Francis Lai

Francis Albert Lai (; 26 April 19327 November 2018) was a French composer, noted for his film scores. He won the 1970 Oscar for Best Music, Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for the film Love Story. The soundtrack album went to No. 2 in the Billboard album charts and the film’s theme, “Where Do I Begin”, was a hit single for Andy Williams. He also composed the music of A Man and a Woman, an international success that won the Palme d’Or, a few Academy Awards and Golden Globes. Life and career Lai was born on 26 April 1932, in Nice, France, the son of market gardeners of Italian origin. From a very early age, Lai was fascinated by music and he played first in his local regional orchestras. In Marseille he discovered jazz and met Claude Goaty, a singer of popular songs in the 1950s. While in his twenties, Lai left home and followed Goaty to Paris, where he became part of the Montmartre music scene. At the “Taverne d’Attilio” on the Place du Tertre in Montmartre, Lai met with whom Lai composed his first song, the start of a partnership which would produce over one hundred songs. After a short period with the orchestra of Michel Magne, Lai became an accom