NOTE: I also do free French bilingual short stories (parallel texts), and I've put lots of info + links on my Home Page
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My Audio List Of The Best French Language Songs
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Below you will find a widget of my SPOTIFY playlist of the top 100 French songs ever.
Alternatively, you can use my DEEZER playlist of the same songs.
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D’abord, d’abord, y a l’aîné First of all, first of all, there's the oldest Lui qui est comme un melon He who is like a melon (lazy and stupid) Lui qui a un gros nez He who has a big nose Lui qui sait plus son nom monsieur He who no longer knows his (own) name, mister Tellement qu´il boit as he drinks so much Tellement qu´il a bu as he has drunk so much Qui fait rien de ses dix doigts Who does nothing with his ten digits (fingers and thumbs) Mais lui qui n´en peut plus But (he) who can't take it anymore Lui qui est complètement cuit He who is completely stewed (drunk) Et qui s´prend pour le roi And who takes himself for the king Qui se saoule toutes les nuits Who gets himself drunk every night Avec du mauvais vin With bad wine |
Click HERE for a free French lesson based on this song
In the normal meta critic tables the number one position usually goes to another Jacques Brel song called 'Ne Me Quittes Pas.' So why have I changed that? Because 'Ces Gens La' has far richer lyrics. But let's start with 'who is Mr Brel?' Well, he is not French but Belgian. His career spanned from the mid fifties to the late seventies and his speciality was lyrically enriched theatrical songs. If you see one of his live performances you will understand how this guy enraptured the entire world with a unique way of story telling in song form: mesmerising body and facial gestures that reinforced a 'hang off every word' voice. I have fond memories of my neighbour (a French musician) explaining this song with me, drunk to bits and late in the morning, going through each line as if the words had some mystical/magical/religious statius . In short, It's about a man in a bar explaining to the man next to him how he fell in love with a girl coming from a 'rich', aristocratic family who would not accept their relationship being that he himself came from a working class background. It's crack in musical form.
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Je revois la ville en fête et en délire I recall (re-see) the town in full festivities and in delirium Suffoquant sous le soleil et sous la joie Suffocating from (under) the sun and through (under) joy Et j'entends dans la musique les cris, les rires And I hear in the music the cries, the laughs Qui éclatent et rebondissent autour de moi Which burst forth and bounce around me Et perdue parmi ces gens qui me bousculent And lost amidst these folk who jostle me about Étourdie, désemparée, je reste là Dazed, disorentated, I stay put Quand soudain, je me retourne, il se recule, When, suddenly, I turn round; he steps back Et la foule vient me jeter entre ses bras. And the crowd has just thrown me into his arms |
Do I really need to say who this lady is? Street singer turned national treasure turned darling of America turned cougar turned singer of most internationally known French language song ever, turned junky... then died.
If you was expecting 'Je Ne Regrette Pas' then you will be forgiven. 'La Foule,' however, represents the ensemble of her works better. If you watch the film 'La Môme,' a film based on the life of Piaf, then this is the song that you will hear all the way through as a kind of theme/jingle song. By the way, you MUST watch La Môme, if only to see Marion Cotillard's hallucinating performance as Piaf at different stages of her life. Best damn acting I've seen since... ever. La Foule is a fast paced song about a boy and a girl who meet (and instantly fall in love) in a crowd at some sort of street festival/party. The 'crowd' however, after having 'given' the boy to the girl then 'snatches' the boy away forever (them not probably knowing each others name 'n' all) |
Je t’aime, je t’aime I love you, I love you Oh oui, je t’aime Oh yes I love you! Moi non plus Me neither Oh mon amour Oh, my love... Comme la vague irrésolue Like the ever unfurling wave (unresolved wave) Je vais, je vais et je viens I go, I go back and forth (I go, I go, I come) Entre tes reins Between your kidneys (or region thereof i.e. loins) Je vais et je viens I go back and forth (I go and I come) Entre tes reins (see above) Et je me retiens And I hold myself back (stop from coming) |
Click HERE for a free French lesson based on this song
Well, so far I have got the two biggest Francophone artists into the first two slots, so I might as well go for 'three for three.' Anyone of my generation will know only two modern (well, they were when I was young) French songs: this one and 'Joe le Taxi' by Vanessa Paradis.
Serge Gainsbourg is to francophone music what French Wine is to French cuisine: Their absences would not totally invalidate either francophone music nor French cuisine, and yet nothing would be quite the same without... There are many sides to the man and his music: his earlier more traditional career of stiff tv appearances with La Javanaise and Le Poinçonneur, his innuendo song writing for 'clean image' female singers (les succettes for example), his bardot and birkin stuff (including this song) his 'naff' eighties stuff (though others may think that everything he did was pure gold), his controversial episodes (like the video he did with with his daughter that had 'incestual' undertones or the incident where he burnt money on french tv or when he said to Whitney Houston 'I want to f*ck you,' again, on French tv or just simply his constant drinking and smoking) However, it is when you here songs like Requiem for a con (a personal favourite) that you truly realise what a genius this man was. So why is this last song not here in place of 'Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus.' Well, it is simply the fact that when you hear the opening music of the latter you have only one image in mind: La France. Simple lyrics and yet easy to pass over the meaning within them. |
Elle avait des bagues à chaque doigt She had rings on every finger Des tas de bracelets autour des poignets A ton of bracelets around her wrists Et puis elle chantait avec une voix And then she would sing with a voice Qui, sitôt, m'enjôla. Which beguiled me from the go Elle avait des yeux, des yeux d'opale She had such eyes, such opal eyes Qui me fascinaient, qui me fascinaient Which would fascinate me, would fascinate me Y avait l'ovale de son visage pâle There was the oval of her pale face De femme fatale qui me fut fatale Of a femme fatale who was fatal for me |
Made famous by the iconic 60's French film Jules et Jim, this is the only song that made me shed a tear whilst making this list, and I still have no Idea why. Watch for when she smiles during the song: She messed up the lyrics but was encouraged to continue anyway.
WIKIPEDIA (edited): Jules et Jim /ʒyl e dʒim/ is a 1962 French film directed by François Truffaut. Set around the time of World War I, it describes a tragic love triangle. The film is based on Henri-Pierre Roché's 1953 semi-autobiographical novel describing his relationship with young writer Franz Hessel and Helen Grund, whom Hessel married. The film won the 1962 Grand Prix of the French film prize Étoile de Cristal and Jeanne Moreau won that year's prize for best actress. The film ranked 46 in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010. |
Vers les docks où le poids et l'ennui To (towards) the docks where weight and boredem Me courbent le dos break (curve over) my back Ils arrivent le ventre alourdi They arrive, the belly weighted De fruits les bateaux with fruits, these boats |
Aznavour is the son of Armenian immigrants and yet it is hard to think of anyone who personifies Les Chanson Francasise more than he.
Their are parts of this song that are sung at lighting speed, so don't try singing it at home. It's about longing to be taken away to the ends of the earth, to wonderous lands where the sun makes lifes miseries less onerous. |
Ne me quitte pas Don't leave me Il faut oublier One has to forget Tout peut s´oublier All can be forgotton Qui s´enfuit déjà Which already flees Oublier le temps To forget the time Des malentendus Of misunderstandings Et le temps perdu And the lost time A savoir comment To know how Oublier ces heures To forget those hours |
This is the song that usually tops the list among the meta critics. In it, he begs a lover not to leave him, and was written after his own pregnant mistress (zizou) left him in real life, refusing to acknowledge that the child she was carrying was his.
Jacques has said of this song that it's not a love song but a song about the cowardice of men who humilate themsevlves in such situations. The song has been covered a multitude of times, by many artists including; Nina Simone, Alison Moyet, Sting, Juliette Gréco, Cyndi Lauper, Belinda Carlisle, Celine Dion, Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Marc Almond and Barbara Streisand. There is even a Yiddish version somewhere out there... |
La mer The sea Qu'on voit danser le long des golfes clairs That one sees dancing along the clear gulfs A des reflets d'argent With silvery reflections of light (shimmers/ glints) La mer The sea Des reflets changeants of changing light reflections (shimmers/ glints) Sous la pluie Under the rain |
One day, I may just write something here...
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Of course, being an instrumental, there are no lyrics.
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Yes, I know there aren't any French lyrics, but I'm sticking to my guns: If you slice it open it'll have FRANCE written all through it like a Blackpool Rock. Have you seen the film it comes from? Then go now and watch it: It's a masterpiece, and believe me, I'm no fan of French films.
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Je me lève et je te bouscule I rise and I give you a stir Tu n’te réveilles pas You don't wake up Comme d'habitude As per usual Sur toi je remonte le drap Over you, I pull up the sheet J'ai peur que tu aies froid I fear you are getting cold Comme d'habitude As per usual Ma main caresse tes cheveux My hand caresses your hair Presque malgré moi Almost inspite of me Comme d'habitude As per usual Mais toi tu me tournes le dos But you, you turn your back to me Comme d'habitude As per usual |
Click HERE for a free French lesson based on this song
Confession: I hate every song this artist ever did except this one which was truly a chef d'oeuvre. After being seen on TV by a Canadian artist, the song was bought and its lyrics re-written in English once the song had been given totally different theme. The finished product was then sung by Frank Sinatra and thus was born: 'I Did It My Way'
In fact, the original has very little to do with the Sinatra version when it comes to the lyrics, being about a couple going through the motions of pretending to get along when love had gone along time ago. |
FROM THE START
Non, rien de rien /nɔ̃, ʀjɛ̃ də ʀjɛ̃/ No, absolutely nothing (nothing of nothing) Non, je ne regrette rien /nɔ̃, ʒə nə ʀəgʀet(ə) ʀjɛ̃/ No, I regret nothing Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait /ni lə bjɛ̃ kɔ̃ ma fɛ/ Neither the good deeds that have been done for me Ni le mal; tout ça m'est bien égal ! /ni lə mal; tu sa mɛ bjɛ̃-n-egal/ Nor the bad ones: For me it's all the same difference Non, rien de rien (see above) Non, je ne regrette rien (see above) C'est payé, balayé, oublié /sɛ peje, baleje, ublije/ It's payed for, swept away, forgotton Je me fous du passé ! /ʒə mə fu dy pase/ I don't give a damn about the past |
Click HERE for a free French lesson based on this song
We all know this one and the reason is is that (yes, I did put two ises together, and no I'm not changing it!{yes, I did write the plural of is as ises, and no, I'm not changing that either!}) it has always been a favourite of film makers, mostly to create the image of France within the viewers minds. The last film I heard it in was Inception (see this Youtube clip of the scene it appeared in)
And yet if you get to know the lyrics in detail you'll appreciate just how powerful, yet simple it is. The message was that, when you fall in love, all that went on in the past has no longer any meaning: it gets swept away (without regrets) and life then starts anew when a new love interest comes along. By the way, the clip above is not of the real Edith Piaf, but of Marillon Cottilllard who played her in the brilliant bio-pic La Môme as already mentioned in entry 2. Incidentally, she also starred as the deranged wife in Inception (see above.) Oh, I nearly forgot, this song almost never came to be as Edith refused to see the composers (and had done so on several occasions) who were trying to propose this song to her (she first thought of it as below her standards) and when she finally did see them (as the result of her maid admitting them against her wishes) she was apparantly quite gruff and abrupt (talk about biting the hand that feeds.) All this was portrayed well in La Môme, in a quite stirring scene. (see above: scandelous misuse of parentheses) |
And now for songs 11 to 20
But before you continue, please read the introduction that I wrote which originally went at the top but which now has been put down below after it dawned on me that the average web surfer has an attention span similar to that of an impatient bladder-filled flea on amphetamines
But before you continue, please read the introduction that I wrote which originally went at the top but which now has been put down below after it dawned on me that the average web surfer has an attention span similar to that of an impatient bladder-filled flea on amphetamines
Introduction
This is where I am going to get a lot of flack; Normally 'french song' is not the direct translation of 'chanson français'. Wikipedia says that the term 'chanson francaise' indicates a genre of music that puts the french language in a valourising light (how else do you translate 'mettre en valeur') with reference to the master and model heirs of the poetic literature of the french language, with an emphasis on its juxtaposition to the prevailing, industrial, anglosaxon music scene.
But this is not how I look at it. Voici my defininition: GOOD CLASSIC FRENCH LANGUAGE SONGS (PAST AND PRESENT) THAT FORM PART OF THE MUTUALLY EXPERIENCED FRANCOPHONE IDENTITY. Ok, the GOOD part is wholly subjective. Have I put in songs which are generally held as good but that I don't like? Answer = no. The CLASSIC part is more objective but still relies on myself as judge. This prerequisite stops a lot of modern pop songs (which, all be it, fit the rest of the definition) from automatically going into the list. There are however a few modern french songs that have become classics in there own time, L'heritage by Benjamin Biolay being one of these. It is here where strong meaning within the lyrics can help. There are some songs which I have included which one would find hard to define as forming part of the MUTUALLY EXPERIENCED FRANCOPHONE IDENTITY but which are present anyway because they should be more universally known to the french themselves as forming part of their cultural patrimony. Songs by Malicorne would be good examples of this. There are even one or two songs in the list that, being instrumentals, are not even FRENCH LANGUAGE SONGS but are included anyway because they evoke la france so well that they just couldn't be left out, like the song from the soundtrack of Amelie for instance. Hovever, in making this list I have gone beyond the simple definition described above. As can be seen from the title, this list was made with the anglophone in mind and so, songs which didn't stand a chance of appealing to the English speaking taste were left out (Jean Jacques Goldman songs in particular) Is there a difference between the Deezer and Spotify playlists?
1) The original Requiem Pour un Con by Gainsbourg available on Spotify but not on Deezer. Replaced by an interesting Japanese cover in the latter. 2) Tout Doucement by Bibie and both Sacré Charlemagne and Les Sucettes by France Gall not available on either. Replaced by three different versions of Tri Martolod, a traditional Breton song. 3) Le Ciel Se Marie Avec La Terre by Lucille Dumont not available on Spotify. Replaced by Pesketerien Ar Yeodet (traditional breton Song) 4) Je l'Aime a Mourir by Cabrel not availible on either. Replaced by the Shakira cover, which I actually prefer.
THE TOP TEN MOST INTERESTING French Language Music Artists Since 2000 French language music has always had a bit of a reputation for being naff among English speaking peoples. To rebuke those accusations I therefore present some shockingly good modern era music artists (Frenchies who still sing in French, who'd have thought..). The list is accompanied with individually playable YouTube videos so you can quickly sample and decide for yourselves. I have also written a ditty on each artist, not that anyone reads now-a-days. |
THE WHY AND HOW:
Using Les Chansons Francaises (French language songs) to Learn French. Read my article explaining why and how... oh... I've just said that. I may go off on a folly with this article but what I say within (when I eventually get to the point) could change your current methods of learning French for the better. Also: detailed look at Irony vs atlantic drift. ONE-STOP LINKS AND REVIEWS FOR The Best French Music Only Radio Stations Want to listen to French Radio Stations for French Language Songs but finding every two out of three songs are in English (and 3rd rate ones at that). Well, you've found the one link to rule them all, the one link to find them, the one link to link them all, and in cyberspace bind them. Now that's what I call kick-ass poetry! (Suck on that one keats) HOW TO WATCH Live 'Free to View' French TV Channels Online from Abroad In the 21st Century, language, culture and television are very closely associated. If you can't be there then the next best thing is to see and hear what those that are are watching. Your ability to understand oral French will undergo a paradigm shift within just a few hundred hours of french tv watching. Yes, I know that sounds like Chinese water torture but there are a few gems to look out for so.. let me be your guide young padawan. MY SPOTIFY AND DEEZER PLAYLISTS OF Modern Era French Music Artists And Songs Did you find my playlist of the top 100 French Language Songs of all time too old fashioned, too meloncholic? Here's the remedy. This is my personal playlist of modern french language music and it goes from mainstream pop to left-field hipster. It's like what French music radio stations would be like if you took out all the 80's anglophone music and then gave it taste. French music can be... good? ALL - BY - MY - SEEELLLF... DON'T WANNA BE... Hints & Tips for Learning French as a Self Study Topic Going it alone can be a daunting challenge so why not take a little advice from those that have already crossed that bridge. Stand on the shoulders of vertically challenged people, that's what I say (No dwarfs were harmed during the writing of this article) CONJUGATE THIS FOTHER MUCKER Rundown of the French Verb Tenses and Moods I noticed that there was very little on the web giving a brief yet comprehensive rundown of these French verb tense-moods as I like to call them. Even less showing the use of them with examples. Shall we consider this lacune filled now? THE SLIPPERY FISH OF CONJUGATION RIVER The French Imperfect Tense (l'imparfait) There is one barrier left between you and near comprehension of French texts: L'Imparfait. ...and so welcome to my rule of thumb rule on how to translate this tense when you come across it in your readings. Examples given will help you understand... hopefully. |
BY THE WAY
If you liked this audio list then you may like:
My audio list of the Best Spanish Language Songs for Learning Spanish (with Spotify playlist)
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My Spotify Playlist of Modern French Artists and Songs of Interest
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My Audio List of the Most Interesting French Language Artists Since 2000
If you liked this audio list then you may like:
My audio list of the Best Spanish Language Songs for Learning Spanish (with Spotify playlist)
or
My Spotify Playlist of Modern French Artists and Songs of Interest
or
My Audio List of the Most Interesting French Language Artists Since 2000
FREE ONLINE FRENCH LESSON
BEGINNER-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Edith Piaf
Je Ne Regrette Rien
Probably the only French song that the average Joe knows. Well, at least it's a good one. Emotionally charged and yet short and simple song, and hence good for beginners. No extremely metaphorical lyrics, just nice and direct, which helps.
(1960)
FREE ONLINE FRENCH LESSON
BEGINNER-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Serge Gainsbourg
&
Jane Birkin
Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus
Very very naughty. The controversial French lyrical genius begat a controversial sexy French song. You all know this one so there's not much more for me to add... except, if you thought it was a tad risqué beforehand, just wait until you understand the 'ins and outs' (ha ha!/ lol) of the lyrics.
(1969)
FREE ONLINE FRENCH LESSON
BEGINNER-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Claude François
Comme D'habitude
Confession: I hate every song this artist ever did except this one which was truly a chef d'oeuvre. After being seen on TV by a Canadian artist, the song was bought and its lyrics re-written in English once the song had been given totally different theme. The finished product was then sung by Frank Sinatra and thus was born:
'I Did It My Way'
LOTS OF GRAMMAR NOTES
(1967)