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).

Re-up

I've just re-uploaded the volume 6 and 7 of my "discovering French music" compilations which were not available anymore, and added a few new tracks in both. Please tell me when links are dead, I'll upload them again.

2010's Autumn's leaves

A few more French kisses while trees are undressing their leaves. Only new young artists with beautiful voices.

Hindi Zahra, a new Moroccan singer singing in English, but living in France for 20 years (Handmade, 2010)

ZAZ - Je Veux (ZAZ, 2010)

Ben L'Oncle Soul - Soulman (Ben l'Oncle Soul, 2010)

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)

What a French teenager is listening to in 2010? Sexion d'Assaut!

In 2010, a French teenager is likely to listen to Sexion d'Assaut. With 1,5 millions facebook fans (huge if you compare to the population of France, and the band doesn't have any international audience). The crew is definitely the greatest commercial success of 2010 with there first LP L'École Des Points Vitaux (and released on an small independent label). Their style is a very catchy rap, with dancing beats and lyrics with teenage appeal (but more clever than most radio hits), but still keep the flavor of the underground where they are from.

In October a polemic occurred about the (proven) homophobic content of the early lyrics and statements of some members of Sexion d'Assaut which lead to the cancellation of many of their shows.

Sexion d'Assault - Casquette à l'envers (backward cap). (2010)


Sexion d'Assaut - Désolé (sorry) (2010)

Kid CuDi's System

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


Kid CuDi My World (USA, 2009)