Vive la French

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 05 Nov 11 - 04:41 PM

Merci Beaucoup Monique! X

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Monique
Date: 05 Nov 11 - 03:39 PM

Good job Mike!

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 05 Nov 11 - 03:26 PM

My effort at a Francoise Hardy song.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Monique
Date: 09 Mar 08 - 03:53 PM

Guys, Juliette Gréco has this message for you!

Quite another style Mylène Farmer

One of the "new" ones Liane Foly. The song is one of Daniel Balavoine's. He was killed in an accident during the Paris-Dakar in Jan. 1986. L'Aziza is one of his last songs.

Could some people out there post about singers I have forgotten or wouldn't know? Thanks!

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 07 Mar 08 - 07:40 AM

About "notre Johnny national" here he is with an old friend of his Eddy Mitchell

Here's a girl Catherine Lara

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Colin Randall
Date: 07 Mar 08 - 06:33 AM

This thread has turned into a feast for Francophiles. Thanks to Monique and others for alerting me to a lot of links I probably wouldn't otherwise have sought out.

Johnny Hallyday may not have a huge following outside the French speaking world, but one of his biggest fans - despite his animated support for Sarko - is the decidedly Left-wing singer/songwriter Robb Johnson.

I was guilty of wandering off-piste when I mentiond it in the recent Francoise Hardy thread but perhaps inow is the right time to mention various Johnny clips you'll find in a series of pieces Robb wrote about his implausible hero worship at Salut! Live.

His articles start
here and there's a link to each subsequent instalment. And I think he's beginning to worry about the Sarko connection.

Thanks, incidentally, to those Mudcat folk who commented favourably on my old interview with Francoise. The YouTube version of Tous les Garcons that I referred to a few messages ago is at
http://www.francesalut.com/2007/07/francoise-hardy.html

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 07 Mar 08 - 05:18 AM

Another old one (old but still alive!) Charles Aznavour and another one (dead!) Léo Ferré.

I'm aware that I posted a lot of videos from people born in the 20's or even before and that most of them have passed away but if most of you need to make up for the last 60 years, I thought it'd be a good thing for you to know of those.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 07 Mar 08 - 04:59 AM

Here's another old one (dead too!) Gilbert Bécaud : East and West

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 07 Mar 08 - 02:29 AM

Here Coop Breizh is THE Breton shop/store where you can find Soïg Sibéril, Gwenaël Kerléo, Soldat Louis, traditional songs from Brittany, kan ha diskan, shanties, books (Soïg Sibéril scores)and other valuable stuff. You can hear some samples or buy some titles online.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 06:33 PM

Another guy Charlélie Couture

and another group Les Rita Mitsouko: one more guy who died some months ago.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 06:20 PM

Another guy Bernard Lavilliers

and another one Jacques Higelin

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 06:08 PM

Let's not forget Claude François who died 30 years ago. Btw, I noticed that SOME singers above passed away. "On est bien peu de chose..." as Françoise Hardy would say!

Here is quite something else Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 04:33 PM

Two more girls: one of the new ones Chimène Badi and one of the old ones France Gall (well she's not that old but she's been around for more than 40 years!)

Edmund, I'm no expert. Can maybe play "Au clair de la lune" on a recorder and I'm just old enough to know a thing or two, I've been living here all my life after all. As the Spanish saying goes "El diablo sabe más por viejo que por diablo" (the devil knows more for being old than for being the devil)

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 04:22 PM

I like this one; indeed, I think it's the strongest song recorded by Yves.

Yves Duteil "Les Enfants du Monde Entier"

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 07:34 AM

I like Soig Siberil's playing, but the guitar sound on a cd I have is dreadful. Why guitarists own beautiful acoustic instruments, and then record them "plugged-in", is beyond me! Soig often plays in dadgad tuning, and I can highly recommend his guitar books.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Colin Randall
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 04:45 AM

One more for the pot....Michel Sardou's Les Lacs de Connemara. It's a bit naive but a great tune......not sure what the clip is like since I cannot get sound on the desktop I am using.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l11GyqVu_-o

I think I linked from the Francoise Hardy thread to a good YouTube clip I used at my own site of Tous les Garcons (the song she loathed, though I loved it)

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Seán Báite
Date: 06 Mar 08 - 03:57 AM

Edmund, here's the blue clicky for Soldat Louis - lads with a bit of a thirst on them, as I recall :
Soldat Louis

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: CET
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 07:21 PM

Soldat Louis:

I heard these guys on a French TV variety show when I was posted in Germany 20 years ago. I still love their music.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WVUhNxC-skE

(The blue clicky instructions don't work for me)

Great videos, Monique. I hope you join Mudcat as a regular member. We could do with more expertise in French music.

Edmund

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Seán Báite
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 06:42 PM

Ah, du bearnais, pas mal - and he's friends with Sinéad O'Connor according to his Myspace.... Back to Brittany for one of their rebel songs written and interpreted by the great singer/guitarist - Gilles Servat (the video's just a Powerpoint slideshow, apologies...) :
Gilles Servat - La blanche hermine

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 06:33 PM

Here is a site where you can hear some samples of (mainly) traditional songs in about 25 languages of France.
And after Seán's cousins, one of mine Joan-Francés Tisnèr

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Seán Báite
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 06:09 PM

Monique, the former plays guitar far better than me and the latter has a far more ethereal voice. And they're both better looking, esp. the latter - can't say there's an 'air de famille' :->

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 05:51 PM

Some of Seán's cousins: Soïg Sibéril and Gwenaël Kerléo

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 05:45 PM

What a great thread. C'est bien.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 05:19 PM

I couldn't find a better one from Francis Lalanne at least one where he can be seen.

And here is another Michel Michel Fugain. A tribute to our cousins from the other side of the Atlantic.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 04:58 PM

I couple of legends here! Francis Cabrel and that great Cajun musician, Zachary Richard. Check Zachary out, he's terrific.

Francis Cabrel and Zachary Richard.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 04:53 PM

Sometime in the early 1990s, I was buying some perfume in a shop down Rue de la Huchette(a busy little street on the Left Bank)when this great track came on over the sound system. It turned out to be Maxime Le Forestier. Great stuff.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 03:28 PM

Those last four are wonderful, Monique!

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 03:25 PM

A younger one Calogero. The guy at the drums is one of my colleague's husband and I'm afraid it's mostly why I know about them.

And Maxime Leforestier's San Francisco. All the people born in the 50's sang this one around a fire on the beach in Summer when we were young and slim. We used to sing "Education sentimentale" too if someone had a guitar around and "Parachutiste" if we were in an antimilitary May '68 mood.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 02:48 PM

One more Laurent Voulzy and one more still Alain Souchon.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 02:34 PM

Here is another old one (both video and singer) Jean Ferrat. The song is one of Louis Aragon's poems.

And still another one William Sheller ... not so old!

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 08:51 AM

I love La Chevanee, Le Gop!, Mes Souliers Sont Rouge, Malicorne of course and early Stivell.

I have just got into Portuguese Fado too.

Elfcall

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 08:36 AM

At 62 she is still so beautiful! Someone said 60 is the new 40..... looking at Francoise..that must be true eh?

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 07:08 AM

Here she is Tant de belles choses. I agree that she's good and beautiful!

The Gainsbourg-Birking post was mine too.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 07:01 AM

Thanks Monique. This thread is sure bringing back some memories but Francoise H will always be top of my list.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Seán Báite
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 06:36 AM

Yes Monique, have heard a bit of Perret - always amused that he bears exactly the same name as the lead songwriter of the Only Ones -a great English band from a little before Téléphone (Another Girl, Another Planet). My wife taught in Castelsarrasin for a year.
I couldn't watch a clip from Bercy, I'd feel like the taxmen'd track me down :-> Even if it's Polnareff.
I noticed the 'rich' vocabulary used by the 2 troubadours - they should put on a performance for that old lady in the cable car, I think - or maybe not, if she's a bit cardiac.
As a native of Joyce's hometown - never had any problem with those sort of words - revelled in them actually - now the practical side was another matter :->

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 06:36 AM

Those two Serge Gainsbourg et Jane Birkin were missing. You'll easily find out what it's about!

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 06:30 AM

Mike, here is one about Sylvie Vartan's Bulgarian background La Maritza and a tribute to her late father Mon père.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 06:20 AM

Tunesmith, there's a Georges Brassens's song called "Vénus callipyge" that talks about it and another one called "Le blason" about the "front side" which is a very beautiful tribute to the women's most intimate parts. Lyrics on Paroles.net, no English translation available as far as I could check.

Seán, I'm in Montpellier. If you're in Agen, then you're not that far from Castelsarrasin, birth place to Pierre Perret who wrote this Lili beautiful song against racism. And you'll also want to listen to "Mon p'tit loup" one addressed to a girl who's been raped.

We haven't much heard of Polnareff during quite a lot of time. Here's a nice old one Sous quelle étoile suis-je né? Bercy and you'll find "Love me please love me" there too.

The Fabulous Troubadours' "Si tu te fais" has a pretty collection of words that every student of French would like to know and they'd dash to check The Alternative Dictionary (Dirty words from around the world in a BIG lot of languages)

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Mooh
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 06:04 AM

Interesting, and thanks. My French connection didn't go past Pierre Bensusan until now.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Seán Báite
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 05:54 AM

Mike - douze points to Hardy any day - beautiful woman and singer - a lot less to Vartan. She's an ex-wife of Hallyday - and is actually Bulgarian originally, believe it or not ! To find your thread on Hardy again - change the filter at the top of the page to '3 days or a week' and refresh - it's still there.

Tunesmith, as to the female posterior in French music - I'm sure there are many instances as they're generally a lot more comfortable with their bodies than us in the English-speaking world (one of their great qualities). I can't immediately think of too many. I remember Brel's 'Madame promene son cul sur les remparts de Varsovie...' but it's hardly very appreciative of the said posterior.

Brassens, I'm sure has written a good few fairly 'carnal' songs - that Giok fella should know a few. Then, of course, there's Gainsbourg - 'Initiales BB' being his famous tribute to Bardot. He admires most parts of her in it - not sure if he mentions her derrière - he even got her to sing it, the sod !

Look closely at the video by Cali, there's a poor wee auld lady that's starts getting a bit flustered when she hears the words of the song - priceless ! So bang goes my gross generalisation about the whole French nation being comfortable about their bodies...

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 05:34 AM

Okay so does anyone remember Sylvie Vartan? More to some peoples taste than Francoise but hey......
Sylvie Vartan.....WOW
Best wishes, Mike.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Seán Báite
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 05:28 AM

Recognised you no problems, Monique - are you in or around Toulouse ? For geography, I'm in Agen - where a guy at the market made me ask for saucisse d'Agen once instead of saucisse de Toulouse - they're just a little bit 'chauvin' sometimes...
Love the Polnareff one - especially as he was taking in a lot of English influences at that time. My kids heard it on the TV the other day and went - 'what the hell is that ?' - more generation gap trouble coming up :-<
Gnu and Katlaughing, if it's stuff from that lovely place across the Ocean from Ireland you're after here's a couple more :

Richard Desjardins - great voice/great writer/great song - sorry the vid and the sentiment is a bit anti-American :
Richard Desjardins - Les Yankees

Some kind soul has put up a whole TV concert of the great Felix Leclerc :
Felix Leclerc - Whole Concert

A nice a capella delivery by Acadian singer, Pierre Robichaud, outlining the perks of working as a gardener in a convent :
Pierre Robichaud - Le jardinier du couvent

The same fella with one that's a bit commercial and reggae-ised - but the landscape's lovely (looks a lot like the west of Ireland/Scotland - apart from when they've blued up the sky with Photoshop :->)
Pierre Robichaud - Aux iles de la Madeleine

Enjoy - and ain't the internet great ? The BBC is grand enough - but stuff in French only comes along sporadically - with the web, we're pure spoilt...

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 05:23 AM

Yes I know I started a thread about Francoise Hardy and it has now disappeared...but I love so much of her stuff..I just had to add another of her songs.
Saurai-Je..Francoise Hardy
Best wishes, Mike.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 05:15 AM

In less than a day, this thread has introduced me to more French singers/musicians than the BBC has in the past 50 years!

Sean Baite: In your posting you said of Bruno Cali's song La Fin du Monde:                                                                         "I don't think a finer song has ever been written in appreciation of the female posterior"

Now, has this subject matter been the theme of other French songs and, if so, can you give details.

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 05 Mar 08 - 03:27 AM

Florent Pagny is a another French pop singer, not another Occitan group.

Here are a former group Téléphone and his now solo singer Jean-Louis Aubert (same sound)

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 04 Mar 08 - 08:09 PM

the previous post is mine

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Mar 08 - 08:07 PM

Sure I'm being vague with the geography Seán, but people would more easily figure out which large area he comes from if I say Toulouse. I'm glad you added some younger ones (I'm indeed 2 years older than Cabrel) and Massilia and Fabulous Troubadours. Those Coriandre are an Occitan trad. group.

Here's another one Florent Pagny

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Mar 08 - 08:05 PM

OH, that last one, esp. LOVE his voice AND delivery!

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Mar 08 - 07:50 PM

Sean! Thanks. I can hardly wait for Rog to get home. He will love these, even if he is of French Canadian stock...we both love French and "Canuck." Thanks, too, to gnu!

Subject: RE: Vive la French
From: Seán Báite
Date: 04 Mar 08 - 06:48 PM

Monique, you're being a bit vague with the geography... I love Nougaro, who's definitely a toulousain (may he be singing on the right hand of whoever's up there !) but in the summer I can see Cabrel's house from my in-laws' summer house and it's definitely near Astaffort, 100 kms from Toulouse. He supports Agen in rugby, and not Toulouse, I'm sure (for his sins).
Anyway - can I put up a few that are more of my generation than yours or Cabrel's (I'm 15 or so years younger than him) :

First off, a Breton cousin - Christophe Miossec - man, can this fella write a song :
Miossec - Brest

On to these guys who are most definitely (110%) from Toulouse. I saw them in Dublin in the 90s with approx. 9 other people - here they are doing a wonderful 'joute verbale' in a magnificent setting :
Fabulous Troubadours - Si tu te fais

Then across the south of France to Marseille, to the equally wonderful Massilia Sound System, encouraging us in the local lingo to talk the local lingo (Occitan/Provencal) :
Massilia Sound System - Parla Patois

Back to Toulouse again for Zebda's famous 'replique' to Chirac's extremely indelicate comment on immigrants (they give gainful employment to an Irish fiddler, these boys) :
Zebda - Le Bruit et l'odeur

Further south into French Catalonia - that gave us Bruno Cali (who loves Ireland and has worked with ex-Waterboy Steve Wickham). Here he is wasting his talents on tourists in the cablecar that goes up to the Sacre Couer in Montmartre. I don't think a finer song has ever been written in appreciation of the female posterior :
Cali - La fin du monde

Up a bit to Paris, and Renaud who has put well-meaning but rather simplistic (regarding his analysis of the Troubles) French lyrics to the wonderful Scottish (?) melody 'The Water is Wide' :
Renaud - La ballade nord-irlandaise

More Breton cousins, this time with a French transposition of a song you should all recognise :
Tri Yann - La ville que j'ai tant aimée

And finally, the Fleming Arno, doing a cover of a song by the great French poet Leo Ferré. Unfortunately, it's one of those mobile phone captures - but I think he gets the message across all the same :
Arno - Comme à Ostende

Sorry for being so longwinded - but they're well able to write a song - those damn French (and Catalans, and Basques, and Bretons, and Marseille heads, and Corsicans.... )