Aqua (band)

Claus Norréen would be the quietest of the former members, remixing material for other artists, including Lazyboy's second single "Facts Of Life" under the Danny Red alias. In 2001, he died at age 74 on his houseboat on the Seine. Søren Rasted was a judge on the Danish version of Pop Idol, and would later begin work on the Lazyboy project, releasing "Underpants Go On The Inside" in January 2005 and making #5 in Australia. The 1990s saw a drastic slowdown of Bécaud's activity, releasing various compilations and touring occasionally. His performance was not as strong, though, and he has since been out of the spotlight. Later in the century, he began writing with Pierre Grosz and then Neil Diamond, also writing the Broadway musical Madame Roza with Julian More. René Dif would also pursue a solo career, releasing "Let It All Out (Push It)" earlier than Lene, in 2002. In 1974, he was named Chevalier in the Legion d'Honneur.

Lene fell pregnant in 2004 with Søren's baby, and put her solo career on hold. Focusing more on touring than recording into the 1970s, Bécaud did some acting work and finally took time off in 1973, citing exhaustion. The second single "Pretty Young Thing" was never released. After writing the opera L'opéra d'Aran, Becaud toured Europe and continued recording a string of pop hits, including the controversial "Tu le regretteras". The first single would do well, though, "It's Your Duty" making number three in Denmark. In 1961, Bécaud recorded "Et maintenant", one of the biggest singles in French history. Translated as "What Now My Love", the song became a hit by Shirley Bassey, Sonny & Cher, Elvis Presley, Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra. Lene Grawford Nystrøm would marry Søren Rasted and then release a solo album, "Play With Me", which flopped in Scandinavia (making number 74 in her native Norway). That same year, "Let It Be Me", a translation of "Je t'appartiens", became a hit for the Everly Brothers, followed, over the years, by Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Jerry Butler and James Brown.

All four members continued working in the music industry. In 1960, he won a Grand Prix du Disque and composed "L'enfant à l'étoile", a Christmas cantata. In 2001 lead vocalist Lene would collapse on stage and with the peak of Aqua's popularity passed and relationships within the band weakening, Aqua split up in mid-2001. He began acting in the same period, starting with 1956's Le Pays D'où Je Viens. A third release from the album, "Freaky Friday" was planned but was pulled at the last minute. His first hit in the English-speaking world was Jane Morgan's translation of "Le jour où la pluie viendra" from 1958. Aqua would then perform at the Eurovision Song Contest of 2001, collaborating with the Safri Duo. His hits in the later part of the decade included "La corrida" (1956), "Le jour où la pluie viendra" (1957) and "C'est merveilleux l'amour" (1958).

This was followed-up by "Around The World", which despite being surprisingly anthemic would flop and make only number 26. His first performance came the year after, and by 1955 he had earned his reputation as the most electrifying performer on the French scene. The first single release from the album was "Cartoon Heroes", which made number 7 in the UK. He began singing at her suggestion in 1953, with "Mes mains" and "Les croix".
After a year of so out of the spotlight Aqua returned in 2000 with a new album, "Aquarius", and a more matured sound with a larger range of styles. While touring with Jacques Pills as a pianist, Bécaud met Édith Piaf, the wife of Jacques Pills at the time. The fifth single "Good Morning Sunshine", released in late 1998, performed poorly and made only number 18. He began writing for Marie Bizet; Bizet, Bécaud and Vidalin became an extremely successful trio, and their partnership lasted until 1950.

The fourth release would be "My Oh My", which didn't hit number one in the UK but was still a hit. He began songwriting in 1948, after meeting Maurice Vidalin, who inspired him to write his early compositions. The follow-up single "Doctor Jones" would also be a UK number one, as would the third release from Aquarium, "Turn Back Time". "Turn Back Time" was taken from the Sliding Doors soundtrack and featured a less 'helium-induced' sound, gaining a lot of radio airplay. In 1942, he left school to join the French Resistance during World War II. The single would hit number one across Europe and would also be successful Stateside, going platinum in the US and becoming a rare million seller in the UK. Born in Toulon, Bécaud learned to play the piano at a young age, and then went to the Conservatoire de Nice. The first single released from it was "Barbie Girl", a pop song seemingly about the children's toy but with 'double-meanings' which resulted in Barbie makers Mattel filing a lawsuit against the group (the lawsuit was dismissed in 2003). His best-known hit is probably "Et maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit after being translated into "What Now My Love".

In 1997 the group became known as Aqua and recorded the "Aquarium" album. Gilbert Bécaud (October 24, 1927 - December 18, 2001) was a French singer, composer and actor, known as Monsieur 100,000 Volts for his energetic performances. The single performed poorly and the group decided to re-think their plans for success. Originally known as Joyspeed, the group formed in 1995 and released a debut single called "Itzy Bitsy Spider" in Sweden and Denmark. Aqua was a Scandinavian pop-dance band which consisted of Lene Grawford Nystrøm (born 2 October 1973, Tønsberg, Norway), René Dif (born 17 October 1967, Copenhagen, Denmark) and Claus Norréen (born 5 June 1970, Charlottenlund, Denmark) and Søren Rasted (born 13 June 1969, Blovstrød, Denmark).

Get All "Aqua" Lyrics here (http://www.geocities.com/lleonardpler/play_aq.htm). "Aqua" committed fansite still updated today (http://www.aquarama.tk). Around The World (2000). Cartoon Heroes (2000).

Good Morning Sunshine (1998). Turn Back Time (1998). Doctor Jones (1998). Barbie Girl (1997).

Itzy Bitsy Spider (1995). Aquarius (2000). Aquarium (1997).