NOTE: I also do free French bilingual short stories (parallel texts), and I've put lots of info + links on my Home Page
Part Two of my
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Below you will find my SPOTIFY playlist of the top 100 French songs ever.
If you want to follow this playlist in your Spotify account than click HERE
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Écoute les orgues Listen to the organs Elles jouent pour toi They are playing for you Il est terrible cet air-là It's terrific, that tune there J'espère que tu aimes I hope that you like it ç'est assez beau non It's rather neat, yeah? C'est le requiem pour un con It's a requiem for a c*nt |
Probably the coolest French song ever written. Used in the film La Pacha (this a clip from the film). The meaning of the song title is 'Requiem for an ass-hole/jerk/wanker ...etc (take your pick.) The song is basically an affront to someone, saying: "Listen to these organs, they're playing for you, the tune is good ain't it. hope you like it, it's a requiem for a c*nt/twat."
Yes, I did use the C word. A lot of people don't know this but the word 'con' originally referred to female sex organs, much the same way as cun.... |
Le mois d'Avril s'en est allé The month of April has gone and left Le mois de Mai s'est approché The month of may has come in close Et marions les roses And let's marry (bring) together the roses Les roses font un beau bouquet x2 Roses make a beutiful bouquet Quand elles sont jolies When they are pretty Avons passé dedans vos prés We have passed through (into) your meadows Les avons trouvé bien fumés We have found them well manured |
Let me tell you a story. I was out drinking at a little music gig in Brittany in the middle of nowhere. It was a wolf refuge and the venue was just a hut and some tents. After the gig, everyone carried on drinking and talking till five in the morning, with camfires 'n' all. At around three, someone started singing this song, and without prompting, 9 or ten others jumped in in perfect harmony. I was gobsmacked. The hairs on the back of my neck have never been the same since. I swear I heard a wolf howl...
Malicorne are what I would describe as the musicians' musicians; a French gothic folk group who took traditional songs from around the regions of France, and from different time periods with in it's history, turning them into something very trippy and sublime. If for nothing else, they deserve recognition for at the same time preserving and reinventing a rich tapestry of musicality with in the living memory of many. No-one else has quite managed to do what they did, before or since |
Si tu aimes les soirs de pluie If you love/like (the) rainy evenings OR Mon enfant, mon enfant My child, my child Les ruelles de l'Italie The side streets of Italy Et les pas des passants And the steps of passers-by L'éternelle litanie The eternal litany Des feuilles mortes dans le vent Of (the) dead leaves in the wind Qui poussent un dernier cri Which let out a final cry Crie, mon enfant Cry out my child |
Click HERE for a free French lesson based on this Song
Modern Classic chanson Française. One man, one piano, one haunting tune, and a bunch of stirring lines. This one always gives me goose pimples when I hear it on the radio.
My neighbours told me that only days before their baby was due they heard this song on the radio and they both cried. Why? It's about a person saying to their child that if he likes x, or does Y, or hates doing Z, or gets confused by... etc, then (translating directly) "it's not your fault, it's your heritage, and it'll be worse still, when you will be my age." Try the lyrics lesson (link to the left) and see just how moving it gets. This song is |
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CHORUS Joe le taxi Joe the taxi man C'est sa vie That's his life Le rhum au mambo From rhum to the mambo Embouteillage Traffic jams (or bottling) Il est comme ça That's how he is (He is like that) Rhum et mambo Rhum and mambo Joe, Joe, Joe… |
Lyrically, it's not outstanding, but it doesn't need to be when the tune is a cracking as this. One of the very few frenchie songs to ever be a hit in the English speaking world (no.3 in the UK)
WIKIPEDIA: "Joe le taxi" is a song about a taxi driver, Joe, who works in Paris. The song emphasizes the notion that Joe seems to know all there is to know about the French capital including the whereabouts of all the little bars, all of the Parisian streets, the Seine, and bridges. ME: What did I tell you! |
(Note: formidable = formidable/ extraordinary/ terrific/ wonderful/ astounding/ great/ magnificent) Formidable, formidable Wonderful, wonderful Tu étais formidable, j’étais fort minable You were wondeful, I was really pathetic Nous étions formidables We were wonderful Formidable Wonderful Tu étais formidable, j’étais fort minable You were wonderful, I was really pathetic Nous étions formidables We were wonderful |
I loved Alors On Danse, Stromeas first big hit, but wondered how he was going to top it. I presumed it would be a one hit wonder; though the album it came from (Cheese 2010) was good, the public didn't seem that interested in it's other tracks. Then one morning over a bowl of coffee, I was watching French tv when this came on (as released from his second album Racine Carré 2013.) I realised at that moment that not only had he done it again, he had blown his previous hit out of the water. Of course, at that point I hadn't heard Papaoutai (off the same album) which was to confirm his status as the king of urban-electric-geek music across the world (over 300 million YT hits)
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CHORUS Il y en a qui contestent There are those who object Qui revendiquent et qui protestent who revendicate and who protest Moi je ne fais qu'un seul geste Me, I make but one sole gesture Je retourne ma veste x2 I turn my coat Toujours du bon côté Always the right side out |
Dutronc is a legend, and the lyrics to this song of his are legendary. It is a direct attack on opportunistic politicians who change sides/ ideals/ principles when it suits their political ambitions. The chorus goes "Je retourne ma veste, toujours du bonne côté [I turn my jacket inside out, always the right way round]. This makes reference to the 'turncoat' someone who swapped uniforms (or turned his uniform inside out) so as to no longer identify himself with the losing side that he once belonged to.
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Je ne rêve plus, Je ne fume plus I no longer dream, I no longer smoke Je n'ai même plus d'histoire I don't even a story to my life anymore Je suis sale sans toi, Je suis laid sans toi I am dirty without you, I am ugly without you Je suis comme un orphelin dans un dortoir I am like an orphan in a dormitory |
Click HERE for a free French lesson based on this Song
Possibly the most melancholic song in the history of mankind... and I love it. It's all about the words dude and Mr Lama paints such a stark yet poignant picture with them that you can't help putting yourself in his boots. Get a glass of whisky, light up cigarette and think of the lovers that have hurt you... you are now ready for this song.
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Et maintenant, que vais-je faire And now, what am I going to do De tout ce temps que sera ma vie With all this time that will be my life De tous ces gens qui m'indiffèrent With all these people who I'm indifferent to Maintenant que tu es partie Now that you've left Toutes ces nuits, pourquoi, pour qui All those nights, for what, for who Et ce matin qui revient pour rien And this morning, which, at the end of the day, counts for nothing Ce coeur qui bat, pour qui, pourquoi This heart which beats, for who, for what. Qui bat trop fort, trop fort Which beats too strongly, too strongly |
Click HERE for a free French lesson based on this Song
Be prepared for pain, passion and anger... and then some. If you watch the clip I chose of Bécaud singing this song live, then you'll find it hard to believe that he hasn't just come straight from a mental asylum. However, when you start to understand the bitter words spat forth you'll come to realize his genius in capturing the feeling of utter rejection that most of us have experienced at least once in our lives.
Watch the madness in the eyes... |
CHORUS Il était une fois Once upon a time (There was a time) Toi et moi You and me N'oublie jamais ça Never forget this Toi et moi You and me |
I know this song will make a lot of the anglophone audience cringe, which is a shame as after a few listens it quickly becomes anthemesque. I should know as this is what happened to me. It was written as an ode to France by the somewhat strange Polnareff who, tax exiled in the U.S., had become all nostalgic about the country he had so loyally contributed to financially (that last bit was sarcasm)
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Bruxelles ma belle Bruxelles, my dear/sweetheart Je te rejoins bientôt I'll rejoin you soon Aussitôt que Paris me trahit As soon as Paris betrays me Et je sens que son amour aigrit et puis And I feel that her love is souring, and then Elle me soupçonne d'être avec toi le soir she suspects that I'm with you the evenings Je reconnais c'est vrai tous les soirs dans ma tête I recognize it's true, each evening, in my head |
I tried looking for a live version but his live performances of this song are... well... not brilliant.
One of the very few artists (perhaps the only one) who was not born and raised as a Francophone. His Dutch origins give a unique style to his voice which led him to become very popular as a folk singer. |
And now for songs 21 to 30
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?
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.
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?
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.
BY THE WAY
If you liked this audio list page then you may like:
My audio list of the Best Spanish Language Songs for Learning Spanish (with Spotify playlist)
If you liked this audio list page then you may like:
My audio list of the Best Spanish Language Songs for Learning Spanish (with Spotify playlist)