Belgian composer of punk hit 'Ca plane pour moi' dies

September 19, 2023 09:26 PM

Lou Deprijck, the Belgian singer who wrote the 1970s punk hit "Ca plane pour moi", has died aged 77, his partner said Tuesday.

The raucous three-minute song -- which roughly translates from French as "Everything's going well for me" -- became a worldwide smash for fellow Belgian musician Plastic Bertrand in 1977.

"My sunshine... my darling... my man, my everything," Deprijck's partner Vanessa Vanderkimpen, a renowned Michael Jackson impersonator, wrote on social media.

"I accompanied you to your last breath as you wanted me to."

Opening with the punchy lyrics "Wham! Bam!", "Ca plane pour moi" talked about a whisky drinking cat, a disgruntled girlfriend, hangovers and beer.

The song topped the charts in France, went to number eight in Britain, and reached number two in Australia.

It became an iconic tune of the new wave punk genre and was covered by numerous artists including Sonic Youth, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vampire Weekend and Nouvelle Vague.

While the song made the name of Plastic Bertrand, Deprijck claimed to have composed it and sung it on the record.

The origins of the hit were disputed for years and ended up with the two artists fighting in court over the rights.

Plastic Bertrand, whose real name is Roger Jouret and who is now 69, rejected Deprijck's claims and was ruled to have been the "performer" of the song in two Brussels courts.

In its repertoire, the French society of authors, composers and music publishers (Sacem) lists Plastic Bertrand as the performer and Deprijck as the composer.