"Soul Coaxing" or "Âme câline" , written in 1967 by French singer/songwriter Michel Polnareff,[2] provided Raymond Lefèvre and His Orchestra with a 1968 instrumental hit.
| "Soul Coaxing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Raymond Lefèvre | ||||
| from the album Soul Coaxing | ||||
| B-side | "If I Were a Carpenter" (U.S.) "A Man and a Woman" (UK) | |||
| Released | February 1968 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | 1967 [1] | |||
| Label | 4 Corners Records (U.S.) Riviera Records (UK) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Michel Polnareff | |||
| Raymond Lefèvre singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Chart performance edit
Released in the States in January 1968, "Soul Coaxing" peaked at No. 4 on the Easy Listening chart and at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100,[3] in April, near the end of its 12-week run - though it reached the Top Ten in Boston, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Columbus and other markets. "Soul Coaxing" debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 during the five-week run at No. 1 of the instrumental smash hit "Love Is Blue (L'Amour Est Bleu)" by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra. As with Lefèvre, Mauriat was a well-known orchestral leader in his native France.
In Britain the single was issued on the Major Minor label and in May 1968 stalled at No. 46 in the singles chart,[4] though it served as a theme tune for certain radio stations including Chiltern Radio Supergold, Radio Caroline and Radio Luxembourg.
Other recordings edit
- Polnareff released his original vocal version ("Âme câline") across Europe in 1967.
- In 1968, American singer Peggy March (formerly Little Peggy March) released an English-language version titled "If You Loved Me", but it failed to chart.
- Other instrumental versions were recorded by Norrie Paramor, Franck Pourcel and Sounds Orchestral.
- In 1977, pioneering disco-era British-Indian musician and producer Biddu Appaiah (recording as the Biddu Orchestra) released a disco version of "Soul Coaxing".
Use in other media edit
- BBC Radio 2 occasionally broadcasts Lefèvre's 1968 recording, particularly on its Saturday morning show Sounds of the 60s.
- The song is also used in the analog horror web series The Monument Mythos as the theme song of the character AirForceOneAngel
References edit
- ^ Discogs
- ^ "Performance: Âme câline by Michel Polnareff | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 143.
- ^ "RAYMOND LEFEVRE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.