Michel Polnareff

Michel Polnareff
Michel Polnareff in concert at Le Palace on July 10, 2023.
Background information
Birth name	Michel Polnareff
Also known as	The Admiral
Born	(1944-07-03) 3 July 1944
Origin	Nérac (Lot-et-Garonne), France
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals pop jazz rock
Years active	1966–present
Labels	Barclay
Partner	Danyellah Polnareff (2004-present)

Michel Polnareff (born 3 July 1944) is a French singer-songwriter who emerged in the 1960s, known for integrating rock and pop elements into his early work. He wrote popular songs such as “La Poupée qui fait non” and “Love Me, Please Love Me.” Over the years, his music incorporated various influences, including classical and electronic styles. Recognized for his distinctive appearance and stage presence, Polnareff has maintained a notable presence in French popular music.

Early life

Michel Polnareff's mother, Simonne Lane, was a Breton dancer, and his father, Leib Polnareff, was of Ukrainian Jewish heritage who worked with Édith Piaf. His father encouraged him to pursue music from a young age and discouraged socializing with peers. Michel attended the Cours Hattemer, a private school. He learned to play guitar and piano, and after completing his studies and military service, and briefly working in insurance, he began playing guitar on the steps of the Sacré Cœur.

Career

Polnareff (Dutch TV, 1967)

Lucien Morisse, a producer at Europe 1 and director of AZ Disc, signed Michel to his own record company. His first disc, La Poupée qui fait non (1966), which features Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, achieved immediate success.

During this period, he played concerts in Brussels for one week, sharing the bill with Jeff Beck. In France, songs included ‘La Poupée qui fait non’, ‘Love Me, Please Love Me’ (1966), ‘Sous quelle étoile suis-je né?’ (1966), ‘Ta-ta-ta-ta’ (1967), ‘Âme câline’ (‘Soul Coaxing’) (1967), ‘Le Bal des Laze’ (1968), ‘Tout tout pour ma chérie’ (1969), ‘Holidays’ (1972), and ‘On ira tous au paradis’ (1972).

Exile in the United States (1973–1984)

During a tour of Japan, he learned that Bernard Seneau, his manager, had absconded with his money, leaving him broke. Unable to pay his debts and affected by the death of his mother, he left France by boat and moved to the United States, where he lived anonymously. He was joined by his friend and long-time partner, Annie Fargue, who became his manager and remained so for many years even after their separation as a couple.

In 1975, Polnareff released his first and only album entirely sung in English (later renamed after the first song of the album, ‘Fame à la Mode’), recorded with musicians including Lee Sklar, David Foster, Jim Knelter, and Lee Ritenour. The song ‘Jesus for Tonight’, taken from the album, charted on the American Billboard.

He also created the soundtrack for the film ‘Lipstick’ (1976), which starred American model Margaux Hemingway and her sister Mariel. In 1975, after being unable to enter French soil, Polnareff performed in Brussels, with many of his French fans traveling by train to see him. In the summer of 1977, he released a new song called ‘Lettre à France’, which expressed his yearning for his home country. The song, co-written with French writer Jean-Loup Dabadie, was an imaginary letter to France, the country Polnareff had left.

In 1978, he released the album ‘Coucou me Revoilou’, which did not sell well and did not chart. His next album, ‘Bulles’ (1981), was a commercial and critical success, marking Polnareff’s return to the French music scene. In 1985, he released another album, ‘Incognito’, which was less commercially successful than his previous work. During this time, he also developed an interest in computers.

Back to the top (1989–1994)

In 1989, ‘Goodbye Marylou’ aired on radio stations without prior promotion and quickly gained popularity. For a year and a half, Polnareff lived reclusively at Le Royal Monceau in Paris while recording ‘Kāma-Sūtra’. The album, featuring guitar parts by Mike Oldfield on two songs, was released in February 1990. It was commercially successful and solidified Polnareff's return to the French music scene, featuring popular songs such as ‘Kāma-Sūtra’, ‘LNA HO’, and ‘Toi et moi’.

Rumors spread about his health, and in 1994, he underwent successful surgery to remove a cataract to prevent blindness.

From the Roxy to Bercy: rebirth (1995–2007)

Polnareff returned to the United States and performed live at the Roxy Theatre on Sunset Boulevard on 27 September 1995. His band included executive producer/guitarist Dick Smith (Earth, Wind, and Fire, Aretha Franklin) and Alex Acuña (Weather Report, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson). The performance was released the following year as ‘Live at the Roxy’. The album received platinum certification in France. To mark this occasion, the channel Canal + devoted a special to him in two parts: ‘À la Recherche de Polnareff’ ("In Search of Polnareff") is a documentary about investigators searching for Polnareff's whereabouts. The second part, ‘Rendez-vous à Zzyzx Road’, is an interview by Michel Denisot in the Mojave Desert, in which Polnareff appeared in a military uniform (leading to his nickname "The Admiral"). This was followed by an acoustic mini-concert in the Californian desert.

In 1999, Polnareff released his first original single in ten years, ‘Je rêve d'un monde (When I'm in Love)’. However, due to limited promotional outlets and the song's length (approaching 13 minutes), which hindered radio airplay, the song performed relatively poorly. Despite plans for a new album and tour in the following years, they did not materialize.

In 2003, the compilation ‘Passé Présent’ was released, selling over 200,000 copies.

In 2004, Polnareff released an autobiography, ‘Polnareff par Polnareff’. He also stated that work on his next album was ongoing.

On 12 May 2006, Michel Polnareff announced on national television that he would give a series of concerts between 2 and 14 March 2007, followed by a tour in France. He then released a new single, ‘Ophélie Flagrant des Lits’, which received mixed reactions.

On Bastille Day 2007, Polnareff gave a free concert at the Champs de Mars, in front of the Eiffel Tower. Over 1.5 million people attended the 2007 tour.

In the studio (2010–2015)

By November 2013, Polnareff had sold a total of 3.9 million albums and 4.9 million singles in France.

In 2014, an authorized documentary called ‘Quand l'écran s'allume’ (its title borrowed from the opening line of ‘Goodbye Marylou’)) was screened in theaters and later aired on television. Many tracks from his then-upcoming album were previewed in this documentary, showing Polnareff recording in the studio and playing piano in his living room.

New single and new tour (2015–2017)

On 8 December 2015, Polnareff announced the release of his new album in the first half of 2016 (between January and April 2016) and a new tour of 50 dates in France, Belgium, and Switzerland. The tour was split into two legs: a first leg from 30 April 2016 in Epernay to 26 July 2016 (including four dates at the Paris-Bercy Arena in early May 2016 and appearances at summer festivals), and a second leg scheduled from 4 November 2016 to 10 December 2016 in Bordeaux.

On 18 December 2015, Polnareff released ‘L'Homme en rouge’, his first single since 2006, available as a digital download and on streaming services. ‘L'Homme en rouge’ is sung from the perspective of a poor child who disbelieves in Santa Claus.

In late April 2016, just before the tour began, Polnareff revealed that the new album was not yet finished, stating he was still working on 3 of the 9 announced tracks. He planned to play a new song from the album live during the tour, entitled ‘Sumi’, which was about his SM experience with a geisha in Fukuoka, Japan. He also mentioned that a song he wrote about his son Louka, simply entitled ‘Louka's Song’, would appear on the new album. Simultaneously, another autobiographical book, ‘Spèrme’, was released.

In December 2016, before the penultimate concert of the tour, Polnareff suffered a double pulmonary embolism, leading to the cancellation of the two remaining dates.

Enfin! (2018)

On 3 October 2018, Polnareff announced the forthcoming release on 30 November of ‘Enfin!’ ("Finally!"), his first studio album in 28 years. The album received mixed reception from the press.

Polnareff chante Polnareff (2022-2023)

On 24 July 2022, four years after the release of ‘Enfin!’, Polnareff announced a new album consisting of piano and vocal renditions of some of his major hits. The album performed well and led to a French tour to promote it the following year.

La derrière tournée (2025)

In November 2024, Michel Polnareff announced the release of a new album and tour for the following year, including his first ever show in London. He also released a single, ‘Sexcetera’. In February 2025, he released a second single from the album, titled ‘Tu n’m’entends pas’. On March 10, Polnareff announced the album would be titled ‘Un temps pour elles’.

Personal life

Polnareff cultivated a distinctive image: long hair, black glasses, flared trousers, and ambiguous provocations. His song ‘L'amour avec toi’ could not be aired before 10 P.M. at the time in France because it was considered "pornographic". From 1969 on, Polnareff achieved significant popularity through tours, music videos, and hit songs. He also became a target of scandalmongers.

In September 1970, Polnareff experienced a personal loss when his friend Lucien Morisse died by suicide. Around the same period, he also went through a relationship crisis. Following a period of rest near Paris and several months of isolation and therapy for depression, he gradually returned to touring. While his general health and morale improved, his vision did not; he continued to wear thick, dark sunglasses to protect his eyes.

In 1972, a promotional poster for his ‘Polnarévolution’ tour, which featured an image of his bare buttocks, attracted controversy. Although the publicity generated commercial interest, it also led to instances of censorship and legal challenges.

Polnareff has had several relationships, including with American actress Lynda Carter and Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel. His first major relationship was with his manager Annie Fargue. The two dated for over 20 years but never married. In 2004, he met Danyellah, a French journalist and model. On 28 December 2010, Polnareff's girlfriend Danyellah gave birth to a boy, Louka, in Los Angeles, with Polnareff delivering the baby himself. On 21 February 2011, Polnareff announced via a Facebook post that a DNA test had revealed he was not the biological father of the child and that Danyellah had used a sperm donor. A later post indicated his girlfriend had disappeared with the baby. They were separated for some months, but as of 2014 were reunited with their son, Louka. Today, they live in a house in Palm Springs where Polnareff has his own recording studio.

Polnareff's longtime friend and manager Annie Fargé died of cancer at age 76 on March 4, 2011.

Discography

Main article: Michel Polnareff discography

In popular culture

Jean-Pierre Polnareff, a character in the Japanese manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, is named after Michel Polnareff. He is a self-proclaimed fan of the manga series and previously used Jean-Pierre Polnareff as his Twitter profile picture.

In 1996, Mylène Farmer and Khaled covered ‘La Poupée qui fait non’. ‘On ira tous au paradis’ became the theme song of Restaurants du Cœur in 1998. His 1977 song ‘Lettre à France’ saw renewed success in 2004 following its inclusion on the French version of the Star Academy talent contest.

In 2001, death rapper Necro sampled Polnareff's ‘Voyages’ for his song ‘Light My Fire’. English band The Shortwave Set also sampled this song for their single ‘Is It Any Wonder?’ in 2005. Masher (L)SD sampled ‘Sous quelle étoile suis-je né?’ for his tune ‘Howards's Thinking Clearly’, on the CD ‘That's CRAZY Music’ (2005).

The 2004 Korean TV drama ‘Sorry, I Love You’, also known as ‘MiSa’, featured Polnareff songs like ‘Qui a tué Grand' Maman ?’ and ‘Ça n'arrive qu'aux autres’ on its soundtrack. It aired on channel KBS from 9 November 2004 to 28 December 2004. The soundtrack was released on two commercial CDs.

Publications

• 1974: Polnaréflexions in collaboration with Jean-Michel Desjeunes, Editions Dire/Stock2
• 2004: Polnareff par Polnareff in collaboration with Philippe Manœuvre, Editions Grasset et Fasquelle
• 2013: Le Polnabook, by Michel Polnareff, Editions Ipanéma
• 2016: Spèrme, by Michel Polnareff, Editions Plon

Bibliography

• Christian Eudeline, Derrière les lunettes, ed. fayard, 2013 (ISBN 978-2-213-66680-8)
• Benoît Cachi, Polnaculte : Michel Polnareff vu par ses auteurs et par lui-même, ed. Tournon, 2007 (ISBN 978-2351440360)
• Christophe Lauga, Polnareffmania, ed. Scali, 2007 (ISBN 2350120848)
• Fabien Lecœuvre, Polnareff, la véritable histoire d'une légende, ed. City, 2007 (ISBN 2352880459)
• Philippe Margotin, Polnareff, ed. de la Lagune, 2007 (ISBN 284969049X)
• Fabien Lecœuvre, Michel Polnareff, ed. Vaderetro, 2004 (ISBN 2847630104)

External links

• Biography of Michel Polnareff, from Radio France Internationale
• Official Web Site : Michel Polnareff (news, discography, photos...)