60s protest songs sung in French

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Monique
Date: 13 Jun 11 - 03:01 PM

"Le déserteur" was written in 1954 during the Vietnam French war, so before the Algeria war. Interesting page about it and 45 translations/versions on an Italian anti-war songs site

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Leadfingers
Date: 13 Jun 11 - 12:41 PM

I have been singing Le Deserteur for a while - I have SEVERAL variations on the lyrics Paul posted ! AND Rosselson's translation

I'll have to sit down and sort it out !

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: GUEST
Date: 27 May 10 - 08:28 AM

Here's a review of Yvonne Constant singing French protest songs centered around the events of May 1968 in an NYC concert on 24 May. Few details, alas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/arts/music/26constant.html?ref=music

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Paul Burke
Date: 26 May 10 - 01:52 PM

Leon Rosselson sang Le Déserteur by Boris Vian. I can only remember a few of the words but here it is cut and pasted, which shows that what I did remember was full of French mondegreens (worldverts?).

Monsieur le Président,
je vous fais une lettre,
que vous lirez peut-être,
si vous avez le temps.

Je viens de recevoir
mes papiers militaires
pour partir à la guerre
avant mercredi soir.

Monsieur le Président
je ne veux pas le faire,
je ne suis pas sur terre
pour tuer de pauvres gens.

C'est pas pour vous fâcher,
il faut que je vous dise,
ma décision est prise,
je m'en vais déserter.

Depuis que je suis né,
j'ai vu mourir mon père,
j'ai vu partir mes frères,
et pleurer mes enfants.

Ma mère a tant souffert,
qu'elle est dedans sa tombe,
et se moque des bombes,
et se moque des vers.

Quand j'étais prisonnier
on m'a volé ma femme,
on m'a volé mon âme,
et tout mon cher passé.

Demain de bon matin,
je fermerai ma porte
au nez des années mortes
j'irai sur les chemins.

Je mendierai ma vie,
sur les routes de France,
de Bretagne en Provence,
et je crierai aux gens:

refusez d'obéir,
refusez de la faire,
n'allez pas à la guerre,
refusez de partir.

S'il faut donner son sang,
allez donner le vôtre,
vous êtes bon apôtre,
monsieur le Président.

Si vous me poursuivez
prévenez vos gendarmes
que je n'aurai pas d'armes
et qu'ils pourront tirer

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Canyonguy
Date: 26 May 10 - 12:38 PM

Thanks I was able to find some on you tube.
Its possible but hard to believe that others like Joe Hill and "Fixing To Die rag" By Country Joe were not translated as they were so popular. Or what about any of Woody Guthries songs? or Pete Seegers Bring Em Home ?

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: brezhnev
Date: 22 May 10 - 06:39 PM

and who needed foreign imports when France had the great Antoine? As a teenager I thought he and Jacques Dutronc were among the coolest people on earth. Still do really.

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Monique
Date: 22 May 10 - 06:09 PM

Now I think about it, maybe I should have added that some protest songs in French were never felt as protest songs because they'd been adapted to be only pop songs. "If I Had A Hammer" for example was felt just a pop song in French because it was out of context –I remember I was in 6th grade and only teenagers were interested in those at that time, older people would be interested in "la chanson française" (Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, Gilbert Bécaud, Charles Aznavour, Léo Ferré… and even older stuff, at that time things went more slowly, you didn't get a wagon load of new singers every week) and the "in between" more in jazz and whatever music came in with the GI's near the end of WW II and what we could hear on the radio in the late 50's –I can't tell, we had no radio then.
Hugues Aufray's translations kept the original, unusual for French ears and minds, atmosphere of Dylan's songs, Graeme Allwright did a very good job with the ones he translated from Pete Seeger.

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Monique
Date: 21 May 10 - 03:40 AM

Canyonguy provided me a list of some songs but as far as I know all of them and their translations have a copyright so to avoid issues to the Mudcat I'd rather post the links to those I know and whoever wants them just follows the links and copies and pastes them on their own computer.

If I had a hammer: Si j'avais un marteau Claude François, Les Surfs
Turn turn turn: Tourne, tourne, tourne Sylvie Vartan
Waist deep in the muddy: Jusqu'à la ceinture Graeme Allwright
Where have all the flowers gone: Que sont devenues les fleurs Nana Mouskouri
Joe Hill: Joe Hill
There but fortune: Où va la chance Françoise Hardy
Blowing in the wind: Écoute dans le vent Richard Anthony, Graeme Allwright
Mr Tambourine Man: L'homme orchestre Hugues Aufray
The times they are a changing: Les temps changent Hugues Aufray
Girl from the north country: La fille du Nord Hugues Aufray
Little boxes Cf. my 18 May 10 - 08:39 AM post

I don't know of any translation(s) to the others songs -which doesn't mean there aren't but that my own body hard drive had much more free room in the 60's than now -and this is also why I have no clue if more recent songs have a French translation or not. I'd suggest that you'd check the Bob Dylan's songs Hugues Aufray translated/adapted into French from the link I provided to his two records and here are the lyrics to many of his songs.

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Canyonguy
Date: 21 May 10 - 01:20 AM

Thanks everyone for the input.
I found some of these- problem is The only way I know how to get htis stuff is through you tube

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: beeliner
Date: 20 May 10 - 12:25 PM

Correct, and it's not a protest song. The theme of the thread changed in the nonce.

Subject: RE: Dylan Songs in French
From: pavane
Date: 19 May 10 - 09:38 AM

"Si tu dois partir" is the Fairport song.

Subject: RE: Dylan Songs in French
From: David C. Carter
Date: 19 May 10 - 05:53 AM

Check out "New Yorker" Hughues Aufray-2009



Good luck

Subject: RE: Dylan Songs in French
From: NormanD
Date: 19 May 10 - 04:19 AM

"The Partisan" is not a Dylan song.

Are we excluding all the various pop versions done by the likes of Richard Anthony or Johnny Hallyday (probably)?

Subject: RE: Dylan Songs in French
From: beeliner
Date: 19 May 10 - 02:09 AM

Fairport Convention sings "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" in French on Unhalfbricking (Island ILPS9102), and it's also on The History of Fairport Convention (Island ICD4).

Subject: RE: Dylan Songs in French
From: Little Hawk
Date: 18 May 10 - 05:31 PM

There's "The Partisan"....it's been translated into English and sung by a number of folk performers such as Leonard Cohen.

Subject: RE: Dylan Songs in French
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 18 May 10 - 05:29 PM

In a day, I somehow translated "protest songs" to "Dylan songs"!

Subject: Dylan Songs in French
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 18 May 10 - 05:17 PM

In the past 24 hours, somebody was enquiring about Bob Dylan song sung in French. I couldn't find the original thread. Here is a link to an album of Dylan songs sung back in the 60s by French singer Hugues Aufray.

Dylan sung in French

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Monique
Date: 18 May 10 - 08:39 AM

Graeme Allwright sung this one (Little Boxes), more modern version video with lyrics by someone else.

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Mike Regenstreif
Date: 18 May 10 - 08:26 AM

Kate & Anna McGarrigle did a French translation of Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes."

"Petites Boîtes" was first released on the various artists collection, 'If I Had a Song: The Songs Of Pete Seeger, Vol. 2,' and then on their own 'La Vache Qui Pleure.'

Mike Regenstreif

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Leadfingers
Date: 18 May 10 - 07:17 AM

Is it PURELY American songs you want ? Leon Rossleson recorded a song 'Le Deserteur' written by B Vian , which is Algerian War protest

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: GUEST,bankley
Date: 18 May 10 - 07:12 AM

and from Kebek,


Gilles Vigneault, some early Claude Dubois , Richard Seguin , Louise Forestier, Plume Latraverse, Robert Charlebois and of course Pauline Julienne

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: David C. Carter
Date: 18 May 10 - 05:12 AM

Monique got there before me.
Must've cross posted.

David

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: David C. Carter
Date: 18 May 10 - 05:09 AM

French singer Hughes Aufray did a lot of things in the 60s,still does for that matter.
He introduced Dylan's music to the French public.They appeared together on stage,my wife and I were present.
I don't know everything he's covered though;Maybe you can google,or something!

Can't add anymore,got to go!

Good luck though

David

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Monique
Date: 18 May 10 - 05:06 AM

Hugues Aufray translated/adapted many Bob Dylan's songs (two cd's). You can check this lyrics site

Graeme Allwright adapted some more (Who Killed Davey Moore, What Did You Learn in School Today, ...)

Would you have anything precise in mind?

Subject: RE: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Beer
Date: 17 May 10 - 09:28 PM

Interesting. Wish you the best .
Beer (adrien)

Subject: 60s protest songs sung in French
From: Canyonguy
Date: 17 May 10 - 08:34 PM

Looking for a list of American popular protest songs sung in French.
This is for background music for an upcoming event "The Treehuggers Ball" June 12th

I would be interested in any american popular / folk tunes in French
covers ok
If possible please send to [e-mail]