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Charles Trenet (May 18, 1913, Narbonne, France - February 19, 2001, Créteil, France) was a French singer and songwriter.
When Trenet first arrived in Paris in the 1930s, he worked in a movie studio as a props handler and assistant, and later joined up with the artists in the Montparnasse neighbourhood.
He worked with pianist Johnny Hess. They performed at the cabaret called Le Fiacre until 1936 when Trenet was called up for national service. It was after his national service that Trenet received the nickname that he would retain all his life: "Le fou chantant" (the singing fool).
Trenet wrote and performed a number of songs that have become standards of French popular song, including: "Fleur bleue", "Y'a de la joie", "Je chante", "Douce France", "Que reste-t-il de nos amours?" and "La mer".
"La mer" is perhaps his best known work outside the French-speaking world, with over 400 recorded versions. For example, it was translated into English as "Beyond the Sea" (sometimes known as "Sailing") which was a hit for Bobby Darin in the early 1960s and later George Benson in the mid-1980s.
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