Michel Polnareff (born 3 July 1944) is a French singer-songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1960s and remained popular in France until the 1990s.
Early life and education
Michel Polnareff was born in Nérac,
Lot-et-Garonne on 3 July 1944. His mother, Simonne Lane, worked as a
Bretons dancer, and his father, Leib Polnareff (also known as Léo Poll), was a
Ukrainian Jewish composer and pianist who performed with artists including Édith Piaf.
[Claude Fléouter , , PUF,1988, p. 234.][Eudeline 2013 , p. 17.][Gilbert Cariou, “ ”, Le Lien (journal of the Finistère Genealogical Center) , March 2017 (no. 141).] Polnareff attended the private
Cours Hattemer school and studied piano from a young age, later learning guitar.
After completing his mandatory military service in France, Polnareff held brief positions in banking and insurance. He later took up street performing, busking on the steps of Sacré Cœur in Paris.
Career
1966, producer Lucien Morisse signed Polnareff to Disc AZ. His first single,
La Poupée qui fait non, featured session guitarist
Jimmy Page and achieved commercial success in France. Among his early French-language recordings were “
La Poupée qui fait non” and “
Love Me, Please Love Me,” both released in 1966, which helped establish his popularity in France.
United States (1973–1984)
In 1973, after experiencing severe financial difficulties under the management of Bernard Seneau and the death of his mother, Polnareff moved to
California, where he lived largely outside public attention. He was later joined there by his partner and manager, Annie Fargue.
His only English-language album,
Fame à la Mode (also titled
Michel Polnareff), was released in 1975. It included contributions from several American session musicians. The single Jesus for Tonight later appeared on the Billboard charts.
He composed the soundtrack for the film Lipstick (1976), which was released as an album in July 1976 on Atlantic Records. It reached number one on the U.S. disco charts and sold around 75,000 copies in France. At the time, he could not return to France and performed in Brussels. In 1977, he released Lettre à France, co‑written with Jean‑Loup Dabadie. The single, expressing themes of nostalgia and exile, sold roughly 476,000 copies that year. After the success of Coucou me Revoilou (1978), his 1981 album Bulles marked a return to the French charts, while Incognito (1985) attracted less attention.
Back to the Top (1989–1994)
In 1989, the single
Goodbye Marylou was released to radio stations without formal promotional efforts. During the following 18 months, Polnareff resided at
the Royal Monceau hotel in Paris while working on the album
Kāma‑Sūtra.
The album, which included guitar contributions by
Mike Oldfield on two tracks, was issued in February 1990. It achieved commercial success, marking Polnareff's return to the French music industry, and included the tracks
Kāma‑Sūtra,
LNA HO, and
Toi et moi.
From the Roxy to Bercy: Rebirth (1995–2007)
Polnareff returned to live performance in 1995 with a concert at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles
, followed by a series of television appearances in France documenting his re-emergence. These events preceded the release of the live album
Live at the Roxy, which achieved commercial success in France.
In 1999, Polnareff released
Je rêve d’un monde (When I'm in Love), his first original single in ten years. The single, which runs nearly 13 minutes, received limited promotion and radio airplay and reached only moderate chart positions. Plans for a subsequent album and tour were announced, but did not come to fruition in the following years.
In 2003, the compilation Passé Présent was released and sold approximately 400,000 copies
In the Studio (2010–2015)
As of November 2013, Polnareff had sold approximately 3.9 million albums and 4.9 million singles in France.
In 2014, an authorized documentary titled Quand l’écran s’allume (named after the opening line of Goodbye Marylou) was released in selected cinemas and later broadcast on television. The film documented Polnareff’s studio work and included previews of material from an upcoming album.
New Single and New Tour (2015–2017)
On 8 December 2015, Polnareff announced plans to release a new album and undertake a major concert tour across France, Belgium, and Switzerland during 2016.
On 18 December 2015, Polnareff released
L'Homme en rouge, his first single since 2006, available as a digital download and on streaming platforms. The song is performed from the perspective of a child who is poor and does not believe in
Santa Claus.
In 2016, Polnareff indicated that work on his forthcoming album was ongoing and referenced several new compositions, including songs inspired by personal experiences and family life.
2018–Present
On 3 October 2018, Michel Polnareff announced that his album
Enfin! would be released on 30 November, marking his first studio album in 28 years. The album received mixed critical reception. On 24 July 2022, four years after the release of
Enfin!, Polnareff announced
Polnareff chante Polnareff, a piano-and-vocal album featuring new versions of his earlier songs. The album received a generally positive response and was supported by a French concert tour in 2023.
In November 2024, Michel Polnareff announced a new album and a tour scheduled for the following year, which will include his first concert in London. He released the single Sexcetera later that month, followed by a second single, Tu n’m’entends pas, in February 2025. On March 10, Polnareff revealed that the album will be titled Un temps pour elles.
Personal life
Polnareff adopted a signature style with long hair, black glasses, flared trousers, and ambiguous provocations. From 1969 on, Polnareff gained popularity through tours, music videos, and hit songs, also becoming a target of
Scandalmongering.
In September 1970, Polnareff's friend Lucien Morisse died by suicide. Around the same time, he also experienced a relationship crisis. After resting near Paris and undergoing months of isolation and therapy for depression, he gradually returned to touring. While his general health and morale improved, his vision did not, and he continued to wear thick, dark sunglasses to protect his eyes.
In 1972, a promotional poster for his Polnarévolution tour, featuring an image of his bare buttocks, caused controversy. While the publicity generated commercial interest, it also led to censorship and legal challenges.
Polnareff has had relationships with American actress Lynda Carter and Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel. His first major relationship was with his manager, Annie Fargé, lasting over 20 years without marriage. In 2004, he met Danyellah, a French journalist and model. On 28 December 2010, Polnareff's girlfriend Danyellah gave birth to a boy, Louka, in Los Angeles, with Polnareff assisting in the delivery. On 21 February 2011, Polnareff announced via Facebook that a DNA test revealed he was not the biological father and that Danyellah had used a sperm donor. A later post indicated his girlfriend had disappeared with the baby.
Polnareff's longtime friend and manager Annie Fargé died of cancer at age 76 on 4 March 2011.
Discography
Publications
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1974: Polnaréflexions in collaboration with Jean-Michel Desjeunes, Editions Dire/Stock2
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2004: Polnareff par Polnareff in collaboration with Philippe Manœuvre, Editions Grasset et Fasquelle
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2013: Le Polnabook, by Michel Polnareff, Editions Ipanéma
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2016: Spèrme, by Michel Polnareff, Editions Plon
Bibliography
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Christian Eudeline, Derrière les lunettes, ed. fayard, 2013 ()
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Benoît Cachi, Polnaculte: Michel Polnareff vu par ses auteurs et par lui-même, ed. Tournon, 2007 ()
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Christophe Lauga, Polnareff mania, ed. Scali, 2007 ()
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Fabien Lecœuvre, Polnareff, la véritable histoire d'une légende, ed. City, 2007 ()
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Philippe Margotin, Polnareff, ed. de la Lagune, 2007 ()
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Fabien Lecœuvre, Michel Polnareff, ed. Vaderetro, 2004 ()
External links
