Amanda Lear, whose real name is Tapp, is a French singer, actress and TV host who started her artistic career in the mid-1960s by playing models, notably for Paco Rabanne.
On the song side, it was when she met singers such as Bryan Ferry or David Bowie in the mid-1970s that she wanted to sing. This is how her debut Single "Trouble" was released in 1975, a cover of an Elvis Presley title. A first attempt which has met with great success.
But it was especially a year later in 1976 that things picked up when the title "Blood and honey" was released. Title that gives her a first major success and that launches her career "song" for good.
The year 1977 saw the release of her first album "I am a photograph", an album which confirmed the rise of the singer. Two large-caliber Singles will be extracted from it, “Tomorrow” and also, but above all, “Queen of Chinatown” which became her first very big hit, especially on the old continent.
The consecration came the following year in 1978 with the release of the track "Follow me", which became a mega-hit and positioned the singer as one of the biggest phenomena of the moment. An absolutely sumptuous year 1978 which also saw the release of the album "Sweet revenge", album which was to sell more than 2 million copies !
With this considerable success, she did it again a year later in 1979 with the album "Never trust a pretty face". Album with less success but very big all the same. Album which will produce the top hit "Fashion pack".
At the rate of one album per year, it is "Diamonds for breakfast" which allows her to make the transition with the following decade. The momentum for success remains at a high level, especially in the Eastern countries, allowing the album to record more than impressive sales scores.
At the dawn of 1981, the singer can already boast of having sold no less than 20 million records since her career began in the mid-1970s, a remarkable feat !
Sensing the wind of change coming, she wanted to reorient her musical career towards a more trendy sound and she thus addressed Trevor Horn of the Buggles in this direction. But her record company is blocking and forces her to stay on the Disco niche which yet dies, slowly but surely. The result is final, the album meets only modest success.
A failure that will have serious consequences as the singer will never be able to hang up the wagon of the new trendy sounds again. Anything that came out thereafter would not meet the success of the late 1970s.
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
Trouble 1975
Blood and honey 1976
Tomorrow 1977
Queen of Chinatown 1977
Follow me 1978
Enigma (Give a bit of Mmh to me) 1978
Gold 1978
The sphinx 1978
Fashion pack 1979
Lili Marleen 1979
Fabulous (Lover, love me) 1979
80s Decade :
Diamonds 1980
Solomon gundie 1980
Egal 1981
Hollywood is just a dream 1981
Incredibilmente donna 1982
Love your body 1983
Assassino 1984
Credit card 1985
Wild thing 1987
Tomorrow (Feat CCCP) 1988
Metamorphose 1989
90s Decade :
Do you remember me 1990
Fantasy 1992
Everytime you touch me 1995
Angel love 1996
Tracks :
1975 ... the first musical steps of what will become one of the greatest mysteries, but also one of the greatest phenomena, of the next 20 years to come ...
1976 ... the first ranked hit, and yes, already. Shattering debuts to say the least and which allow the singer to position herself as a serious competitor for the years to come...
1977 ... an 'Amanda' style now recognizable among all and above all inimitable. An atypical style that will become her trademark...
1977 ... the rise in power is linear from year to year, which allows the singer to obtain her first global top hit. Better and better !
1978 ... then comes THIS title. A title that will undoubtedly remain as one of the biggest dance hits of the decade but also, and above all, as the biggest success of her entire career. HU-GE !
1978 ... the BIGGEST year of her career with a plethora of titles and above all a plethora of hits. Including this one which will be a notch below the previous one but we take anyway !
1978 ... it is clear that everything she touches at the end of the 1970s immediately turns into gold. Who would've believed that...
1978 ... 4 titles classified in a single year, a great feat we must admit. Not obvious that it lasts like this for years but as long as it lasts ...
1979 ... anyway, the singer continues to be carried by a dynamic which does not weaken and which allows her to obtain a new planetary top hit. Like what, you just have to believe it !
1979 ... when the singer does in the luxury cover. Here she delivers a fairly successful Disco version of Lale Andersen's legendary title dating from 1938. It was still necessary to dare this one !
1979 ... a decade of 70 which literally saw her explode and which ended in style with this new major hit. Not sure that it lasts much longer like that ....
1980 ... a start to the 80s on the hats of the wheel. This will unfortunately be her last notorious hit. And yes, already ...
1980 ... the fall in the Charts accelerates and the singer is relegated to the depths of the rankings. Her style is more and more out of step with what the competition offers and she pays it cash !
1981 .... there is the quantity side titles but unfortunately there is no longer the quality. The singer is gradually falling into caricature and her eccentric-offbeat side is no longer really successful ...
1981 ... she tries to adapt but the delay compared to the competition has become too important and impossible to fill ...
1982 ... Italy will allow her to rebound on the one hand on the song side but also, and above all, thanks to her new career as a TV presenter. Take her out the door, she comes back through the window ....
1983 ... she continues her path without worrying too much about the result in the Charts. Nice resistance but for how long ...
1984 ... what she continues to offer is far from being devoid of all interest but it is clear that she is now reduced to doing only some figuration ...
1985 ... the years go by and she is still here. Already 10 years of singing career, a longevity that all the singers of her generation cannot boast about ...
1987 ... a trendy sound which shows that she is far from being ridiculous. It really wouldn't have taken much to see her come back in the race. But when it doesn't want anymore ...
1988 ... a version for the less trash of her hit of the year 1977 that she reinterprets in the company of crazy youngsters to say the least. The shock of extremes ...
1989 ... she will have passed through the 1970s, then the 1980s with great ease, to say the least. Not sure that it goes so well during the 90s ...
1990 ... here she arrived in EuroDance mode, she will definitely have tried everything. Here she delivers an interesting dance title that shows with force that she does not intend to hand over right away ...
1992 ... to dare to join forces with Bass Bumpers, flagship group of the moment, it was also necessary to dare this one. And my faith, it all works very well !
1995 ... and she hangs on, and she hangs on. One would have thought that the 90s would spell the end of his ambitions, oh no. She still believes in it !
1996 ... well, this time the carrots are well and truly cooked. At least for the 1990s. Because she will come back in force once again the following decade. Inexhaustible our Amanda !
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :