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Gaby oh Gaby
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Wikipedia article
'"Gaby oh Gaby"' is a song first published by Alain Bashung. Written by Boris Bergman with music by Bashung, it was initially published as a single in 1980 on Philips, with "Ell' s'fait rougir toute seule" as the B-side. The single became a huge hit in France, and therefore the song was included on the album 'Roulette russe' in a reissue nicknamed 'Nouveau couplage', and then on the CD reissue of the next album, 'Pizza'.
Reception
Commercial reception
When the single came out, Bashung had been a singer for fourteen years. The singles recorded between 1966 and 1977 were all commercial failures and his first album, 'Roman-photos', issued in 1977, which he would later disown, was one as well. "Gaby oh Gaby" sold more than one million copies and revealed the singer to a larger audience. The song was shown in numerous TV shows on the evening and during the night, broadcast on radio, and was even in first page of the newspaper Libration.However, even if he admits that this hit saved him at the time, Bashung was caught off-guard by this unexpected success. On the album 'Play blessures' issued in 1982, Bashung sang about this on his song "J'croise aux hybrides" : "J'ddie cette angoisse un chanteur disparu, mort de soif dans le dsert de Gaby . Respectez une minute de silence, faites comme si j'tais pas arriv..." (I dedicate this anguish to a singer who vanished, dead of thirst in the "Gaby" desert. Respect a minute of silence, act as if I never came...)
On May 19, 2009, the Gold Disc of the original 45rpm was sold on auction in Paris by its owner, a collector. It was sold for 3717.
Critical reception
The song is included in a list of 3000 rock classics in the book 'La Discothque parfaite de l'odysse du rock' by Gilles Verlant, who calls the track "Gaby oh Gaby" one of the "summits of the decade" alongside the next single "Vertige de l'amour".Subject
Boris Bergman, the lyricist, explained after the death of Alain Bashung : "Cest un texte sur les minorits, ceux que la diffrence fait tomber dans les puits de solitude ; ceux qui ne peuvent pas dormir et qui 'ne font que des conneries'. Le petit Ashknaze que je suis, le Kabylo-Alsacien quest Alain, sen doutent depuis leur premire rencontre avec lautre : "Gaby" est aussi un hymne cach la solitude de lhomo qui ne connat pas encore lexistence du PACS." (It's a text about minorities, those who "the difference" throw into a well of loneliness; those who can't sleep and "do bad stuff". The little ashkenaze that I am, the kabylo-alsacian who Alain was, probably since their first meeting: "Gaby" is also a hidden hymn to the loneliness of the gay person who does not know about the existence of the PACS).
References
Category:1980 singles
Category:Philips Records singles
Category:1980 songs
Category:Songs with lyrics by Boris Bergman
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