Phoenix in Versailles

Phoenix - Entertainment | A Take Away Show Phoenix in Versailles, filmed by a drone, by La Blogotheque.

Feelings for you

There's are chances you know the song Feelings, but do you know the story behind it? From France to Turkey, from Brazil to the World.

The song was composed by French Loulou Gasté and Albert Simonin in 1956 under the Frenh name "Pour Toi" (for you). This song was sung by Dario Moreno, a Turkish singer who made his career in France, and remembered for his catchy songs, in chanson, operetta, or latin-american influenced rhythms.

Dario Moreno - Pour Toi (OST le feu aux poudres, 1957)


20 years later, Morris Albert, a Brazilian musician, adapted the song with new lyrics in English. Without mentioning where the melody where from... It would cost him a lots of money when he lost his trial. The song became on of the biggest world hit in the history, selling millions.

Morris Albert - Feelings (1974)

"Feelings" was covered by many artists, like Frank Sinatra, Caetano Veloso and also translated in French by Mike Brant. But the best is this live recording of Nina Simone, able to turn a cheesy tune into this beautiful and moving moment. 10 minutes of grace, much better than the original recordings of Pour toi/feelings!

Nina Simone - Feelings (Jazz Montreux festival, 1976)

Spring

Good pop and chanson released in the beginning of 2011.

Les Têtes Raides duo Jeanne Moreau - Emma (2011)

Ensemble - Excerpts (2011)


Le Prince Miiaou - J'ai deux yeux (2011)

A few new songs from France

Cascadeur - Walker (2011)



Thomas Fersen - Parfois Au Clair De Lune (2011)

A year of love

One of the first song composed and recorded by Nino Ferrer was C'est Irréparable. The song didn't gain much success. He was only a few years later that Nino Ferrer became a huge star. The lyrics are about a guy left alone, and who remembers with bitterness the sweetness of this "year of love".

Nino Ferrer - C'est Irréparable (Un an d'amour) (1964)

The following year, this song was covered by the great Italian star Mina, both in Italian and in Spanish. What a voice! The song became a huge hit, in Spain, Italy and in whole Latin America.

Mina - Un anno d'amore (1965)

Then, in 1991, the Spanish singer Luz Casal covered it again, but changed the lyrics. The singing character is still the one left alone, but this time she's warning her lover, that if he left her, he will not be able to forget "the taste of her lips" and that "he'll understand in one moment, what means a year of love". The song was featured in the great Almodovar's movie High Heels. This Spanish movie was a great success in France, and most of the French people discovered this French song only at that time!

Luz Casal - Un año de amor (1991).

Yann Tiersen's Dust lane

From Dust Lane, the great new album of Yann Tiersen.



Yann Tiersen - Palestine (2010)


Yann Tiersen - Dust Lane (2010)

French music and West Africa

If this blog mainly focuses on music from France, I do love musics from other countries. To stay in the topic of French Kisses, here's a selection of great tracks from West Africa with lyrics sung in French among my all time favorites. Great classics and more recent hits.

Unforgettable classics:
Orchestra Baobab - On verra ça ce soir (Senegal,1979)


Bembeya jazz National - Téléphone (Guinea, 1977)


Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Ne te Faches Pas (Benin, 1970's)


Grand Kalle & OK Jazz - Table Ronde (Congo, 1960)


Tabu Ley Rochereau - Gagner Gagner (Congo, 1984)


Tchico Tchikaya- Jeannot (Congo, soukous, 1979)


More recent sounds:

Magic system - Un Gaou à Paris (Ivory Coast, zouglou, 2003)


Amadou et Mariam - Je pense à toi (Mali, 1998)



And some African rap:
Positive black soul - Je ne sais pas (Senegal, 1995)


Abass Abass - Urgence (Senegal)

Kid CuDi's System

Le Système Crapoutchik - All What I Have (France, 1971)


Kid CuDi My World (USA, 2009)

Never too late

I've been quite busy lately, but French music didn't wait for me. So I'm catching up with some nice songs of 2010!

The new single by the very young (17 years old) Camélia Jordana. She became famous with the TV contest La Nouvelle star, normally full of talentless wannabe singers. She has a very beautiful and moving voice and had the taste to chose good songwriter for her first album. Listen to the whole album there.

Camelia Jordana - Calamity Jane (2010)


The band praised as the spiritual son of Noir Désir.
Luke - Pense à moi (2010) (Think of me)


From Ivory Coast, the famous Tiken Jah Fakoly is back.
Tiken Jah Fakoly - Je Dis Non (2010) (I say No)

The new single by Féfé, of his 2009's album Jeune à la retraite (retired young)

Love songs with cheese

I don't know if French people are more romantic than others, but we do have plenty romantic ballads, where amour rhymes with toujours. For sure, we enjoy cheesy music almost as we love cheese!

Johnny Hallyday - Que Je T'Aime(1969). Arranged by Jean Claude Vannier (who arranged the cult Gainsbourg's Melody Nelson.

Claude François - Le Téléphone Pleure (1974)

Some Sun in my Street

A very fresh song by Féfé (former member of the Saian Supa Crew)

Féfé - Dans ma rue

I'm melting

Sorry I don't have much time to upload the blog. And unfortunately, youtube deleted my account for having uploaded Brassens's video at the request of the INA...Sorry for the dead links you may found.

Whatever, somes interesting French music of 2010 according to my favorite French blogs:

Buzy - Au bon moment, au bon endroit

Univers Zéro - Clivages

Arnaud Fleurent-Didier - La reproduction

Clara Clara - Confortable Problems

Arno - Brussld

Rocé - L'être humain et le reverbere

Casey - libérez la tête

La Fine Equipe & Mattic - Fantastic Planet

High Tone - Out Back

Mathieu Boré - Frizzante

Louis Ronan Choisy - Rivière de plumes

You can also check the nice musical selection of Radio France.

They sing in English

M83 - We Own the Sky (Saturdays=Youth, 2008) - Myspace



Diving With Andy - Sugar Sugar (Sugar Sugar, 2009) - Myspace

Sebastien Schuller - The Border (Evenfall, 2009) - Myspace


Butch McKoy (Welcome Home, 2009) - Myspace

I Love You

Matthieu Boogaerts is saying so in his 7th album released last month. One of the most singular and interesting album released in 2008.

Listen to the whole album on jiwa.fm
His Official website site

Kitch is everywhere

Mayde, Mayde, 80's are back. Sometimes, it would be better not to dig up cheesy French hits.

France Gall - Ella Elle l'a written by Michel Berger, 1987. Ella, She has it, is about Ella Fitzgerald.



Kate Ryan - Ella Elle L'a 2008

Spleen In My Heart

(Spleen by Pirlouiiit)

A new and promising name in French music: Spleen. Strange name? It comes from the French word which means a state of pensive sadness (popularized by the poet Charles Baudelaire), not from the organ.

His music is a fantastic blend, with pieces of Funk, human beatboxing, rock, pop and chanson. His LP Comme Un Enfant (Like A Child) has been released last month. He has already seduced the hypest artists: Coco Rosie, Devendra Banhart, Antony & the Johnsons, Tv on the Radio, Yael Naïm, Kezia Johnes...Who's next?

Spleen - "Tu l'aimeras"

Links: Myspace

Massive Attack loves French music too

A classic French pop song sampled with talent, becoming a classic trip-hop song. Buddhists may call that reincarnation ;-)

Serge Gainsbourg - Cargo Culte (1971)
Massive Attack - Karmacoma (1994)