What are your two favourite French songs? (Shamelessly posting for traffic!)

[ComingUpTrumps]

Hi everyone.

Sorry this is so boring but just posting for traffic if that's okay!

I had a thread on here a few weeks ago about a weekly hospital radio show I was doing, where I'd planned to do a feature on it about French music each week.

I've been asked to start off this week by bringing in a couple of songs from two different French musicians or groups. Only thing is i don't want to start off with my absolute favourites and am not really sure how to start it all off.

This is where you lovely lot all come in :)

Would you mind letting me know your two favourite French-language groups or musicians please? Or your two favourite French songs?

Thanks! :)

Ok, novelty songs. I'vegotBills' post reminded me a bit of Remy Bricka, who may not have one of the great voices but is very popular with children. Also, I've met him and he literally walks on water! 'La vie en couleur':

m.youtube.com/watch?v=CXM_XdxmsAU

'Charlotte' by Pierre Vassiliu. I happen to rejoice in the same Christian name as the unfortunate heroine locked out without her knickers. This fact has not passed unnoticed by French acquaintances! It's also the word for a very unbecoming hat worn by production line workers.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=xSjIc69OTqQ

Printemps by Cœur de pirate
Bella by Maître Gims

Agustarellera

Those links are hilarious, some crazy rhyming going on

Not sure if it's suitable for hospital radio though-someone might split their stitches laughing...

Roch Voisine's Salut les amoureux
Anything by Joe Dassin
Téléphone - un autre monde

Haha Bills, that's very true! I do find that all these 'lighter' songs are much better for my French vocab than (say) terribly tasteful settings of Baudelaire by Debussy. I would quite like to listen to more café concert/vaudeville type music like Yvette Guilbert or Aristide Bruant, now that my French is existent if not yet proficient. Many years ago I stayed in Paris near a marvellous cabaret called Au Limonaire and I would hear the strains of raucous singing accompanied with accordeon, and wish I could understand it! I think Erik Satie's songs are just perfect in the sense that they capture that sort of Edwardian cabaret ambience, but you can enjoy them even without much French . (And I love Gabriel Bacquier in this music so much!)

'Allons-y Chochotte':

m.youtube.com/watch?v=ATXlFchG_1Y

'Trois poèmes d'amour' (a bit more 'classical', this)

m.youtube.com/watch?v=31rt_S8NBgY

So many brilliant songs mentioned here already! :) I can't believe no one's mentioned Serge Gainsbourg though (Sorry if he's already been mentioned!) He wrote some great songs. For more modern stuff, there's Fauve, Autrans (more electro-type stuff), loooads of French rap (Soprano, Kamini, Disiz...). Ooh and Grand Corps Malade, who's fab.

Oh and LEJ. They're a group of friends, and they do covers of English and French songs in close harmony. So so good.

Re Gainsbourg: I like 'Le poinçonneur des lilas' which I'm afraid is so far the only song of his I've really listened to! I kind of dismissed him as a twat after 'Je t'aime, moi non plus' which seemed like the sort of puerile stuff English people used to snigger over when any mention of sex was outrageously risqué. (Though it's true that French people do talk a lot during sex. An Englisnman would never demand 'Dis-moi des mots d'amour!' when he's actually inside you, or at all for that matter.)

'Le poinçonneur des lilas':

m.youtube.com/watch?v=eWkWCFzkOvU

Cendrillon by Telephone & Les amoreux des bancs publiques - Jacques Brel

Parce que c'est toi by Axelle Red (a Belgian singer). It was the song DH & I chose for our first dance at our wedding. We love all her work actually.

Yy to jacques brel - although for me Brel sung by Scott walker is the best ..

And voyage voyage by desireless

puffins you're right! I never noticed the name difference but always felt slightly confused

Here is one by Celine Dion which takes me back

Offenbach's Barcarolle:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf42IP__ipw

And Delibes' Duo des Fleurs:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf42IP__ipw

Too old?

Here's a lovely French woman who teaches French 'comme une française' for free on YouTube. It's got a lot of cultural content and she has a lovely sense of humour.

Anyway, here's her recommendations of french music

Really worth watching her stuff if you want to update your French.

Ooops sorry - pasting fail

m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdc2zNgJIpY

Spot of French opera-very accessible song 'The Doll Song' from 'Tales of Hoffman' sung with humour

La belle et le bad boy by MC Solaar

A la claire fontaine is my favourite French lullaby. Not that it's having any effect on ds

Moi, je joue - BB
Je t'aimais, je t'aime et je t'aime t'aimais - francis cabrel
Elisa - serge Gainsbourg
Mc solaar - Obsolete

All remind me of my life in France...

*je t'aimerais that should be.

I love Hoffmann!

@Mytholmroyd No, this is old!

m.youtube.com/watch?v=AIvAo4URvtE

Your links are great though!

Love this song and Laurels voice.

Anything by Vanessa Paradis, but especially Tandem, Commando and Que Fait La Vie? Seen her live twice - amazing.