The lyricist who offered his words to Brigitte Bardot, Juliette Gréco and France Gall has just died at the age of 88, leaving behind a considerable musical legacy.
Jean-Max Rivière died on Saturday in Royan, in Charente-Maritime. His family confirmed the news of his death. For several decades, this author left his mark on the French-speaking musical landscape by collaborating with the greatest voices of his time. Among them are Brigitte Bardot, for whom he wrote “La Madrague” in 1962, but also Dalida, Françoise Hardy, Sylvie Vartan and Serge Reggiani.
Alongside composer Gérard Bourgeois, who died in 2016, he formed one of the most fruitful creative duos of the sixties and seventies. Their collaboration gave birth to hundreds of titles, performed by artists as varied as Les Compagnons de la chanson, Michel Delpech and Dalida. For France Gall, in 1966 they signed “It’s snowing” and “Tu n’as pas ledroit”, while Serge Reggiani enjoyed great success two years later with “Il suffisait de quasi rien”.
In addition to his work as an author, Jean-Max Rivière also worked within Sacem, where he served for a long time on the board of directors. He also distinguished himself in the adaptation of foreign songs, such as this American hit “I Only Want to Be with You” which he transposed into French for Richard Anthony under the title “Ànow tu peut t’en aller”. His career even led him to participate in the rock opera “La Révolution française” by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil.
A complete artist, he also recorded several records in the 1960s. On social networks, singer Alain Turban paid him a tribute, hailing Jean-Max Rivière as “the man to whom I owe my entire career” and recalling titles like “Marionnette” or “Quatrième dimension”. His death leaves a void in the world of song, but his work continues to resonate.
