#belgique

Émile Fabry, 1921. Lithography

Six charming French songs from around the world

Aïcha,Cheb Khaled (Algerian singer) 1996
With delightful verses filled with biblical and koranic allusions, this ballad is a classic love story. The singer belts out his love for Aïcha, who is not too interested in him and prefers to be independent. This song, written by a Jew and interpreted by a Muslim, is a cry for peace, and truly a masterpiece. Khaled went on to become one of the Arab world’s most famous singers, and has been named the King of Raï. His most recent hit, C’est la vie, has over 50 million views on YouTube.

Papaoutai,Stromae (Belgian singer) 2013
How could I not mention it. With over 270 million views, this song is the most successful French song on YouTube. The contrast between its cheery beat and depressing lyrics about a boy searching desperately for his father (Papa, où t’es?) makes Papaoutai exceptional. The lyrics and video are just gorgeous, and definitely worth a listen. Amongst Stromae’s other hits, we count Formidable,Alors on dance,CarmenandTe Quiero.

Quelqu’un m’a dit,Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (Franco-Italian singer) 2002
France’s very own ex First Lady ! Yes, Carla Bruni, on top of being Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife, is also a renowned and beloved singer. In this sweet ballad, she faintly remembers someone telling her that he ex-lover stills loves her (perhaps in a dream?).

À toi,Mister You (Franco-Moroccan rapper) 2014
To you my little heart, to you my butterfly. In this sweet song, hardened rapper Mister You shows us his delicate side while nostalgically missing his ex-girlfriend. In the « thug French rapper from Morocco who also has a soft side » category, we also find La Fouine, whose notable piano ballad Tous les Mêmes delivers a message of equality between classes.

Aux armes et cetera,Serge Gainsbourg (French singer) 1979
Out of Gainsbourg’s very large musical repertoire, I chose to include his Reggae rendition of France’s national anthem because of its innovator aspect. Indeed, France’s favourite bad boy recorded this song in Jamaica (Bob Marley’s wife is one of the backup singers) and thus brought the Reggae genre to France. The song sparked a controversy at the time of its release (but then again, Gainsbourg’s career is scandal after scandal). Amongst his best hits are Je t’aime… moi non plus,La Javanaise,Bonnie & ClydeandLa chanson de Prévert, to name a few. If you are interested in Gainsbarre’s life, I recommend Joann Sfar’s 2010 fictional film Gainsbourg, vie héroïque, in which Laetitia Casta plays Brigitte Bardot.

Mishapan Nitassinan,Chloé Sainte-Marie (French Canadian singer) 2009
Granted, it is not French technically. But I wanted to include this lullaby in the mix because Native people in Canada don’t have much of a voice and aren’t represented well in the media. This song doesn’t have any actual lyrics (except something along the lines of « Remember how big our land was »), the singer just sings a list of places and cities in present-day Canada, USA and Mexico that used to belong to the Native people. Other Amerindians singers include Philippe Mckenzie, Floyd Western and rapper Samian.

Other memorable French musical artists : Charlotte Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Johnny Hallyday, George Brassens, Francis Cabrel, Coeur de Pirate, France Gall, Charles Aznavour, Edith Piaf, Celine Dion, Jacques Brel, Joe Dassin, Michel Delpech, Michel Polnareff, Lorie, Alizée.

The prettiest smile