'Born to Be Alive' by Patrick Hernandez Is a Pleonasm. Wait, What?

French singer Patrick Hernandez told France Net Infos that he intended the title of “Born to Be Alive” to be a pleonasm: the use of more words than necessary as emphasis (e.g., “repeat again”) to convey meaning.

“I wrote this song for somewhat special reasons,” said Hernandez. “Its title could pass for a pleonasm, albeit one that opened rather nice doors.

“I saw people around me living half their life, and not concretely, and that’s not in my character. Hence, this was a kind of reaction to this inertia of those around me.

“The word ‘alive’ appealed to me.”

Hernandez recorded “Born to Be Alive” in 1975 with his band Paris Palace Hotel. “I wrote ‘Born to Be Alive’ four years ago,” Hernandez said on American Bandstand in 1979, “and it was a rock and roll version, and now it’s disco.

“I decided to change the style one year ago when I came back to show business. I left show business for a year and moved to the French countryside.”

“Born to Be Alive” topped the disco chart in 1979 and became a crossover №16 hit on the pop chart. Its success led Hernandez to hire dancers for his upcoming tour. One of the dancers went on to become a superstar.

“In July 1979, the success of ‘Born to Be Alive’ was global,” Hernandez told Paris Match. “I’m in New York with the production team for auditions.

“We are looking for dancers and singers to surround me during the concerts of an American tour. Then up steps this young girl who impresses us all. This is Louise Ciccone, not yet Madonna, 19 years old. I am blown away by her performance; it was original and marked by a strong personality.”

Madonna spent three months with Hernandez before returning to New York to pursue her music career.

“She knew exactly what she wanted and was never accepting any compromise,” Hernandez said in OK magazine. “She was a diva even before becoming a star.”

Frank Mastropolo is the author of 100 Greatest 70s Pop Songs, part of the Greatest Performances series. For more on our latest projects, visit Edgar Street Books.