France Joli
France Joli | |
|---|---|
| Born | France Joly February 2, 1963 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, singer |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Known for | "Come to Me", "Gonna Get Over You" |
France Joli (; born Joly on February 2, 1963) is a Canadian vocalist renowned for her disco classics "Come to Me" and "Gonna Get Over You".
Early success as a teenager
Originally named France Joly, she was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and raised in Dorion. Her father worked in hardware sales while her mother was an educator.
Starting at the age of four, Joli entertained family members by lip-syncing to Barbra Streisand records and made television appearances by age six. At eleven, she transitioned from public schooling to private tutoring to dedicate more time to commercials and talent contests. Through a shared acquaintance, she met musician Tony Green, whom she approached backstage to produce her music. Though initially skeptical, Green attended one of her school performances in 1978 and subsequently wrote "Come to Me" specifically for her.
Green assumed production duties after the initial producer intended for Joli to pursue a Francophone career. The recordings were signed by Prelude Records and released on April 17, 1979, as the album France Joli. The single "Come to Me" gained significant attention following Joli’s substitution for Donna Summer at the Beach '79 event on Fire Island on July 7, 1979, where she performed before an audience of 5,000.
Starting September 22, 1979, "Come to Me" dominated the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for three consecutive weeks. The album climbed to No. 26 on the charts, with the single reaching No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 by November 17, 1979.
Joli’s first network television appearance occurred on October 26, 1979, on The Midnight Special, where she later co-hosted an episode in December. She also featured on various talk shows such as The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, Dinah!, and a special hosted by Bob Hope.
In 1980, she released her sophomore album Tonight. Its ballad "This Time (I'm Giving All I've Got)" peaked at No. 103 but found favor in dance clubs. Songs like "The Heart to Break the Heart" and "Feel Like Dancing" reached No. 3 on dance charts; meanwhile, the album itself attained No. 175 on Billboard.
Her third release, Now (1981), produced by Ray Reid and William Anderson of Crown Heights Affair, did not chart but included the dance hit "Gonna Get Over You," which held the No. 2 spot on U.S. dance charts for two weeks. Although mainstream chart success was limited, Joli toured as an opening act for the Commodores during their 1981 American tour and switched from Prelude Records to Epic Records.
- The song "Your Good Lovin'" was arranged and produced by Prelude regulars Eric Matthew and Darryl Payne.
- Additionally, "Gonna Get Over You" achieved No. 43 on France's Pop chart.
Albums under Epic Records
Her debut Epic album Attitude (1983) was produced by Pete Bellotte, with executive production by Giorgio Moroder. Contributors included Martin Page and Brian Fairweather handling electric guitar and bass duties respectively, alongside Richie Zito’s arrangement work. The album presented Joli’s original composition "Dumb Blond" (co-written with Daniel Vail) and a cover of the Four Tops' "Standing in the Shadows of Love", featuring backing vocals from Gladys Knight’s group the Pips. While tracks such as "Girl in the 80s" and "Blue Eyed Technology" achieved moderate success in clubs, the single "Girl in the 80s" did not break into mainstream charts despite a performance on Solid Gold.
Her subsequent Epic release Witch of Love (1985), produced by George Duke, included his composition "Party Lights," which won the Grand Prix at the Yamaha Music Festival in 1984. The title track along with "What About Me" were written by Joli and Vail; however, the lead single was again penned by Ferguson-Neal: "Does He Dance." Though this track underperformed on U.S. radio, it received airplay in Canada and moderate club rotation aided by a remix from Shep Pettibone.
Following disappointing sales of these albums, Epic Records ended their contract with Joli, who then concentrated mainly on live performances throughout the following decade.
1996 and 2000s
In 1996, France Joli collaborated once more with producer Tony Green to release the single "Touch" under Popular Records. The initial launch as a CD single featured Eurodance and Hi-NRG remixes, which garnered modest radio exposure but eventually became popular in clubs. Following new vinyl remixes crafted by Darrin "Spike" Friedman, the song climbed to No. 24 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It found particular favor among DJs such as Jonathan Peters and Junior Vasquez within the New York tri-state region.
The subsequent single, "Breakaway," was aimed at the underground club scene, accompanied by various remix versions. Two separate CD singles were issued: Part 1 included mixes by Junior Vasquez and Eddie Baez, while Part 2 featured Andy the Lamboy’s remix alongside additional versions of "Touch." Both singles were incorporated into Joli's first studio album in over a decade, titled If You Love Me (1998).
In more recent years, Joli has predominantly performed at clubs and private functions in New York City, with multiple engagements at the yearly KTU Disco Ball held at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City.
Her song "Come to Me" appears in the 2003 documentary When Ocean Meets Sky, which explores the history of Fire Island Pines. Although Joli’s 1979 performance is represented only through still images with accompanying music, the film includes interviews that reflect on that moment. This documentary is occasionally broadcast on the Logo channel and was also featured in the 1998 movie 54, which portrays the Studio 54 era in New York City.
Albums
| Year | Album | Highest chart rankings | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||||
| 1979 | France Joli (reissued in 1994 as Come to Me) | 26 | 25 | Prelude | |
| 1980 | Tonight | 175 | — | ||
| 1982 | Now! | — | — | ||
| 1983 | Attitude | — | — | Epic | |
| 1985 | Witch of Love | — | — | ||
| 1989 | Greatest Hits | — | — | UniDisc | |
| 1998 | If You Love Me | — | — | Popular | |
| 2010 | Divas of Disco: Live (featuring CeCe Peniston, Linda Clifford, A Taste of Honey, and Thelma Houston) |
— | — | Pegasus | |
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart or were unavailable in that market. | |||||
Singles
| Year | Track | Highest chart rankings | Record Label | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | US Hot 100 | US R&B | US Adult Contemporary | US Dance Club | |||
| 1979 | "Come to Me" | 65 | 15 | 36 | 47 | 1 | Prelude Records |
| "Don't Stop Dancing" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Let Go" | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1980 | "The Heart to Break the Heart" | — | — | — | — | 3 | |
| "Feel Like Dancing" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "This Time" | "—" | "103" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| 1981 | "Gonna Get Over You" | "43" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "2" | |
| 1982 | "Your Good Lovin' " | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "53" | |
| "Can We Fall in Love Again" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | ||
| "Girl in the 80's" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "46" | ||
| "Blue Eyed Technology" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "61" | ||
| "Does He Dance" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "40" | ||
| "Touch" (1997) | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "24" | ||
| 'Breakaway' (1998) | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | ||
| 'Save Me' (1998) | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | ||
| 'Hallelujah' (2012) | 'n/a' | 'n/a' | 'n/a' | 'n/a' | 'n/a' | ||
See also
- List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1963 births
- Living people
- Canadian disco musicians
- Canadian women pop singers
- Canadian sopranos
- MNRK Music Group artists
- Epic Records artists
- Eurodance musicians
- Hi-NRG musicians
- Prelude Records artists
- Singers from Montreal
- Winners of Yamaha Music Festival
- Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year winners
- 20th-century Canadian women singers
- 21st-century Canadian women singers
- Canadian women in electronic music
- Canadian child singers