THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

630-Patrick Juvet-I Love America.

1978-Number 12 single.

Best Bit-At 1.21. It’s a good job that the song has a strong chorus, because he repeats it 12 times.

Patrick Juvet was born on August 21st, 1950, in Montreux, Switzerland, he died on April 1st, 2021, of a cardiac arrest, at the age of 70. In 1968 at the age of 18, Patrick Juvet moved to Paris, France, where he was persuaded by a friend to become a model, which took him to Düsseldorf, Germany, for the next two years. On his return to Paris in 1970, he began to pursue his real love of music, and recorded his first single ‘Romantiques pas morts,’ in 1971. It was at this time that he also co-wrote the song ‘Le Lundi au soleil,’ for the Egyptian born French singer Claude François (1939-1978.) Patrick Juvet then began collaborating with the French composer, and producer Jean-Michel Jarre, and the recordings that they made can be heard on Juvet’s second studio Album ‘Love,’ from 1973. Also in that year Patrick Juvet represented Switzerland in the ‘Eurovision Song Contest,’ finishing in 12th place. In 1978 Juvet turned his attentions to ‘Disco’ music, working with Jacques Morali, (1947-1991) Henri Belolo, (1936-2019) and Victor Willis (see also best songs 105.) After the decline of ‘Disco’ music, Patrick Juvet returned to Paris, and to his roots as a singer/songwriter, with the release of his 10th, and what would turn out to be, his final studio Album, ‘Solitudes’ in 1991. In 2005 he issued his autobiography, ‘Les bleus au cœur: Souvenirs (‘Bruises on My Heart: Memories,’) in which he wrote about his career and his bisexuality.

The discography of Patrick Juvet includes 10 studio Albums released between 1973-1991, and 49 singles issued between 1971-2010, there are also 11 official compilation Albums, two live Albums, and one soundtrack Album available. It was in France and Belgium where Patrick Juvet had his greatest commercial success, with 19 of his singles making the ‘SNEP’ French music chart, with ‘La Musica,’ from 1973 reaching Number 1, and ‘I Love America,’ peaking at Number 6, while in Belgium on the ‘Ultratop’ singles chart, 11 of his songs have made the top 40, although ‘I Love America’ failed to chart. In the UK ,he has had two top 40 hits, with ‘I Love America’ reaching Number 12, and ‘Got a Feeling,’ making Number 34, both in 1978. Patrick Juvet never had a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in America, although ‘I Love America’ did reach Number 5 on the Billboard ‘Dance Club Chart.’

‘I Love America’ was co-written by Jacques Morali, Patrick Juvet, and Victor Willis, (lyrics) with the production being by Jacques Morali, and weighs in at a whopping 13.55 seconds, on the 12 inch single version. The song was the first of two tracks released as singles from Patrick Juvet’s sixth studio Album ‘Got a Feeling – I Love America,’ from April 1978. Jacques Morali was born on July 4th, 1947, in Casablanca, Morocco, he died on November 15th, 1991, of AIDS-related causes, at the age of 44. Morali was a ‘Disco,’ and ‘Dance’ music producer, and is best remembered for creating the acts, ‘Village People,’ (see also best songs 105) and ‘The Ritchie Family,’ with his long term collaborator Henri Belolo, who was born in Casablanca, French Morocco, on November 27th, 1936, Henri Belolo died on August 3rd, 2019, at the age of 82. Unlike his associate Morali, Belolo was not gay, but visited clubs with Morali, and saw the potential of appealing to the gay nightclub scene. In 1977 they created the ‘Village People,’ working in tandem with Victor Willis. Willis who was born Victor Edward Willis, on July 1st, 1951, in Dallas, Texas, United States, had been originally hired by Morali, and Belolo to sing lead and background vocals under the guise of ‘Village People,’ whom at that point were a non-existent studio concept group, but when the Album called ‘Village People’ proved successful in 1977, Morali, Belolo, and Willis advertised in the music trade papers for ‘macho singers’ who, could also ‘dance,’ and, ‘must have a moustache,’ As the only non gay member of the Village People,’ Victor Willis’ would perform as either a policeman or a naval officer. In 2015, a jury determined that the sole writers of 13 songs by the Village People (including Y.M.C.A.) were Jacques Morali and Victor Willis, and the name Henri Belolo was removed, giving Willis a 50% ownership of those songs.

‘I Love America’ is a song about someone, who on arriving in the United States, soon realises that the music scene is multicultural, and there is much to enjoy, from ‘Rock ‘N Roll,’ to ‘Funk,’ to ‘Country,’ to ‘Latin American,’ and much, much, more. In 1996 the song was sampled by the British ‘House Music’ producers Michael Gray, and Jon Pearn, working as ‘Full Intention,’ and taking their version to Number 32 in the UK.

‘When I first heard funky music it just blew my mind, the funky music was so good, I’d play it all the time. All the funky rhythms, going all through my mind and body, they make me have to move, you can’t escape the groove. I love America.’