Francis Lai

Soundtrack man BORN 1932

It was impossible to avoid Francis Lai in the 1960s and ’70s. His distinctive award-winning OSTs to A Man And A Woman, then Love Story (and covers of both) filled the airwaves worldwide. Born in Nice, Lai discovered his talent for melody at a very early age. By the time he fell into film music in 1966 he’d worked with Piaf – but it was his gentle call of La-Ba-La-Ba-La from Un Homme Et Une Femme that won international success and commissions from swinging London and beyond. Dozens of scores followed, including a rare collaboration in 1970 with a young Elton Johns [sic] in The Games. Lai was the gateway drug for many soundtrack fans, and his music formed a catalogue of beautifully melodic work. Jonny Trunk