Pizza
Studio album by
Alain Bashung
Released1981
StudioRockfield Studios, Monmouth
GenreFrench rock, new wave
LabelPhilips, Barclay, Universal Music Group
ProducerAlain Bashung, Ken Burgess
Alain Bashung chronology
Roulette russe
(1979)		 Pizza
(1981)		 Play blessures
(1982)
Alternative cover
Cover of CD reissue

Pizza is the third album by French rocker Alain Bashung, issued in 1981 on Philips Records.

Production

This album immediately followed Bashung's breakthrough single, "Gaby oh Gaby" (which was added on the CD reissues of the album). Lyricist Boris Bergman wrote part of the lyrics, the other part was made of improvisations by Bashung. The album features a somewhat surreal mood, with abstract lyrics, full of double entendres, plays on words, puns and automatic writing. For instance, when talking about how a girl pisses him off on "Vertige de l'amour" ("Love vertigo"), his second hit single which helped bolster the sales of the album, Bergman wrote "Si ça continue j'vais me découper" ("if it goes on like this I'm gonna cut myself"), the verb "découper" (which means "cut") being used instead of "j'vais me casser" ("casser" both meaning "leave" and "break" in French), to which Bashung improvised "suivant les pointillés" ("along the dotted line").

Reception

Commercial performance

Pizza hit #1 on the French charts.

Critical reception

In 2010, the French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named this album the 19th greatest French rock album (out of 100).[1] In his book La discothèque parfaite de l'odyssée du rock, Gilles Verlant, although he did not include the album in his list of essential albums, qualified the album string of Roulette russe / Pizza as a "triumph".[2]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ça cache quekchose"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung2:47
2."L'Araignée"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung2:49
3."J'sors avec ma frangine"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung2:48
4."Aficionado"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung2:37
5."Idylle au Caire"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung2:44
6."Privé"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung3:07
7."Vertige de l'amour"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung3:16
8."Rebel"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung3:56
9."Retours"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung2:12
10."Reviens va-t-en"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung3:13
11."Fan"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung4:19

Bonus Tracks (CD reissue)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Elle s'fait rougir toute seule"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung3:08
13."Gaby oh Gaby"Boris Bergman - Alain Bashung3:58

Personnel

  • Alain Bashung - vocals
  • Olivier Guindon, Richard Brunton - guitar
  • François Delage - bass
  • Tommy Eyre - keyboards
  • Philippe Draï - drums
  • Liam Genockey - percussion
  • Mel Collins - saxophone

Singles

  • 1981 : Vertige de l'amour / Ça cache quekchose (France : 1)
  • 1981 : Rebel / Reviens va-t-en (France : 19)

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[3] Gold 100,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Magazine Rolling Stone, n°18 of February 2010, ISSN 1764-1071
  2. ↑ Verlant, Gilles (2006). La discothèque parfaite de l'odyssée du rock (in French). Hors Collection. ISBN 978-2-258-08007-2.
  3. ↑ "French album certifications – Alain Bashung – Pizza" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
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