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Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine

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Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine
Background information
Born (1948-07-21) 21 July 1948 (age 76)
OriginFranche-Comté, France
GenresPop, Rock
Occupation(s)Singer, Writer, Composer
Years active1978–present
LabelsSony Music
WebsiteOfficial site (in French)

Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine (French pronunciation: [ybɛʁ feliks tjefɛn]) is a French pop-rock singer and songwriter. He was born on 21 July 1948 in the town of Dole in the Jura département.

Mostly shunned by television and radio, he has built over the years – through word of mouth and frequent touring – a considerable following which allowed him to fill the 17,000-seater Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy for an anniversary concert in 1998. In recent years he has been increasingly name-dropped as an influence by the latest generation of performers in France, and was the subject of a tribute album of covers in 2002. He has been performing since the late 1960s and releasing records since 1978.

Musically, Thiéfaine draws mostly from classic rock, with rare nods to the latest musical trends, and generally leaves the arranging to a collaborator. His songs are most notable for instantly recognisable lyrics, with their trademark streams of consciousness, surreal and often extreme or dark imagery, often tinged with comedy, cynicism, literary references, neologisms and liberal use of scientific, long or foreign words. The lyrical mayhem sometimes spreads into comically long song titles, such as Enfermé dans les cabinets (avec la fille mineure des 80 chasseurs), or Exercice de simple provocation avec 33 fois le mot "coupable". His education in a Catholic boarding school has also left deep traces which surface in his lyrics in the form of biblical quotations and cheerfully blasphemous lyrics.

His avowed influences include Léo Ferré, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison and many French, Anglophone and German novelists and poets, with a preference for romantic literature.

Discography

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Albums

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Studio albums

  • 1978 – Tout corps vivant branché sur le secteur étant appelé à s'émouvoir
  • 1979 – Autorisation de délirer
  • 1980 – De l'amour, de l'art ou du cochon
  • 1981 – Dernières balises (avant mutation)
  • 1982 – Soleil cherche futur
  • 1984 – Alambic/sortie-sud
  • 1986 – Météo für nada
  • 1988 – Eros über alles
  • 1990 – Chroniques bluesymentales
  • 1993 – Fragments d'hébétude
Year Title Peak positions
FR
[1]
BEL
(Wa)

[2]
SWI
[3]
1996 La tentation du bonheur 27  –  –
1998 Le bonheur de la tentation 20  –  –
2001 Défloration 13 14  –  –
2005 Scandale mélancolique 14 89  –
2007 Amicalement Blues
(joint album with Paul Personne)
19 77  –
2011 Supplément de Mensonges 2 22 32
2014 Stratégie de l'Inespoir 10 61 33
2021 Géographie du vide  – 6 6

Live albums

  • 1983: En concert (double album vinyl or double CD)
  • 1986: En concert vol. 2 (double album vinyl or double CD)
  • 1988: Routes 88 (double album vinyl or simple CD)
  • 1995: Paris-Zénith (double CD)
Year Title Peak positions Notes
FR
[1]
BEL
(Wa)

[2]
SWI
[3]
1999 En concert à Bercy 19  –  – Double CD
2002 Au Bataclan 75  –  – Live at Le Bataclan
2007 Scandale mélancolique Tour 58  –  – Double album
2012 Homo Plebis Ultimae Tour 14 45 90
2016 Vixi Tour XVII 10 43 69

Compilations

  • 1988: 1978–1983
  • 1989: 1984–1988
  • 1998: 1978–1998
  • 2002: Les fils du coupeur de joints (homage & compilation)
  • 2006: Les Indispensables – compilation
  • 2009: Séquelles (Peaked in SNEP France #58 and BEL (Wallonia) #56)[1]

Singles

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Year Title Peak positions Album
FR
[1]
2012 "La ruelle des morts" 151
2014 "En cloque" 114 La Bande à Renaud
"Angélus" 173

Videos

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  • 1992 : Bluesymental tour (VHS)
  • 1995 : Paris-Zénith (VHS)
  • 1999 : En concert à Bercy (DVD)
  • 2007 : Scandale mélancolique tour (DVD)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine discography". lescharts.com. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine discography". ultratop.be/fr. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine discography". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  • Théfaine, Jean (2005). Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine Jours d'orage. Fayard/Chorus. ISBN 2-213-62715-0.
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