Francis Cabrel

Francis Christian Cabrel (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃sis kʁistjɑ̃ kabʁɛl]; born 23 November 1953) is a French singer-songwriter, composer and guitarist.^[1] Considered one of the most influential French musical artists of all time, he has released a number of albums falling mostly within the realm of folk, with occasional forays into blues or country. Several of his songs, such as "L'encre de tes yeux", "Je l'aime à mourir", "Petite Marie", "La Dame de Haute-Savoie", "Encore et encore", "Il faudra leur dire", "Sarbacane", "C'est écrit", "Je t'aimais, je t'aime, je t'aimerai" and "La corrida", have become enduring favourites in French music. Since the start of his career, Cabrel has sold over 25 million albums.

Francis Cabrel
Cabrel in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Francis Christian Cabrel
Born	(1953-11-23) 23 November 1953 (age 71) Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Genres	Folk, country, blues
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Years active	1974–present
Labels	CBS, Columbia

His first hit song was "Petite Marie" in 1974, which was about the woman who soon became his wife, Mariette.^[2] His song "Je l'aime à mourir" was covered by Shakira; this version, both sung in French and Spanish, became a major hit single.^[3] His song Edition Spéciale was featured in the 1987 film Broadcast News starring Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks and William Hurt.

Although Francis Cabrel is best known as a French-speaking singer, he also sings in Spanish ("La quiero a morir", "Vengo a ofrecer mi corazón"), and even a little in Occitan ("Giors", "Rockstars du Moyen Âge") and Italian.

An unauthorised biography was published in 2015. Cabrel, who is one of the most private French singers, attempted to have the book suppressed.^[4]

Biography

Francis Cabrel was born in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne into a modest family of Venetian Veneto descent. His father was a labourer in a biscuit factory and his mother a cashier in a cafeteria. He has a sister, Martine, and a brother, Philippe. He spent his childhood in Astaffort, in Lot-et-Garonne.^[5]

Albums

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions							Certifications	Sales
		FRA	BEL (Fl) [6]	BEL (Wa) [7]	CAN	QUE	ROD	SWI
Les Murs de poussière[a]	Released: 1977 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette	—	—		—	—	—	—	FRA: Platinum[8]
Les Chemins de traverse	Released: 1979 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette	2	—		—	—	—	—	FRA: 2× Platinum[9]
Fragile	Released: 20 May 1980 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette	2	—		—	—	—	—	FRA: Diamond[9]
Carte postale	Released: 14 September 1981 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette	—	—		—	15	—	—	FRA: 2× Platinum[9]
Quelqu'un de l'intérieur	Released: 25 August 1983 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette • CD	—	—		—	1	—	—	FRA: 2× Platinum[8] CAN: Gold
Photos de voyages	Released: 9 October 1985 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette • CD	6	—		—	1	—	—	FRA: 2× Platinum[9] CAN: Gold[10]
Sarbacane	Released: 21 February 1989 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette • CD	1	—		—	1	—	—	FRA: Diamond[8] CAN: 2× Platinum[10] SWI: Platinum[11]	WW: 2,000,000[12]
Samedi soir sur la Terre	Released: 3 April 1994 Label: Columbia Format: LP • cassette • CD • MiniDisc	1	1		—	1	—	—	FRA: Diamond[9] BEL: 4× Platinum[13] CAN: 2× Platinum[10] SWI: 2× Platinum[11]
Hors-saison	Released: 29 March 1999 Label: Columbia Format: LP • cassette • CD • digital download	1	—	1	—	1	—	—	FRA: Diamond[9] BEL: 2× Platinum[14] CAN: Gold[10] SWI: Platinum[11]
Les Beaux Dégâts	Released: 17 May 2004 Label: Columbia Format: LP • CD • SACD • digital download	1	75	1	9	2	—	3	FRA: 2× Platinum[9] BEL: Gold[15] SWI: Gold[11]
Des roses et des orties	Released: 31 March 2008 Label: Columbia Format: LP • CD • digital download	1	81	1	5	3	—	3	FRA: Diamond[9] BEL: 2× Platinum[16] SWI: Platinum[11]	FRA: 800,000[17]
Vise le ciel ou Bob Dylan revisité	Released: 22 October 2012 Label: Columbia Format: LP • CD • digital download	1	63	1	—	14	3	10	FRA: 2× Platinum[9] BEL: Gold[18]	FRA: 120,000[17]
In extremis	Released: 27 April 2015 Label: Columbia Format: LP • CD • digital download	1	81	1	5	3	—	3	FRA: 3× Platinum[9] BEL: Platinum[19]	FRA: 300,000[20]
À l'Aube revenant	Released: 16 October 2020 Label: Columbia Format: LP • CD • digital download	1 [21]	49	1	—	—	—	1
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Live albums

List of live albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions							Certifications	Sales
		FRA	BEL (Fl) [6]	BEL (Wa) [7]	CAN	QUE	ROD	SWI
Cabrel Public	Released: 16 November 1984 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette • CD	—	—		—	1	—	—	FRA: 2× Platinum[8] CAN: Platinum[10]
D'une ombre à l'Autre	Released: 30 September 1991 Label: Columbia Format: LP • cassette • CD	—	—		—	33	—	—	FRA: 2× Platinum[8]
Double Tour (Électrique & Acoustique)	Released: 16 October 2000 Label: Columbia Format: LP • CD • digital download	2	—	15	—	43	—	—	FRA: 2× Gold[8]
La tournée des Bodegas	Released: 21 November 2005 Label: Columbia Format: LP • CD • CD/DVD • digital download	15	—	21	—	—	—	63	FRA: Gold[9]
L'In Extremis Tour	Released: 14 October 2016 Label: Sony Format: LP • CD • CD/DVD • digital download	4	110	3	—	—	4	16	FRA: Gold[9]
Trobador Tour	Released: 3 December 2021 Label: Sony Format: LP • CD • CD/DVD • digital download	16 [22]	—	7	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

List of compilation albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions							Certifications	Sales
		FRA	BEL (Fl)	BEL (Wa)	CAN	QUE	ROD	SWI
Canta en Español	Released: 1985 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette • CD	—	—		—	—	—	—
Cabrel 77-87	Released: 17 November 1987 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette • CD	28	—	12	—	19	—	—	BEL: 2× Platinum[23] FRA: Diamond[9] CAN: Gold[10] SWI: Platinum[11]
Algo más de amor (1990)	Released: 1990 Label: CBS Format: LP • cassette • CD	—	—		—	—	—	—
Algo más de amor (1998)	Released: 6 April 1998 Label: Colombia Format: LP • cassette • CD	—	—	—	—	27	—	—
L'Essentiel 1977–2007	Released: 1 June 2007 Label: Colombia Format: LP • CD • CD/DVD • digital download	44	—	1	—	3	13	13	FRA: Platinum[9] BEL: Platinum[24] CAN: Gold[10] SWI: Gold[11]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Box sets

List of box sets, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Certifications	Sales
		FRA
Les Murs de poussière / Les Chemins de traverse / Fragile	Released: 4 November 1996 Label: Columbia Format: CD	—	FRA: Platinum[8]
Carte postale / Quelqu'un de l'intérieur / Photos de voyages	Released: 4 November 1996 Label: Columbia Format: CD	—
Cabrel Public / Sarbacane / Samedi soir sur la Terre	Released: 7 October 2002 Label: Sony Format: CD	193
Collection 1977-1989	Released: 20 November 2015 Label: Sony Format: CD	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions			Sales	Album
		FRA	BEL (Wa)	QUE
"L'instant d'amour"	1977	—	—	—		Francis Cabrel
"Petite Marie"		137	—	—
"Pas trop de peine"	1978	—	—	—
"Les Murs de poussière"		—	—	—
"Je l'aime à mourir"	1979	1	—	—	FRA: 600,000[12]	Les Chemins de traverse
"Je rêve"		15	—	—	FRA : 100 000[25]
"L'Encre de tes yeux"	1980	5	—	13	FRA : 400 000[26]	Fragile
"Je pense encore à toi"		18	—	—	FRA : 150 000[26]
"La dame de Haute-Savoie"	1981	—	—	—
"Carte postale"		—	—	—		Carte postale
"Répondez-moi"	1982	—	—	—
"La fille qui m'accompagne"	1983	—	—	—		Quelqu'un de l'intérieur
"Saïd et Mohammed"	1984	—	—	—
"Question d'équilibre"		—	—	2
"Encore et encore"	1985	14	—	4	FRA : 250 000[27]	Photos de voyages
"Tourner les hélicos"		—	—	17
"Je te suivrai"	1986	—	—	—
"Il faudra leur dire" (Cabrel and the children)		2	—	1	FRA : 500 000[28]	Cabrel 77-87
"Sarbacane"	1989	30	—	1		Sarbacane
"C'est écrit"		6	—	4	FRA : 200 000[29]
"Animal"		31	—	1
"Tout le monde y pense"	1990	19	—	—	FRA : 60 000[30]
"Petite Marie" (live)		5	—	8	FRA : 100 000[30]	D'une ombre à l'autre
"Je t'aimais, je t'aime, je t'aimerai"	1994	78	—	1		Samedi soir sur la Terre
"La cabane du pêcheur"		—	—	1
"La Corrida"		7	—	3	FRA : 75 000[31]
"Octobre"	1995	88	—	1
"Samedi soir sur la Terre"		—	—	14
"Vengo a ofrecer mi corazón" (with Mercedes Sosa)	1997	—	39	—		Algo más de amor (1998)
"Presque rien"	1999	—	—	8		Hors-saison
"Le reste du temps"		—	—	1
"Hors-saison"		133	—	—
"Le monde est sourd"	2000	—	—	2
"Ma place dans le trafic" (live)		—	—	—		Double Tour
"Bonne nouvelle"	2004	—	—	7		Les Beaux Dégâts
"Qu'est-ce que t'en dis?"		—	—	9
"Tu me corresponds"		—	—	—
"Les gens absents"	2005	—	—	15
"Je pense encore à toi" (live)		—	—	—		La tournée des Bodegas
"Gardien de nuit"	2006	—	—	40		Le Soldat Rose
"Le gorille"	2007	—	—	—		L'Essentiel 1977-2007
"La robe et l'échelle"	2008	—	2	11		Des roses et des orties
"Le chêne liège"		—	31	34
"Des hommes pareils"	2009	—	22	21
"Né dans le Bayou"		—	—	23
"Les cardinaux en costume" (live)		—	17[b]	—		—
"Comme une femme"	2012	130	5[b]	—		Vise le ciel ou Bob Dylan revisité
"Je te veux"		—	26[b]	—
"Partir pour rester"	2015	42	39	—		In extremis
"Dur comme fer"		—	13[b]	—
"À chaque amour que nous ferons"		141	—	—
"Le pays d'à côté"	2016	—	28[b]	—
"Te ressembler"	2020	25	—	—		À l'Aube revenant
"Peuple des fontaines"	2021	144	—	—
"À l'Aube revenant"		88	—	—
"Rockstars du Moyen Âge"		98	—	—
"Un morceau de Sicre"	2023	—	—	—		—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

As featured artist

List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions		Album
		FRA	BEL (Wa)
"La complainte de la butte" (with Patrick Bruel)	2002	48	—	Entre deux
"Tout reste à faire" (with Souad Massi)	2010	—	15[b]	Ô houria
"Petite Marie" (with Umberto Tozzi)	2012	—	25[b]	Yesterday: The Best of 1976-2012
"Sueno" (Gipsy Kings featuring Francis Cabrel)	2014	—	—	Savor Flamenco
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Other charted songs

List of songs, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Title	Year	Peak chart positions		Album
		FRA	BEL (Wa)
"Madame n'aime pas"	2009	—	12[b]	Des roses et des orties
"Les filles à quoi ça sert" (with Bénabar, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Alain Souchon)	2011	—	3[b]	Titeuf
"Lucie" (with Nolwenn Leroy)	2014	193	—	Kiss & Love
"Mademoiselle l'aventure"	2015	150	—	Des roses et des orties
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Videography

• Sarbacane tour (1989)

Footnotes

1. Les Murs de poussière was originally released as Francis Cabrel.
2. These songs did not enter the Ultratop 50 (Walloon), but rather the sales chart Ultratip 50.