If we’re to believe Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal, love means never having to say you’re sorry. And their box office success in “Love Story” (1970) means never having to try very hard to recall the music of Francis Lai.
Lai died in 2018. He would have been 90 years-old today.
Lai started out as an accordionist and songwriter in Marseille. His association with singer Claude Goaty brought him to Paris, where he fell in with Edith Piaf’s circle while still in his 20s. He accompanied her, as she championed some of his 600 songs. His works were also embraced by Juliette Greco and Yves Montand.
After the international success of the film “A Man and a Woman” (1966), director Claude Lelouch made it a practice to send Lai an outline of the story to his subsequent movies before a frame was ever shot. Lai would then come up with a theme – invariably romantic and melancholy – and the films would then be crafted to suit the music. This unusual arrangement worked very well for them. They wound up collaborating on nearly 40 projects.
Lai, who spoke no English, twice turned down the opportunity to work on “Love Story.” He was finally persuaded by actor Alain Delain, who flew to Paris in the company of Paramount studio executive Robert Evans and a rough cut of the film. Lai later recalled he was so moved by the movie that he sat down at the keyboard as soon as he got home and composed the haunting theme. “Love Story” was nominated for seven Academy Awards, but Lai was the only one to be recognized with a statuette.
Andy Williams’ vocal spin-off of the tune, as “Where Do I Begin?,” recorded after the film, was a top-10 hit. The “Love Story” theme reached number 2 on the Billboard charts.
In all, Lai’s soundtracks sold over 20 million copies. If nothing else, you’ve probably heard his music when sitting in the dentist’s chair. His poignant melodies continue to be played on easy listening services everywhere.
Joyeux anniversaire, Francis Lai.
With Edith Piaf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2-jWuce62Y
“A Man and a Woman”
“Love Story”
“Where Do I Begin?”
Receiving his Oscar from Joan Blondell and Glen Campbell