Louise Cordet
Encyclopedia
Louise Cordet was an English
pop
singer who also sang in French, best known as a one-hit wonder
for her 1962 single
, "I'm Just a Baby".
, and the French-born Greek actress Helene Cordet.
In 1940, as a trainee cadet pilot with no more than twenty hours flying time, her father flew a Morane 315 training aircraft without navigation equipment or maps from Meknès
in Morocco
to Gibraltar
in response to Charles de Gaulle
's Appeal of June 18
.
Her mother's parents helped Prince Andrew
and Princess Alice
of Greece after their exile in 1922, resulting in a lasting friendship between the two families.
Cordet is the goddaughter
of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
, and was educated, firstly at the French Lycée in Kensington, London, and then a convent school.
she took her stage name
from her mother, Hélène Cordet, who had adopted the surname
early in her own professional career, as an actress and TV
hostess.
After signing to Decca Records
, she released "I'm Just a Baby" in 1962, which hit No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart
. The song was composed by Jerry Lordan
and produced by former Shadows drummer Tony Meehan
.
She appeared in the film
s Just for You and Just for Fun in 1963.
Cordet undertook tours with The Beatles
and Gerry and the Pacemakers. Gerry Marsden
is said to initially have written the song "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" for Cordet, though the Gerry and the Pacemakers recording was released almost simultaneously, in April 1964. She recorded a four track EP
for French Decca - three tracks in French (including a French language version of the English song, "Around And Around", plus her version of The Beatles' song, "From Me to You
"). Her final single was a cover version
of a Motown
tune called "Two Lovers
". "Two Lovers", originally composed by Smokey Robinson
, featured Jimmy Page
on guitar
on Cordet's version. She also toured in 1963 with Paul & Paula
, Tony Meehan
and Jet Harris
, with concert promotor Arthur Howes. But she had stopped recording by 1965.
She served as French pronunciation
advisor at Marianne Faithfull
's 11 May 1965 Decca Records recording session.
. She now lives in Greece
with a home also in London. She has a brother Max Boisot
, who is a Professor of Economics.
Interests in Louise Cordet's recording material has always been high and in early 2011 two CDs were released, one entitled 'Louise Cordet - I'm Just A Baby' and also 'The Sweet Beat of Louise Cordet', which contains all of her Decca recordings, in both English and French, totalling twenty-four tracks.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer who also sang in French, best known as a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
for her 1962 single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "I'm Just a Baby".
Early life
Louise Cordet is the daughter of Captain Marcel Boisot of the Free French Air ForceFree French Air Force
The Free French Air Force was the air arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War.-Fighting for Free France — the FAFL in French North Africa :...
, and the French-born Greek actress Helene Cordet.
In 1940, as a trainee cadet pilot with no more than twenty hours flying time, her father flew a Morane 315 training aircraft without navigation equipment or maps from Meknès
Meknes
Meknes is a city in northern Morocco, located from the capital Rabat and from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail , before it was relocated to Marrakech. The...
in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in response to Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
's Appeal of June 18
Appeal of June 18
The Appeal of 18 June was a famous speech by Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French Forces, in 1940. The appeal is often considered to be the origin of the French Resistance to the German occupation during World War II. De Gaulle spoke to the French people from London after the fall of...
.
Her mother's parents helped Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the seventh child and fourth son of King George I of Greece and Olga Constantinovna of Russia. He was a grandson of Christian IX of Denmark.He began military training at an early age, and was...
and Princess Alice
Princess Alice of Battenberg
Princess Alice of Battenberg, later Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mother-in-law of Elizabeth II....
of Greece after their exile in 1922, resulting in a lasting friendship between the two families.
Cordet is the goddaughter
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, and was educated, firstly at the French Lycée in Kensington, London, and then a convent school.
Music career
When she began singingSinging
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
she took her stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
from her mother, Hélène Cordet, who had adopted the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
early in her own professional career, as an actress and TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
hostess.
After signing to Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, she released "I'm Just a Baby" in 1962, which hit No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The song was composed by Jerry Lordan
Jerry Lordan
Jerry Lordan , born Jeremiah Patrick Lordan in Paddington, west London, was an English songwriter, composer and singer.-Career:...
and produced by former Shadows drummer Tony Meehan
Tony Meehan
Daniel Joseph Anthony "Tony" Meehan was a founder member of the British group The Shadows with Jet Harris, Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch...
.
She appeared in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s Just for You and Just for Fun in 1963.
Cordet undertook tours with The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Gerry and the Pacemakers. Gerry Marsden
Gerry Marsden
Gerard "Gerry" Marsden is an English musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the British band Gerry & the Pacemakers.-Biography:...
is said to initially have written the song "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" for Cordet, though the Gerry and the Pacemakers recording was released almost simultaneously, in April 1964. She recorded a four track EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
for French Decca - three tracks in French (including a French language version of the English song, "Around And Around", plus her version of The Beatles' song, "From Me to You
From Me to You
"From Me to You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles as a single in 1963. The single was the Beatles' first number one in some of the United Kingdom charts, second in others, but failed to make an impact in the United States at the time of its initial...
"). Her final single was a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of a Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
tune called "Two Lovers
Two Lovers (Mary Wells song)
"Two Lovers" is a single released in 1962 by Mary Wells on the Motown record label. The song was the third consecutive hit to be both written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles and recorded by Mary Wells, the two previous charters being "The One Who Really Loves You" and "You Beat Me...
". "Two Lovers", originally composed by Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
, featured Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on Cordet's version. She also toured in 1963 with Paul & Paula
Paul & Paula
Paul & Paula , were a pop singing duo, best known for their 1963 million selling #1 hit record, "Hey Paula."-Biography:...
, Tony Meehan
Tony Meehan
Daniel Joseph Anthony "Tony" Meehan was a founder member of the British group The Shadows with Jet Harris, Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch...
and Jet Harris
Jet Harris
Jet Harris, MBE was an English musician. He was the bass guitarist of The Shadows until April 1962, and had subsequent success as a soloist and as a duo with the drummer Tony Meehan....
, with concert promotor Arthur Howes. But she had stopped recording by 1965.
She served as French pronunciation
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
advisor at Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
's 11 May 1965 Decca Records recording session.
Personal life
She is married to a Greek national and has three children: the eldest son is the singer, Alexi MurdochAlexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch is a singer-songwriter born in London and raised in Scotland, Greece and France, now living in Berlin.- Background :Murdoch was born in London to a Greek father and Scottish-French mother and raised in Greece, just outside of Athens until he was ten, when his family moved to...
. She now lives in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
with a home also in London. She has a brother Max Boisot
Max Boisot
Max Henri Boisot was Professor of Strategic Management at the ESADE business school in Barcelona, Associate Fellow at Templeton College, University of Oxford, and Senior Associate at the Judge Institute of Management Studies at the University of Cambridge.He was also a research fellow at the Sol...
, who is a Professor of Economics.
Singles
- DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
F11476 (1962) "I'm Just a Baby" / "In A Matter of Moments" UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#13 - Decca F11524 (1962) "Sweet Enough" / "Someone Else's Fool"
- Decca F11673 (1963) "Around and AroundAround and Around"Around and Around" is a 1958 rock song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. It originally appeared under the name "Around & Around" as the B-side to the single "Johnny B. Goode".- The Rolling Stones :...
" / "Which Way the Wind Blows" - Decca F11824 (1964) "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" / "Loving Baby"
- Decca F11875 (1964) "Don't Make Me OverDon't Make Me Over (song)"Don't Make Me Over" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David which marked the recording debut of Dionne Warwick in 1962.-Dionne Warwick version:...
" / "Two LoversTwo Lovers (Mary Wells song)"Two Lovers" is a single released in 1962 by Mary Wells on the Motown record label. The song was the third consecutive hit to be both written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles and recorded by Mary Wells, the two previous charters being "The One Who Really Loves You" and "You Beat Me...
" - Decca EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
DFE 8515 (1962) - "The Sweet Beat of Louise Cordet". "She's Got You", "We Know Why", "Everytime", "Crazy Kind of Love". - Decca (France) EP (1963) 454.100 "Louise Cordet" - "Faire le Grande Voyage", "Que m'a-t-il- Fait?" - "From Me To You", "L'amour Tourne en Rond".
Interests in Louise Cordet's recording material has always been high and in early 2011 two CDs were released, one entitled 'Louise Cordet - I'm Just A Baby' and also 'The Sweet Beat of Louise Cordet', which contains all of her Decca recordings, in both English and French, totalling twenty-four tracks.