#63: Chantal by Goddo

City: Ottawa, ON
Radio Station: CFRA
Peak Month: December 1979
Peak Position in Ottawa ~ #4
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Chantal”
Lyrics: “Chantal”

Greg Godovitz was born in 1951 in Toronto. He began playing guitar in 1964 with a band named The Pretty Ones. He began his professional music career in the late 1960s and early 1970s as the bassist for the Canadian rock band Fludd. Founded by Ed and Brian Pilling, Fludd gained popularity with hits such as “Turned 21“, “Get Up, Get Out & Move On“, and “Cousin Mary“. Following his departure from Fludd, Godovitz was briefly involved in the Toronto rock band Sherman and Peabody. Greg Godovitz founded the hard rock trio Goddo. The original lineup included Godovitz on bass and lead vocals, Gino Scarpelli on guitar, and Marty Morin on drums, with Doug Inglis later replacing Morin. In 1975, the band released a cover of the Kinsmen’s 1963 hit “Louie Louie”. The band’s self-titled debut album was released in 1977 with the lead single “Under My Hat”.

Gino Scarpelli had been with the Canadian rock band Brutus. Doug Inglis had been with a band named Powerhouse who released a single in 1974 titled “Dance Of The Swamp Woman”.

In 1978, Goddo released their second studio album titled Who Cares. A single from the album, “Drop Dead (That’s Who)” was released. In 1979 Goddo released An Act of Goddo. From the album came the single “Chantal”.

Greg Godovitz wrote “Chantal”. The first verse opens with an English-speaking guy seeing Chantal in a crowd and asks her in French, “Comment allez-vous? Je vais bien, merci cheri Voulez-vous?” This can be translated in English as “Are you okay? I’m fine thank you darling. (what) do you want?” The lyrics describe that he “Told her in my broken francais, yes I will be good. She smiled at me and said s’il-vous-plait.” He tells Chantal he needs her, and adds “Chantal “Tu sais, je t’aime beaucoup” (“You know I love you very much”). He tells Chantal she takes his breath away. She says in her broken anglais that their differences, including different languages, don’t matter. She promises to be good to him.

In 1981, Saskatchewan folksinger Connie Kaldor recorded a song about her blossoming relationship with her future French-Canadian husband titled “Aurevoir Bye Bye”. It is an amusing commentary about the challenges of bridging a relationship when the romantic partners find it hard to communicate to each other in their respective second languages. (It’s listed in the references for those who want to give it a listen).

“Chantal” peaked at #4 in Ottawa and charted in Montreal.

In 1980, the band released the single “Fortune In Men’s Eyes”. They released a double-live album Lighve: Best Seat in the House the following year. And in 1981 the study album, Pretty Bad Boys, was released. In the fall of 1981, the title track peaked at #6 in Hamilton, and reached the Top 20 in Halifax (NS), Kitchener (ON), and Toronto. A followup single was titled “If Tomorrow Never Comes”. In 1982 Goddo received a the nomination for Most Promising Group of the Year at the Juno Awards.

Despite strong regional popularity and critical attention, the band went on hiatus in the early 1980s. In 1989, Godovitz reformed Goddo and released two new studio albums: 12 Gauge Goddo in 1990, and King of Broken Hearts in 1992. Goddo released a single in 1993 titled “Was It Something I Said”.

Throughout the 2000s, the band continued to perform and record under Godovitz’s leadership, releasing Kings of the Stoned Age in 2003, the live album 2nd Best Seat in the House – Lighve in 2004. In 2004 the band released two singles titled “Rock Star” and “Such a Fool”. In 2008 Goddo released an anthology Under My Hat – Volume 1: Active Goddo. The original lineup performed their final show in October 2018, followed by a farewell concert at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto in December of that year.

In 2000, Greg Godovitz published an autobiography Travels with My Amp. Godovitz co-produced the debut album Out of the Pit by Canadian metal band Kobra and the Lotus, recorded in 2009 and released in 2010. In 2013, Godovitz released the album aMuseMe, which featured guest appearances from Canadian musicians including Paul Dean of Loverboy.

In addition to performing under his own name, Godovitz has played with various side projects and ensembles, including The Carpet Frogs, The Anger Brothers, The Greg Godovitz Orchestra, and The Greg Godovitz Coalition.

In 2021, Godovitz published Up Close and Uncomfortable, offering anecdotes, commentary, and reflections from his decades in the entertainment business.

In 2025, Godovitz led the GODDO 50th Anniversary Tour, performing with a re-formed lineup at venues across Ontario. The tour included dates at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Brockville Arts Centre, and the Stockey Centre in Parry Sound. In addition to his work as a musician and author, Godovitz began hosting the Toronto radio show Rock Talk on CFRB 1010 starting in the mid-2000s. On the show he interviewed musicians, discussed rock history, and shared behind-the-scenes stories from his career. CFRB has more recently become an all-news talk format.

October 6, 2025
Ray McGinnis

References:
“Greg Godovitz,” Starlite Sessions, March 18, 2021.
Greg Godovitz, Travels With My Amp, Abbeyfields Consultants, 2001.
Greg Godovitz, Up Close And Uncomfortable, 2021.
Dan Savoie, “Greg Godovitz second book “Up Close and Uncomfortable” – The Complete Interview,” 519 Magazine, March 22, 2021.
Lisa McDonald, In GODDO We Trust: an interview with Greg Godovitz, Small Town Toronto.com, September 2010.
Greg Godovitz, “Goddo,” Canadian Bands.com, April 11, 2022.
Lisa McDonald, “In GODDO We Trust: an interview with Greg Godovitz,” Small Town Toronto, September 2010.
Cynthia Reason, “Duo puts ‘70s rock band back in the spotlight,” Etobicoke Guardian, May 20, 2010.
Connie Kaldor, “Aurevoir Bye Bye“, from One Of These Days, Coyote Records, 1980.

CFRA 580-AM Ottawa Top Ten | December 7, 1979