The Swinging Poet

Inspired by classical French Poets, chanson and Jazz, Brassens redefined French Chanson in the mid-50’s to the 70s. With, a great sense of the melody, a guitar with a perfect swing, and lyrics in the same time poetic, deep and subservise, he’s hailed in France as a true genius of songwritting and the greatest master of French Chanson.

A selection of his greatest songs:

Brassens – The swinging Poet

1. Supplique pour Etre Enterré à la plage de Sète
2. Le Roi des Cons
3. Rien à Jeter
4. Le temps ne fait rien à l'affaire (Quand on est con)
5. Putain de toi
6. La prière
7 .La Premiere Fille
8. Le Pornographe
9. Le Petit Cheval
10. Pauvre Martin
11. Les passantes
12. Le Parapluie
13. La Non-Demande en Marriage
14. Mourir pour des Idées

15. La Mauvaise Réputation
16. Le Mauvais Sujet Repenti
17. La Marine
18. La Marche nuptiale
19. Une Jolie fleur
20. Je suis un voyou
21. Je me suis fait tout petit
22. Il n’y a pas d’amour heureux
23. Hécatombe
24. Le Gorille
25. Embrasse-les tous
26. Dans l’Eau de la Claire Fontaine
27. La Complainte des filles de joie
28. La Chasse Aux Papillons
29. Le Bistrot
30. Les Amoureux des Bancs Publics

Bad Reputation

Georges Brassens is to my opinion the best French singer-songwriter musician of the XXth century. And actually most of people who love French music think the same and I can't explain why he's so less famous outside France than Gainsbourg, Brel or Edith Piaf. So you can imagine how pleased I am to welcome the release of a CD of Brassens sung in English. It's called Bad Reputation, Pierre de Gaillande Sings George Brassens and features Keren Ann. Pierre de Gaillande is Franco-american and has worked, among others, with the great Vic Chesnutt. Both translation and music are very good. In stores June 8th 2010!

A nice quote that can be found on Barbès' website: "He [Brassens] is both a national outcast and hero in France, yet most of us don't know him on this side of the Channel. His lyrics were more subversive than Dylan orthe Sex Pistols and he wrote better tunes than either." Alex Kapranos, of Franz Ferdinand. quoted in The Guardian October 2006

A few more:
"A few years ago, in the course of a literary discussion, someone asked who was the best poet at the moment in France. I responded without hesitation: Georges Brassens."
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize for Literature 1981

"I believe it is a mortal sin not to listen to Brassens."
Jacques Brel, songwriter

Welfare Heart

He sings in English deep and beatiful folk songs. His sound is all but what's done in France in 2010. All his LPS can be downloaded for free. Check out his myspace

Ernesto Violin - Seasons Of the Sun

I'll wait for the Next One

A great short film of Philippe Orreindy (2001).

From Time Bomb to the 2010

To start with 2010's music, some hip-hop. Oxmo Puccino and Booba were singing together in the underground crew Time Bomb back in the 90's. Now they are both very famous but as you can see, their styles have nothing in common.

Oxmo Puccino - Quitte Moi (leave me)




Booba - Foetus

And an other track of a good French rap album of 2010: Rocé - Si peu comprennent ('l'être humain et le réverbère)

Special tops of French music

I dont like much doing top of Music. I'm bored too quickly. But what is to remember of this year in French music? I guess it would be Benjamin Biolay's Suberbe, Dominique A's Musique, Oxmo Puccino's L'arme de Paix and Brigitte Fontaine's Prohibition. Maybe also Phoenix, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Emilie Simon for some hype, but also JP Nataf and Miossec and many others.

Here some tops 2009 of French music I recommend (even they dont have much of rock and rap because they focus on Chanson).

-the top of RFI Musique

-the top of Musique mag

And also three anthologies of old but great French speaking music released in 2009.

-France:Une anthologie des musiques traditionnelles (Fremeaux)

-Tumbélé: Biguine, Afro and Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean, 1963-1974 (Soundway)
- Buigine à la Canne à Sucre (Fremaux)

I would recommend also The 100 best French rap songs, according to ABCDR du son. A really nice list with all the classics from NTM, IAM, Booba and Oxmo Puccino.

But this year is also the one of the death of three important French singing artists: Mano Solo, Alain Bashung and Lhasa de Sela.

Groove from the French Caraibes

I don't write much about French Caribbean (Martinique and Guadeloupe are overseas départements of France) because I know little about this music but there are amazing gems there. I highly invite you to listen to the great compilation made by Soundway Tumbélé! Biguine Afro and Latin Sounds from the French Caribbean.

I quote Soundway:

"This album showcases the vibrancy of the scene on the islands in the ‘60s and ‘70s – a scene that would go on to develop the all-conquering sound of zouk in the ‘80s. Uptown bands like Ensemble La Perfecta and Les Loups Noirs combine heavy rhythms and psychedelic effects in an inimitable style – check out the crazed Jet Biguine for a better idea! The deep and introspective sounds of Monsieur Dolor and Guadeloupean hero Robert Loison show the deep African roots of the music – songs born out of the plantations, with an insistent rhythm and mournful vocals that are unique to these islands."

Check also this great article on Mondomix about French Caribbean music:

By the way, for those who've downloaded my mixtapes, there were a few songs from Caribbean: Kassav' (volume 5) , A very old buigine from Martinique (volume 7), and the young Admiral T (volume 3).