Hernandez was born in Le Blanc-Mesnil in the northeastern suburbs of Paris , France , to a Spanish father and a half-Austrian and half-Italian mother. Growing up in the 1960s, he became interested in music. He toured dancehalls and ballrooms of southern France with a number of groups over the next decade. Hernandez met his music partner Hervé Tholance, an arranger, guitarist, and vocalist, during that period. The two formed a duo and started achieving local success backing French musicians such as Francis Cabrel, Laurent Voulzy, and the French group Gold.
In 1978, Hernandez met producer Jean Vanloo, and with disco music at its peak, decided it was time to try his hand at disco. Vanloo agreed and signed Patrick to a contract. He was then sent to Waterloo , Belgium to work on songs.
After working for about a year, the first of the resulting six songs would change Hernandez's life and make him an international star for a short period. The songs were released on the Aariana sub-label Aquarius Records (in France ) in November 1978. The first single that was released was the disco song "Born to Be Alive". Its success was immediate, and in January 1979, Hernandez received his first gold record from Italy . The song spread throughout Europe , where it hit #1 in France in April and remained there until July. By then, the United States had caught on, and through some remixing, the record was signed to the A-Tom-Mik label headed by the award winning dance promoter Tom Hayden and music publisher Mike Stewart through their label/production deal with Columbia Records. The remixed version of "Born to Be Alive" was released on a commercial 12" single, and it shot up the disco charts to #1 and crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #16. By year's end, Hernandez had racked up 52 gold and platinum record awards from more than 50 different countries.
While Hernandez was touring the United States , he was accompanied by his producer Jean Vanloo and his friend Jean-Claude Pellerin. Vanloo and Pellerin held auditions in New York that spring for dancers to accompany Hernandez on his worldwide tour. The chosen dancers included a young Madonna.
Hernandez's follow-ups to "Born to Be Alive" did not fare as well in America . "Disco Queen" backed with "Show Me The Way You Kiss" did not get any radio support and sold poorly, but the album Born to Be Alive still sold well and won him a Billboard Award in February 1980.
In 1981, Hernandez released the import 12" single of "Goodbye", first released on Aariana records and then a remixed version on the parent-label Aquarius Records (in France ). By then, disco had "died" in the United States , and no label was found to license it domestically. An album followed the 12" release, but without an American distribution deal, it went virtually unnoticed in the U.S.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Hernandez toured and had occasional appearances on other artists' albums in Europe . A remix of "Born to Be Alive" appeared in clubs in 1987. In 1995, a compilation of his two albums was released in the U.S. as The Best Of Patrick Hernandez on Hot Records. The fourth movie in the National Lampoon's Vacation comedy series, Vegas Vacation, prominently featured Hernandez's "Born to Be Alive" as the Griswolds were entering Las Vegas in a limousine. In Canada , the song was used in television advertisements for the Dodge SX 2.0 economy car.
Since its 1978 release, "Born to Be Alive" has sold more than 800,000 units annually under various forms and compilations globally, and it has brought in more than 25 million dollars worldwide. It has also been covered in the Pump It Up series of video games.
7” SINGLE
A side: Born To Be Alive
B side: Born To Be alive (Disco)
Condition: Excellent
Sleeve, Very Good
Released on the Aquarius Label
Date: 1979
Number: 612444
All Vinyl played before dispatch to ensure good playback.
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Record Grading
Mint (M) The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.
Near Mint (NM) The record looks brand new with no scuffing or any deterioration in sound quality and only the smallest hint that its ever been played. The cover and any additional extras are clean, crisp and with no wear whatsoever.
Excellent (EX) The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.
Very Good (VG) The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.
Good (G) The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.
Fair (F) The record is still just about playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.
Poor (P) The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
I will not refund you if have not read and understood the grading system I use.
To illustrate my point: if I describe a record as Good (G), it's not brand new or excellent - sound quality has noticeably deteriorated and the cover may be damaged with splits or discoloration.
