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-top of page A
Short List of French Singers, Songs, CDs, and More
-- with links to many video performances of varied sound quality Salvatore
Adamo, Charles Aznavour,
Barbara, Georges Brassens, Jacques
Brel, Francis Cabrel,
Dalida, Celine Dion, Lara
Fabian, Leo
Ferré, Serge Gainsbourg,
Garou, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Johnny Hallyday, Francoise Hardy, Patricia Kaas, Lynda
Lemay, Enrico
Macias, Maudite Moisson, Edith
Piaf, Mathieu Rosaz,
Alain Souchon, Natasha St-Pier, Anne Sylvestre, Charles Trenet, Martha Wainwright, and Zazie
Non-Francophones (with
French Songs) -- Mort Shuman, Nina Simone and others
French Musicals -- Notre Dame de Paris, Roméo et Juliette: de la Haine à l'Amour, and Le Roi Soleil. English Musicals -- with songs inspired by France or French culture: The Phantom of the Opera, Sunday in the Park With George, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Candide, An American in Paris, and Can-Can. Videos and Vibes (French Vibes)
A. Salvatore Adamo was born in Italy, and moved to Belgium at the age of three. The bio on his website notes that he sings in nine different languages, and has sold more than 85 million records. Some of his greatest hits are from the 1960s. On You Tube, listen to "Tombe la neige" (the Snow falls) (lyrics), as well as Inch'Allah, and version 2 (lyrics). B. Charles Aznavour is a singer, composer, and French actor of Armenien origin, a major figure, who on You Tube he sings La bohème (Eng. subtitles in video), Version 2, (lyrics), La Mamma with France Gall (lyrics), Tu t'laisses aller (lyrics), Vers. 2, Eng., Emmenez-moi (lyrics), and Tout s'en va (lyrics). On DailyMotion.com he sings: Non je n'ai rien oublié (lyrics), Comme ils disent (lyrics), Sa jeunesse (lyrics), and Hier encore (lyrics). C.
Barbara,
aka Monica Serf (not Streisand), this singer/chanteuse just is known by
her first name, and is a "great," consi The
four CDs of hers that I have are quite good: D. Georges Brassens was, according to a bio in RFI Musique, one of the most "important figures in French musical history," creating "his unique style in the 40s." Here's a wonderful quote from the Project Brassens' page, attributed to him: "I would like everyone to understand that they can be creators, that they are creators. The context isn't important. It's to help a world exist, to be born." He sings, Les passants (lyrics), and L'orage (lyrics) on Dailymotion.com, and La mauvaise réputation (lyrics), and La complainte des fille de joie (lyrics) on You Tube. E. Jacques Brel, whose roots are in Belgium, has many fine albums, but one that is a classic is Quinze Ans d'Amour (Fifteen Years of Love) with many of his greats, including Quand On A Que L'amour, Ne Me Quitte Pas, Les Bonbons, La Chanson Des Vieux Amants. This is definitely a five star album, and he as a standard bearer of the French troubadour tradition, is definitely a tour de force. For Brel it has been said that the words to the music were more important than the music itself , and it's from such a view that poetry merges with music. And that's what makes a real chanteur. Brel is probably best known in America for the musical review of his songs: "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris." Enjoy his performance on You Tube of: Quand on a que l'amour (When One Has Only Love) (lyrics), Ne me quitte pas (French Lyrics) (English Translation), La chanson des vieux amants, (lyrics).
![]() F. Francis Cabrel has a number of fine albums. Three songs of his I really like, which he performs on You Tube are Hors-Saison (lyrics), Un samedi soir sur la terre (which comes with French subtitles) and La corrida (lyrics). For other songs of his, see Presque rien (lyrics), Cents ans de plus (lyrics), Le monde est sourd (lyrics), Je t'aimais, Je t'aime . . . (lyrics beneath the video), J'l'aime à mourir (lyrics beneath the song), La cabane du pêcheur (lyrics), Petite marie (lyrics), and C'était l'hiver (lyrics) on dailymotion.com. G. Dalida (her real name, Yolanda Christina Gigliotti), had a fascinating life, from Egyptian singer of Italian origins, to beauty pageant winner, to French superstar, who died of an overdose of barbituates in 1987, following a failed love affair. And so, thus, the celebrated diva in her own lifetime, became a cult figure in death, with a square in Monmartre named after her. See the Wikipedia and rfi musique review of her career. She sings on You Tube, Il venait d'avoir 18 ans ) (lyrics),(Version 2 with French lyrics), Je suis malade with Serge Lama, Version 2 (lyrics), Avec le temps (lyrics), Pour ne pas vivre seul (Lyrics), L'histoire d'un amour (lyrics), Les gitans (lyrics), Come Prima (lyrics), Que sont devenues les fleurs (lyrics), Il pleut sur Bruxelles (lyrics), Parle plus bas (lyrics), Le temps des fleurs (lyrics), Gondolier (lyrics), Besame mucho (lyrics), Je reviens te chercher (lyrics), La vie en rose (lyrics), Bonsoir Mon Amour (lyrics), Laissez-moi danser (lyrics), Histoire d'aimer (lyrics), Femme (lyrics), J'attendrai (lyrics), Fini, la comédie (lyrics), Mourir sur scène (lyrics), C'était mon ami (lyrics), and Bambino (lyrics), H. Celine Dion was born in 1968 -- the youngest of 14 children -- in a rural French Canadian hometown, Charlegmagne, Quebec, and has become an international superstar, who sings wonderfully in French and English. See 365.com bio, Netglimse.com, and Wikipedia.
I. Larra Fabian, born Lara Crokaert in Etterbeek, Belgium in 1970, is an international singing star, who can sing in Italian, English, and Spanish, in addition to French. She possesses Canadian citizenship, began her career in Quebec. Here is an in-depth Wikipedia discussion of her. And her official website. She has two albums that I have particularly enjoyed listening to -- nue (nude) and 9 . They're both quite good, in a generally pop way, though there's a classical musical feel to parts of nue (maybe it's the beautiful last track, with almost 17minutes of piano music, where all the themes from the album are resurrected). In my view nue has a higher percentage of excellent songs. She performs on You Tube J'y crois encore (lyrics), Je suis mon coeur (lyrics), Parce que tu pars (lyrics), Tango (lyrics), Tu t'en vas (lyrics), Tu es mon autre with Mauranne (lyrics), J'y crois encore (Fabian with Dominique) (lyrics), Bambina (lyrics), Je t'aime (lyrics), Je suis mon coeur (lyrics), Si tu m'aime (lyrics), and Leïla (lyrics). See on dailmotion.com, Il ne manquait que toi (lyrics), Aimer déjà (lyrics), L'homme qui n'avait pas de maison (lyrics), Immortelle (lyrics), Un Ave Maria (lyrics), Pas sans toi (lyrics), La lettre (lyrics), Le roi est une femme (lyrics beneath video), and Je suis malade (lyrics) (Dalida made the song famous).
K. Serge Gainsbourg was born Lucien Ginsburg in Paris, 1928, and was a songwriter, singer, character, and force in French music. See Vanity Fair's The Secret World of Serge Gainsbourg, Nov. 2007, an article by Lisa Robinson, which makes reference to: "his poetic, nicotine-and-alcohol-fueled, sometimes scandalous life as France's most adored singer-songwriter, lover of Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot, and friend to countless taxi drivers and policemen." For bios, there's one at Wikepedia. Here are a few You Tube selections: Les Sucettes (with France Gall) (lyrics), La chanson de Prévert (lyrics), and L'hôtel particulier (lyrics). L. Garou, born in Quebec, 1972, played the part of Quasimodo, the lead male role in Luc Plamondon's musical, Notre Dame de Paris, in both the French and English versions. Listen to his performance on You Tube of Je n'attendais que vous (lyrics), Je vais t'aimer (lyrics), Que l'amour est violent (lyrics), Adieu (lyrics), and his duet, sous le vent (lyrics) with Celine Dion. Also he sings on You Tube Au bout de mes rêves (lyrics), the Jean-Jacques Goldman song, with Celine Dion and others. M. Jean-Jacques Goldman's singulier is a 2 CD set covering the period of songs in his life from 1981 to 1989, when he may have been at his best. Goldman is hugely popular in the French speaking world, and in 2003 was the second highest grossing performer after Johnny Hallyday, who Wikipedia refers to as the French Elvis Presley. Watch him perform on You Tube, Long is the road (America) (lyrics), Quand la musique est bonne (lyrics), Je te donne (lyrics), Il changeait la vie (lyrics) and Au bout de mes rêves (lyrics) and on dailymotion.com, Comme toi (with lyrics for that song), Là-Bas (lyrics), Envole-Moi (lyrics), and Puisque tu pars, (lyrics). Here are the bio in English from Radio France Internationale and the performer's site, jjgoldman.net in French. N. Johnny Hallyday, a French pop icon, sings Retiens la nuit (lyrics), Marie (lyrics), Noir c'est noir (lyrics), Pense à moi (lyrics), and J'oublierai ton nom (lyrics) with Nathalie St-Pier) on YouTube. ![]() N. Francoise Hardy takes us on a trip down memory lane to the 60s on dailymotion.com with her most famous song Tous les garçons et les filles (lyrics). On YouTube she performs Mon ami la rose (lyrics), L'amitié (lyrics), and Ma jeunesse fout le camp (lyrics). Musicguide.com has an interesting bio about her, which mentions that Tous les garcons et les filles was one of her own compositions, which she sang on her first single under the Vogue label, released in 1962 (she was 18 years old at the time). It was "a tremendous hit, and a favorite" at Radio Europe's popular youth show, "Salut les copains." Almost instantly, she became "one of the greatest stars of French pop music," joining Sylvia Vartan and Johnny Hallyday "in the pantheon of living legends of French pop." O. Patricia Kaas is a wonderful singer, whose repertoire includes a mix of pop music, jazz, and chanson. On You Tube she performs quite a few of her standards: Une femme comme une autre (lyrics), Une fille de l'est (lyrics), Les hommes qui passent (lyrics), Entrer dans la lumière (lyrics on You Tube), D'allemagne (lyrics), Mon mec à moi (lyrics), Ceux qui n'ont rien (lyrics), Les chansons commencent (lyrics), Mademoiselle chante les blues (lyrics), L'aigle noir (lyrics), Kennedy Rose (lyrics), Quand Jimmy dit (lyrics), Mon chercheur d'or (lyrics), Sans toi (Fr. lyrics in the video), Chanson simple (lyrics), L'enterrment de Syney Bechet (lyrics), and Une dernière semaine à New York (lyrics). On Dailymotion.com, enjoy: Le mot de passe (lyrics), Quand j'ai peur de tout (lyrics), Je voudrais la connaitre, (lyrics), Il me dit que je suis belle (lyrics), and Les lignes de nos mains (lyrics). Her photo is the first one, and is near the top of this web page.
Q. Enrico Macias, a french born Jewish-Algerian singer, made his first recording in 1962, Adieu mon pays (lyrics) on You Tube. He appeared on French television and became a world-wide sensation. Here is also La femme de mon ami (lyrics) on You Tube. R. Maudite Moisson is a Quebecois band, extremely popular, with wide international recognition. Their debut album Le Vent du Nord (North Wind) (2005), is somewhere between folk, and music that makes you want to get up and dance. It's addictive, so beware. Megan Romer of About.com's World Music section lists it as one of the top ten CDs (presumably she means in terms of sales) in the French language. Well, actually, she has it no. 2 behind one by Edith Piaf. Also, see Folk World CD Reviews: "this is a very happy, positive album, full of power and atmosphere." They perform on You Tube from that album, Les Trois Frères Roy (It's a song about three brothers, who arrive on the St Lawrence River on a boat from Brittany, and are welcomed into the homes of three beautiful women farmers. The next year they all get married, build three mills, and have many children), and also Les Amants du Saint Laurent, the song from an album by the same name (2007) (can't find lyrics or give a summary of the action: just enjoy).
T. Mathieu Rosaz does quite well some songs in homage to Barbara. On You Tube there are Une petite cantate (lyrics), Göttingen (lyrics), and Vol de nuit (lyrics). He sings Perlimpinpin (lyrics) on MySpacetv.com. For more about Matthieu, see his page at MySpace Music. He has an album, Mathieu Rosaz Chante Barbara. See Amazon.fr. U. Alain Souchon, French singer, songwriter, and actor, was born in Casablanca, Morocco in 1944. Shortly thereafter, his family returned to France. According to Wikipedia, Souchon's biggest hit was probably Foule Sentimentale. He performs on You Tube Des regrets (sous-titres) and Foule sentimentale (lyrics). V. Natasha St-Pier was born in 1981 in Bathurst, New Brunswick, and raised in Edmundston from the age of two. She is a pop singer of rising note. Her first album Émergence -- a collaboration with world renowned composer/producer Steve Barakatt -- was released in 1996. See Wikipedia bio, and her official website. She came in 4th in the Eurovision Song Contest (2001) with her powerful ballad, Je n'ai que mon âme.
W. Anne Sylvestre began her career on the Parisian left bank at the end of the 1950s. She helped in the early feminist struggles, and some of her songs are in that vein, but also has, among other type music, songs for children, small fables, useful for daily life, and helping to carry the values of tolerance and liberty. See her French web site and also concerts.fr. Her song, Une sorcière comme les autres, (lyrics ) from her CD 40 ans de chansons is very lyrical and beautifully sung. It's a favorite of mine! Watch her perform on You Tube T'en souviens-tu La Seine (lyrics). And on Dailymotion.com, here are performances of hers for: Les chemins du vent, Berceuse de Baghdad (lyrics), La Cathédrale de papier, Un coeur dans les bras, and Chanson d'amour. (I could not find links to lyrics for most of those songs). X. Charles
Trenet, a French singer and songwriter, famous for his songs from the
1930s to the 1950s. See this really fine website, "portail des
amis de Charles Trenet," and also a Wikipedia
discussion of him. He performs, La mer
(lyrics)
and Que
reste-il de nos amours (lyrics)
on You Tube.
Y. Martha Wainwright, Canadian singer) has a beautiful version of a song Barbara is famous for, "Dis quand reviendras-tu" (very clearly articulated for those working on their comprehension of oral French) in her album, "I Will Internalize." Enjoy on You Tube, Dis, quand reviendras-tu at Vicar St. Dublin (lyrics), version 2 at the Fuji Rock Festival (2006), and the Edith Piaf song, Adieu mon coeur (lyrics). Z. Zazie, born Isabelle Marie Anne de Truchis de Varennes in 1964, is a French singer and songwriter, known for her playful use of language. Hence, the words now in the vernacular, zazisme or Zazie-ism. Watch on You Tube performances of Ça (lyrics), Je suis un homme (lyrics), Vue du ciel (lyrics), Homme sweet homme (lyrics), Zen (lyrics), Un point c'est toi (lyrics), Tous des anges (lyrics), and A ma place (lyrics) with Axel Bauer. See the Wikipedia (Eng.) and Wikipédia (Fr) summary of Zazie. AA.
A
Special Section now -- Non-Francophones Who Sing in French
(1) Judy Collins sings Les Chansons vieux amants (Songs of the Old Lovers) from her album, Forever: An Anthology. Jaques Brel sings this song in "Quinze ans d'amour" .Judy Collins rendition is very nice and it's on cut no. 14, disc one. (2) Misia, the Portuguese Fado singer, with her very fine album, Paixoes Diagonais (Diagonal Passions), sings the quite enjoyable song in French, Par rêve (Through dream or dreaming). (3) On the album Peter, Paul, and Mary in Concert (2 CDs), they sing Le déserteur (lyrics) from a song by Boris Vian. (4) Mort Shuman (1936-1991) was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter, best known for many 1960s rock and roll hits. In 1966, he discovered Jacques Brel, decided to live in France and translate certain Brel texts into English. At that time, he began to compose songs in French, and soon to sing them, earning him a solid reputation among the francophone public. See monsieur-biographie.com. Two favorites of mine are Brooklyn by the sea (lyrics), and Le lac majeur (lyrics), both performed on dailymotion.com. See also on You Tube, Comme avant (lyrics) and Un été de porcelaine (lyrics). (5) Nina Simone has a beautiful rendition of Ne me quitte pas (one of the songs that Jaques Brel sings in Quinze Ans d"Amour) ( (French Lyrics) (English Translation)) and which Nina performs on You Tube. The
range of
the above singers is tremendously varied. For
example, Lara
Fabian, and Celine Dion are more in the
pop/light rock vein. Edith Piaf, Barbara and Jacques Brel
in
the
French chanteur/chanteuse vein. Some are quite simply hard to
categorize.
BB. Musicals
-- French
Notre-Dame
de Paris
(original French version) (1998) is a
musical, lyrics by Luc Plamondon, the CD of which (at least
the abbreviated version) can
easily be ordered here in the US. Now here's a real treat! Watch on You Tube, the
performance of all the major songs, generally in French (with
English subtitles), and the order consistent with the French DVD.
Roméo et Juliette: de la
Haine à l'Amour (2001)
is an enjoyable French musical based on William Shakespeare's play,
Romeo and
Juliet. Enjoy on You Tube almost all of the songs: Ouverture
with Fr. sub., Vérone
with Eng. sub. (Fr.
lyrics), La
Haine (lyrics),
Un
jour (lyrics),
La
demande en marriage (lyrics),
Tu
dois te marier (lyrics), Les
rois de monde with Eng. sub. (Fr.
lyrics), J'ai
peur with Eng. sub.(Fr.lyrics),
Le
Bal Part 1, L'amour
heureux with Eng. sub. (Fr.
lyrics), Le
Bal Part 2, C'est
pas ma faute (lyrics), La
poète (lyrics),
Le
balcon with Eng. subt. (Fr. lyrics), Par amour
(lyrics),
Les
beaux, les laid (lyrics), Et
voilà qu'elle aime (lyrics),
Aimer
with Eng. sub. (Fr.
lyrics), On
dit dans la rue with Eng. sub. (Fr.
lyrics), C'est
le jour (lyrics),
Pourquoi
(lyrics), Le
Duel (lyrics), La
folie (lyrics), La
mort de Mercutio (lyrics), La
vengeance (lyrics), Le
pouvoir (lyrics),
Duo
du
désespoir (lyrics),
Le
chant de l'alouette (lyrics), Demain
with Eng. sub. (Fr.
lyrics), Avoir
un fille (lyrics),
Sans
elle (lyrics),
Le
poison with Eng. sub. (Fr.
lyrics), Comment
lui dire (lyrics), Mort
de Roméo with Eng.sub. (Fr.
lyrics), La
mort de Juliette with Engl. sub. (Fr.
lyrics), J'sais
plus (lyrics), Coupables
(lyrics),
and
Presentation of the troop with Eng. subtitles.
Le Roi Soleil (2005) is a successful French musical by Kamel Ouali about the life of Louis XIV. Enjoy on You Tube a selection of songs: Je fais de toi mon essential (lyrics), Tant qu'on rêve encore (lyrics), Être à la hauteur (lyrics), Un geste de vous, (lyrics), Le ballet de planètes, Contre ceux d'en haut, (lyrics), A qui la faute (lyrics), Ça marche (lyrics), Je t'aime (& by Laura Fabian), (lyrics, scroll down page to find). And on dailymotion.com, La vie passe (lyrics) CC. Musicals
-- English (though with a French influence)
Miss
Saigon (1989) (English) is a follow-up musical to Les
Misérables by the French composers,
Alain
Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. It is a modern adaptation of
Puccini's Madame Butterfly, set in South Vietnam at the time of its
fall. On You Tube, watch performances of Miss
Saigon, The Movie
in My Mind, I
Still Believe,
and Sun
and Moon.
The Phantom of the Opera (1986) (English) was a hit musical based on the novel by the French writer Gaston Leroux. Here on You Tube are the performance of the songs, The Phantom of the Opera (lyrics), All I Ask of You (lyrics), No One Would Listen (lyrics), The Point of No Return (lyrics), Music of the Night (lyrics), and Think of Me (lyrics). Sunday in the Park with George (1983) (English) is a Steven Sondheim musical inspired by the painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte, by Georges Seurat, the French painter who helped found neo-impressionism. On You Tube, watch: Sunday, It's Hot Up Here, Finishing the Hat (lyrics), Putting It Together, and Move On (lyrics). Les Misérables (1980) (English) is an international smash hit musical, with a score by the French composers, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, that is a classic, based on the novel by the French writer, Victor Hugo.
Master of the House, Drink With Me, Bring Him Home, Javert's Suicide, Empty Chairs and Empty Tables, ABC Cafe - Red and Black, and International 17 Jean Valjeans. Candide
(1956) (English) is an excellent musical-operetta by Leonard Bernstein,
inspired
by Voltaire's Candide. On You Tube, watch the following
songs: Candide
Overture, The
Best of All Possible Worlds, Oh
Happy We,
It Must Be So, Glitter
and Be Gay (1) and (2)
(text),You Were
Dead You Know,
I
Am Easily Assimilated, Auto
Da Fe, What's
the Use, Make Our
Garden Grow (text)
Can-Can (1953) (English) is a Cole Porter musical, with the famous song, I Love Paris (lyrics), here performed on You Tube by Patti LuPone An American In Paris (1951) (English) is a famous American movie musical directed by Vincente Minnelli with Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron playing the lead. Needless to say, it takes place in Paris. Watch on You Tube: Gene Kelley and Leslie Caron (dance scene), Love Is Here to Stay/Stairway 2 Paradise, (lyrics), Leslie Caron Dancing, S'wonderful (lyrics),Tra-la-la (lyrics),and I got Rhythm (lyrics). DD. Videos and Vibes French Vibes, Podcast Notes While I have generally provided links to the lyrics of the songs above (unless the performance had English subtitles), a good site for finding lyrics to French songs, or singers is chansons-paroles.com. The Patricia Kaas image (taken by Michael Preuß and edited by the German Wikipedia) is permitted for use. See Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5. The black piano is an image released into the public domain. The oil by Frans Koppoeaar (photography by his arts studio), entitled "River Amstel by Night" is licensed for use and distribution. See Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5. The image of the guitar is licensed for usage. The photo of Celine Dion is in the public domain. The image of Quasimodo and Esmeralda is from Page 364 in book 6 of the 1889 edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the novel by Victor Hugo, upon which the musical is based. The photographic reproduction is in the public domain. The view of Monaco, wild rosa gallica, bust of Edith Piaf, and the image of the Imperial Theater are available for use under the GNU Free Documentation License Verion 1.2 or any later version. The photograph of Nathalie St-Pier (by Thierry Carro, showing her in concert at the Tampon), is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5. The image of the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. - return to top of page - return to All Things French - return to Homepage |