Pascal Danel

Jean-Jacques Pascal known professionally as Pascal Danel (31 March 1944 – 25 July 2024) was a French pop singer and composer.

He absconded from his school to become a tightrope walker for a travelling circus. It was at this point that he assumed his stage name. An injury following a fall, finished his high-wire days and he turned to song writing as part of his recuperation.

He started his career as a singer in 1962. After two minor hits, he scored a number 1 hit single in France and various European countries with "La Plage aux Romantiques", a gold disc in 1966, followed in 1967 by the international success of "Kilimandjaro", a platinum and number 1 single, recorded by Danel in six languages. The song was recorded more than 180 times by various international artists, and is one of the biggest French standards of the decade.

He then recorded many of his songs not only in French, but also in Italian, Spanish or Japanese, and toured internationally. In 1972, he came in third place in the Rose d'Or d'Antibes song festival singing "Ton Ame".

Many hits followed, including another number one with "Comme Une Enfant" and several Top 10 hits in the late 1960s and 1970s. Some other singles were only minor hits. In 1979, "La Plage aux Romantiques" hit the Top 5 again, Danel toured again, and released a live album, as well as new songs. He came back in the mid 1980s as a successful TV producer, and hit the charts again in 1989 with a compilation produced by his son, Jean-Pierre, a guitarist and producer, earning Danel another gold disc. His last album with new material was published in 2000.

Between 2007 and 2009, Pascal was one of the few members of a major two years and a half long nostalgic tour, along with some icons of the 1960s, playing sold-out concerts in the biggest French concert halls. The tour sold 1,750,000 tickets.

Danel died on 25 July 2024, at the age of 80 .

Hit singles

• Je m'en fous (1965) (N°18)
• Hop là tu as vu! (1965) (N°16)
• La plage aux romantiques (1966) (N°1)
• Pierrot le sait (1966) (N°33)
• Jeanne (1967) (N°16)
• Kilimandjaro (1967) (N°1)
• Les trois dernières minutes (1967) (N°6)
• Comme une enfant (1967) (N°1)
• Mon ami (1967) (N°13)
• Avec un bout de crayon (1967) (N°38)
• Le Funambule (1968) (N°21)
• La Neige est en deuil (1968) (N°14)
• L'Italie (1968) (N°32)
• Bonjour Madame la Tendresse (1968) (N°20)
• Allez viens on danse (1968) (N°24)
• Dans la main d'une fille (1969) (N°42)
• Un jour d'eté (1969) (N°27)
• Mamina (1970) (N°4)
• Ton ame (1972) Prix de la Rose d'Or (N°17)
• Notre Dame (1972) (N°48)
• Je suis un aventurier (1973) (N°2)
• Pour un amour (1973) (N°11)
• Le Petit Prince n'est pas mort (1973) (N°7)
• Comme on est bien ensemble (1973) (N°21)
• Rotterdam (1974) (N°13)
• La Communale de mes 10 ans (1978) (N°26)
• Si l'on vivait ensemble (1978) (N°41)
• Et j'ai soudain beaucoup d'amis (1979) (N°50)
• La plage aux romantiques (1979) (N°5)
• Les grands oiseaux (1980) (N°44)
• Un homme fou d'amour (1981) (N°41)
• Et si on partait d'ici (1982) (N°19)
• La robe d'Organdi (1983) (N°48)
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps (duet with Jean-Pierre Danel) (2009) (N°29)

Other singles

• "Soldat soldat" (1964)
• "Paul" (1973)
• "J'écris ton nom" (1973)
• "Ne bouge pas ne parle pas" (1975)
• "Je m'appelle comme tu veux" (1976)
• "Je suis un homme tout simplement" (1976)
• "Le mal de mer" (1977)
• "Le coin du dois d'amour" (1981)
• "Les rats" (1983)

Albums

• Kilimandjaro – 1967
• Collection Record – 1968
• Disque d'or – 1970
• Impact – 1973
• Rotterdam – 1974
• Si tu passes le pont – 1975
• Ailleurs – 1978
• Générique 80 – 1979
• Succès – 1980
• Olympia 80 – 1980
• Un homme fou d'amour – 1981
• Les plus belles chansons – 1982
• Les Rats – 1983
• Les plus grands succès – 1989
• Buttafoco – 1994
• Je voulais simplement te dire – 2000

• Diamond
• Master Série
• Talents du Siècle
• L'Estérel
• Kilimandjaro
• La plage aux romantiques
• Essential
• Gold
• Mes années vinyl
• Les Inoubliables
• Sus grandes exitos (Spain)