 1976 to see him achieve his first successes in the French-speaking world, starting with Quebec where he stood out thanks to titles such as "Si j'étais" and other "Je t'attendais ce soir"...
A rise in power which enabled him in 1978 to obtain one of his first big successes with the title "Marguerite", a flagship title taken from the album "Concerto pour Marguerite". An album concocted this time by another master of composition namely a certain…Vangelis !
Success confirmed a year later in 1979 with the song "Le coup de soleil", a title that exploded its notoriety in France and made it one of the phenomena of the moment.
The early 1980s saw him achieve success with titles such as "Au clair de tes silences", "Avec simplicité" on the French side and "Cervo a primavera" and "Celeste nostalgia" on the Italian side.
New prestigious collaboration in 1983 on the album "Sincerità", this time with the group Toto. Album which will mainly produce the titles "Sincerité and "Sur la terre".
In 1985, it was the duet with Fabienne Thibault on the title "Question de feeling" that enabled him to achieve new notable success. Then in 1987, it will be on the track "Il mio refugio", featured on the soundtrack of Patrice Lecomte's film 'Tandem', that he will once again be popular with the public.
The end of the 1980s saw him disappear from the radar somewhat before a resounding return in 1991 to the Sanremo Festival in Italy, one of the most important festivals in Italy and which he had shied away from until then. And the performance he will give there will not go unnoticed since he won 1st prize with the title "Se stiamo insieme" !
A beginning of decade 90 which sees him return in favor since Catherine Lara calls on his talents as a singer to make him incarnate the role of Frédéric Chopin on his album “Sand et les romantiques”. Album mainly focused on the life of George Sand, of whom Chopin was once a lover.
He returned to success on the Singles side in 1993 with the release of the track "Pour elle", a Single which achieved significant success in France.
Success that will be his last notable solo success for this decade. But the great adventure does not end there, far from it.
Because the end of the 1990s will see him join forces with a certain Luc Plamondon with whom he will co-write a little musical called ...'Notre Dame de Paris'. We know the rest.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
Bonne nuit Elisa 1972
Uomo 1972
Un enfant 1973
Bella Senz’Anima 1974
L’Alba 1975
Era gia tutto previsto 1975
Primavera 1976
Si j’étais 1976
Je t’attendais ce soir 1976
Marguerite 1978
Je chante 1978
A mano a mano 1978
Io canto 1979
Le coup de soleil 1979
80s Decade :
Au clair de tes silences 1980
Avec simplicité 1980
De temps qui passe en temps qui passe 1981
Une petite chanson caline 1981
Magali 1981
Une chanson 1982
Petite Julie 1982
Vieille 1982
Sincerité 1983
Sur la terre, elle et moi 1983
Question de feeling 1985
Vivre ensemble 1985
Si tu me revenais 1985
L’onda 1986
Il mio rifugio 1987
90s Decade :
Se stiamo insieme 1991
Vivi la tua vita 1991
E mi arriva il mare 1992
Pour elle 1993
Le cœur 1993
Tous ensemble 1993
Notre histoire 1995
HLM 1995
Belle 1998
Tracks :
1972 ... the very first steps of a young singer who does not look like much as they say. But from the first title, the potential is more than obvious ...
1972 ... a potential that begins to show what he is capable of with this title. It is clear that this young singer has talent to spare ...
1973 ... the talent is there but it is clear that there is still a little work to be done to reach the big league. You just have to give him a little time ...
1974 ... a predisposition for titles 'With emotions' more than obvious. The singer has a particular inspiration in this register and he will prove it to us in a dazzling way title after title ...
1975 ... success is already at the rendezvous in Italy but is limited exclusively to this country. He will have to redouble his efforts to go beyond the transalpine borders ...
1975 ... an Intimist universe of the very first choice which highlights an undoubtedly above-average inspiration in this field. Obviously a very good omen for the rest of the events ...
1976 ... the rise in power is linear and constant. The singer asserts his position title after title and certainly does not intend to stop there ...
1976 ... slight acceleration of the tempo which allows him to show another facet of his talent. But it is clear that the Intimist will forever remain his trademark ...
1976 ... hunt the natural, it comes back at a gallop. We suspected that this sudden acceleration of the tempo was not going to last. Pity...
1978 ... then THIS title comes ! The title that will change everything and reveal him in a shattering way to the general public. A deserved success and which calls for many others in the years to come. HU-GE !
1978 ... no, no, you're not dreaming, here he is trying his hand at pure dance. A rare moment that will not happen again. Even very little ...
1978 ... fast-tempo parentheses only last for a moment with him. So here he is back to his fundamentals so as not to lose control ...
1979 ... which will undoubtedly remain one of his most emblematic titles. He simply delivers here one of the biggest titles of the 1970s on the French side and sees his notoriety in France literally explode. Just reward as they say. MAG-NI-FI-CENT !
1980 ... the decade will change...smoothly, once again. The opposite would have been very surprising coming from him ...
1980 ... at that time he was one of the indisputable and undisputed masters of 'emotional' titles. A supremacy that few dare to challenge him ...
1981 ... he will rarely try his hand at a fast tempo but he will experience almost no success in this register. Sometimes there is no point in fighting ...
1981 ... an 'emotional' register that he masters to perfection. Even if his style seems somewhat outdated at the start of the 1980s, it is incredibly effective. The proof !
1981 ... he traces his path without worrying about what to say and especially about his level of classification in the Charts. Rightly or wrongly, only the future will tell ...
1982 ... he tries all the same to stick a minimum to his time but it is clear that it will be difficult for him to compete on equal terms with the competition ...
1982 ... another title completely outside the time and standards of the moment. A bias claimed and above all perfectly assumed ...
1982 ... a unique 'Cocciante' style that is above all recognizable. A strength which is unfortunately its weakness as much. On this title, fortunately, it is the force that wins hands down ...
1983 ... the beginning of the decade which saw him move completely outside the system. A daring bet but above all a risky bet ...
1983 ... anyway, the adventure continues for good. An obvious desire to do well which commands respect, but for how much longer ...
1985 ... then THIS title comes ! He finally manages to find the perfect balance between his inspiration and the latest trends of the moment. Especially by playing it a shock duo, but above all charming, the result is only better. HU-GE !
1985 ... the titles follow one another but unfortunately do not necessarily resemble each other. This title will not really have the same level of success as its predecessor ...
1985 ... another title he has the secret. In HIS particular style that we will find a few years later in a musical that will become a real social phenomenon ...
1986 ... he constantly alternates title in French and title in Italian. Two distinct careers that he leads in parallel and which constantly collide. With ultimately a certain risk of scattering ...
1987 ... he unquestionably signs here one of his most emblematic titles. Too much Intimist kills Intimist but in his case, we will have come close to the Masterpiece on several occasions in this area. MA-GIC !
1991 ... a big 4 years air gap and a return to certain form in this new 90s decade. A decade that saw him write one of the most beautiful musical pages of the end of the 20th century ...
1991 ... the beginning of the 90s which saw him succeed mainly in Italy. The career on the French side will be somewhat limited. For the moment...
1992 ... a unique style that hardly changed from start to finish. A factory brand recognizable among all for better or for worse. On this one, it would be rather for the best ...
1993 ... the rest will prove to be more complicated to manage than expected. Despite an obvious title quality, the singer will begin to gradually disappear from the radar. Hard law of the trade ...
1993 ... his style is now really too out of step with the standards of the moment. In a decade where everything is Dance and has to go fast, inevitably, it clashes ...
1993 ... and yet there is no lack of goodwill. He tries to speed up the tempo a little bit but it will surely not be enough to get back into contact with the best ...
1995 ... a mid-1990s that saw him do more some figuration than anything else. The level of inspiration is not enough to reverse the trend unfortunately ...
1995 ... and this is not the title that is likely to change anything. One might think that the adventure is drawing to a close and that the gambles are made for good. It is very bad to know him ...
1998 ... who could have imagined that he would come back with THIS Masterpiece ?! At the end of the 1990s, he was going to write one of the most incredible musical pages on the French side with this musical which will make a milestone. MO-NU-MEN-TAL !
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :