Or 1965, at least. For Bastille Day, what could I post but a French song? Of course, Sylvie was not French by birth - she was born in Bulgaria to a father of Armenian descent and a Hungarian mother - but in many ways Mrs Johnny Hallyday was the quintessiential French yé-yé girl.
In the above scan from the December 1966 issue of Mademoiselle Age Tendre, Sylvie is preparing the summer collection for her prêt-a-porter fashion line. Sylvie was not the only star to branch out into a side business: she was in the company of fellow powerhouse popettes, Sheila and France Gall. Sheila also produced a fashion range, while France lent her name to make-up and accessories.
'L'Ami des mauvais jours' was written by Sylvie's brother Eddie Vartan, a musician/composer/arranger whose writing credits include several film soundtracks and a number of songs for various sixties performers, most notably Johnny Hallyday. Sylvie's start in music came courtesy of Eddie, who was working at RCA Records when he recruited her for a duet with Frankie Jordan, 'Panne d'essence', after Gillian Hills dropped out. Eddie went on to write over 50 songs for his little sister.
Interesting bit of trivia: Eddie's son is actor Michael Vartan of Alias and Never Been Kissed fame. I always think of Sylvie when I see his name, but I never knew she was his aunt!
This song was a request from my last.fm Yé-Yé Girls group, and seems to be a little hard to track down on CD. The only compilation I can find it on is this 21-volume set of Sylvie's recordings selling for the whopping price of €305. Any more affordable suggestions?
Links: Lyrics, Sylvie @ RFI Music, Sylvie @ Ready Steady Girls!, Sylvie photos, Johnny & Sylvie photos, Eddie Vartan discography.
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