Michel Polnareff - Return To France

Return To France

Polnareff made a surprise return to France in 1989. Without any promotion, "Goodbye Marylou" invaded the airwaves and became a hit. For a year and a half, Polnareff was locked up at Royal Monceau in Paris and, surrounded by friends and alcohol, recorded Kama Sutra, with Mike Oldfield adding some guitar parts. This album debuted in February 1990 and marked Polnareff's true return. However, rumors spread about his health, and in 1994 he decided to have a cataract surgically removed to prevent him from becoming blind. In 1995, he returned to the United States to create his famous album Live at the Roxy with Musical Director / guitarist Dick Smith. Smith also Executive produced the ambitious live record which achieved Platinum certification in France. To mark this occasion, the channel Canal + devoted a special to him entitled "À la Recherche de Polnareff" ("In Search of Polnareff"), in which he appeared in military uniform (from whence his recent nickname "The Admiral" may come) and was interviewed in the desert by Michel Denisot. This was followed by an acoustic mini-concert in the middle of the California desert.

Following the media attention in 1995–96, Polnareff could have restarted his career as though nothing had happened. However, his fans still await, after more than ten years, an album which may never come. However, some of his early songs are becoming popular again, like "La Poupée qui fait non" by Mylène Farmer and Khaled (1996), and "On Ira Tous au Paradis", which became the theme song of Restaurants du Cœur in 1998. His 1977 hit Lettre à France enjoyed a new success in 2004 following its inclusion on the French version of the Star Academy talent contest.