There are some wonderful French male and female vocalists, and I have attempted though this page to pass along some of my recommendations.  I don't purport to have, by any means, a definitive list, since art is often a question of personal taste. I may not have included a singer or song here, notwithstanding that they are spectacular for the mere reason that I have not yet been exposed to them. A few listed  are more for historic or popular importance.

Patricia Kaas performing

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, (lyrics),  Inch'Allah, (lyrics (fr & eng), La nuit (lyrics), Une mèche de cheveux (lyrics), and Quand les roses (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  (lyrics), La Mamma with France Gall (lyrics), Tu t'laisses aller (lyrics), Vers. 2, Eng., Emmenez-moi (lyrics), Tout s'en va (lyrics), Comme ils disent (lyrics), Non je n'ai rien oublié (lyrics), Sa jeunesse (lyrics), and Hier encore (lyrics).

C. Barbara, aka Monique Serf (not Streisand), this singer/chanteuse just is known by her first name, and is a "great," considered by the French a giant!  Here is a really nice French site about her with an interesting biography, some of it sad.  She has an interesting song, Le piano noir, (lyrics) with the thought (performer that she was), "Quand je serai morte,/ Enterrez-moi/Dans un piano noir comme un corbeau." (When I will be dead, bury me in a piano, black, like a raven).  A child of Jewish parents, she had to go into hiding during the German occupation of France, was purportedly abused by her father when she was 10. She wrote a song, which is performed on DailyMotion.com, Nantes (lyrics) about her returning to try to see him on his death bed. Watch her perform on dailymotion.com Chapeau bas (lyrics), Göttingen (lyrics), Marienbad (lyrics), Perlimpinpin (lyrics), Dis quand reviendras-tu (lyrics), L'île aux mimosas (lyrics), La Solitude (lyrics), Pierre (lyrics), Ma plus belle histoire d'amour (lyrics), Tu n'en reviendras pas (lyrics), Ce matin là (lyrics), Les Mignons (lyrics), La Gare de Lyon (lyrics), Gauguin (lyrics), and perhaps her most famous song, L'aigle noir (lyrics). She performs on YouTube Drouot (lyrics) and Le mal de vivre (lyrics).

The four CDs of hers that I have are quite good:  (1) L'Aigle Noir (1970-1972). This is Barbara at her best; and in this collection are such classics as "A Peine," "L"Aigle Noir,"; "Drouot" (gorgeous lyrics and performance, with "Drouot referring to a famous French auction house); and "Vienne," among others. (It was at the time of a recital in 1981, that her voice broke irreparably. Still, she made use of her change in voice to emphasize the dramatic and authentic.  (2) Châtelet 87 Volume 2 (live performance).  (3) Châtelet 87, Volume 1 (live performance).  (Volumes 2 and 1 above are part of the same live performance, though I think Volume 2 has stronger songs than volume 1. Still they're both very good). (4) Gold Collection. She sings many classics, including "Dis quand reviendras tu, Ce Matin là , Chapeau Bas, Liberté, etc.  No French text in the CD, but most of the lyrics can easily be found on the internet. 

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, L'orage (lyrics), Les passants (lyrics)  and La mauvaise réputation (lyrics) on Dailymotion.com, 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), Voir un ami Pleurer (lyrics in  performance), and Jaurès (lyrics).

He sings on dailymotion.com Les bonbons (with English subtitles) (Fr.lyrics), and one of his most spectacular songs, Amsterdam (French Lyrics and English) about the life of the sailors at night. Hence to the right, this image of light and water on the River Amstel to evoke some magic of that song. The site, The Belgium Pop & Rock Archives, describes the inimitable Brel  "as poetic as Bob Dylan, as introspective as John Lennon, as virile as Bruce Springsteen; his intense stage  presence, and the killing involvement it reflected, was reminiscent of Edith Piaf."

River Amstel by Night oil by Frans Koppelaar

F. Patrick Bruel, born in Algeria in 1959, produced a double CD of classic chanson, Entre Deux (2002) featuring duets with Charles Aznavour, Jean-Louis Aubert, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Alan Souchon, and Renaud. It sold 2 million copies and made him the best paid singer of that year in France. Bruel is multi-talented! He is also a prolific actor in television and film productions, as well as a  professional poker player. He performs on You Tube, Qui a le droit (with subtitles) (lyrics), Je te l'dis quand même, (lyrics), Place des grands hommes (lyrics), Casser la voix (lyrics), Tout s'efface (with lyrics), and Au café des délices (lyrics) and He sings at DailyMotion.com the song Alors regarde (lyrics). Here is a Wikipedia bio.

G. Francis Cabrel has a number of fine albums.  Three songs of his I really like, which he performs on You Tube La corrida (lyrics), La cabane du pêcheur (lyrics), samedi soir sur la terre (lyrics) and Je t'aimais, je t'aime, je t'aimerai (lyrics).  For other songs of his, see on Dailymotion.com Hors-Saison (lyrics), Presque rien (lyrics), Cents ans de plus (lyrics), Le monde est sourd (lyrics), J'l'aime à mourir (lyrics), Petite marie (lyrics), Des hommes pareils (lyrics), and C'était l'hiver (lyrics).

H. 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 (and many different versions through ckuik website) (lyrics), Je suis malade with Serge Lama (lyrics), Avec le temps (ckuik website -- versions of Ferre, Dalida, Kaas and others), (lyrics), Pour ne pas vivre seul (and different versions though the ckuik website), (lyrics), L'histoire d'un amour (and different versions through the ckuik website), (lyrics), Les gitans (and ckuik website) (lyrics), Come Prima (and different versions through ckuik website), (lyrics), Que sont devenues les fleurs (and ckuik website), (lyrics), Il pleut sur Bruxelles (lyrics), Parle plus bas (and ckuik website), (lyrics), Le temps des fleurs (lyrics), Gondolier (and ckuik website) (lyrics), Besame mucho (lyrics), Je reviens te chercher (and ckuik website), (lyrics), La vie en rose (lyrics), Bonsoir Mon Amour (lyrics), Laissez-moi danser (and ckuik website), (lyrics), Histoire d'aimer (and ckuik website), (lyrics), Ta femme (lyrics), J'attendrai (and ckuik website), (lyrics), C'est fini, la comédie (lyrics), Mourir sur scène (lyrics), C'était mon ami (lyrics),  Bambino with Enrico Macias (lyrics),  

I. 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.

She performs in French on You Tube, Je sais pas (lyrics), On ne change pas (lyrics), Immensité (lyrics), J'attendais (lyrics), Vole (lyrics in song) (lyrics, Fr/Eng), Ziggy (lyrics, Fr/Eng), Pour que tu m'aimes encore (lyrics), Destin (lyrics), S'il suffisait d'aimer (lyrics), On s'est aimé a cause (lyrics), and version 2, and Ne partez pas sans moi (eurovision 1988) (lyrics). She has duets on You Tube with Garou of Quand on a que l'amour (Iyrics) and Sous le vent (with Garou) (lyrics).

Celine Dion

J.  Lara 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 Immortelle (lyrics), Parce que tu pars (lyrics), Tango (lyrics), Tu t'en vas (lyrics), J'y crois encore (lyrics), Bambina (lyrics), L'homme qui n'avait pas de maison (lyrics), Il ne manquait que toi  (lyrics), Je t'aime (lyrics), Si tu m'aime (lyrics), Une Ave Maria (lyrics), Le roi est une femme (lyrics), Leïla (lyrics), Tu es mon autre (with Nolwen Leroy) (lyrics), and Comme ils disent (lyrics) (song by Aznavour). See also on dailmotion.com, Je suis mon coeur (lyrics),Tu es mon autre with Maurane (lyrics), Je te l'dis quand même (lyrics) (duet with Patrick Bruel), Pas sans toi (lyrics), La lettre (lyrics), and Je suis malade (lyrics), second version (with Eng. sub), (Dalida made the song famous). 

K. Mylène Farmer, born in Montreal in 1961 is one of the most succesful recording artists of all time in France. Some have called her the French Madonna, in part, perhaps because of her sometimes shocking videos..Check out her performances on You Tube of C'est une belle journée (lyrics), Que mon coeur lâche (lyrics), Désenchantée (lyrics), L'amour n'est rien (lyrics fr. and Eng.) (a pop-tease), Pourvu qu'elles soient douces (lyrics), Maman a tort (lyrics), and Déshabillez-moi (lyrics). See her Wikipedia bio.
  

View in Monte Carlo

L. Léo Ferré (1916-1993) was born in Monaco. With George Brassens and Jacques Brel, he is a great composer of French songs. He also helped put into music French poets like Aragon, Appolinaire, Baudelaire, and Verlaine. He sings on You Tube, Avec le Temps (with most of the lyrics:  he wrote this quite famous song), La solitude (lyrics), Thank you Satan (lyrics),C'est extra (lyrics), Le chien (lyrics), and La vie d'artiste (lyrics). On dailyMotion.com, enjoy Petite (lyrics),  and Les anarchistes (lyrics). See site Pays-Âges de Léo Ferré and RFI bio (in French).

M. 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).

N. France Gall won the 1965 Eurovision song contest with her smash hit, Poupée de cire. Born Isabelle Gall in Paris on October 9, 1947, she was the daughter of Roger Gall, who wrote songs for Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour.  She became a major star in France. She is asscociated with Francoise Hardy from the era of the 1960s, though her career went decades beyond that. She performs on You Tube, Poupée de cire (lyrics), Les sucettes (with Serge Gainsbourg) (lyrics), Baby pop (lyrics), Elle, elle l'a (lyrics). See her Wikipedia bio and the one at RFI Musique.

O. 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), his duet, sous le vent (lyrics) with Celine Dion, and Au bout de mes rêves  (lyrics), the Jean-Jacques Goldman song, with Celine Dion and others. 

P. 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). Mr Goldman is, according to his bio at at rfi musique, so famous as a songwriter, that: "If you're listening to a modern French pop hit, chances are you're listening to a song written by [him]. Over the past few years Goldman has become a veritable one-man hit-machine, penning chart-toppers for everyone from Céline Dion and Patricia Kaas to Algerian rai star Khaled." He is the author of the famous song "La chanson des restos", performed by les Enfoirés Here is a link to the performer's site, jjgoldman.net.

Q. 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.  According to a Wikipedia bio of him, he became famous in the 1960s for singing rock and roll in French.  It provides that as of 2008: "he has completed 400 tours, had 18 platinum albums, performed in front of 15 million people, and sold 100 million records." That gives some idea of how influential and important a figure he is.

R. Francoise Hardy takes us on a trip down memory lane to the 60s You Tube with her most famous song Tous les garçons et les filles (lyrics), as well as: Je veux qu'il revienne (lyrics), Ton meilleur ami (lyrics) (English version, Only friends), Mon ami la rose (lyrics), L'amitié (lyrics) (English version, So many friends), 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."  

S. 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: Le mot de passe (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), Quand j'ai peur de tout (lyrics),  Je voudrais la connaitre, (lyrics), and Une dernière semaine à New York (lyrics). On Dailymotion.com, enjoy: Une femme comme une autre (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.

Chateau Frontenac, Quebec

T. Lynda Lemay, a French-Canadian singer song-writer from Quebec. She is a star there, and has a large following in Europe. Here is her official site. On Daily Motion.com enjoy her performance of Elle y pense chaque fois que le Train passe (lyrics), Une mère (lyrics) , La centenaire (lyrics), and Ne t'en vas pas (lyrics).  And on You Tube, she sings, Le plus fort, c'est mon père (lyrics), De tes rêves à mes rêves (lyrics), J'ai battu ma Fille (lyrics), Un truc de passage (diaporama), and La lune et le miel (lyrics).

U.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 are also La femme de mon ami (lyrics), Non, je n'ai pas oublié (lyrics), Un berger vient de tomber (lyrics), Les filles de mon pays (lyrics), Malheur à celui qui blesse un enfant (lyrics) and Bambino (with Dalida) (lyrics) on You Tube. 

V. Yves Montand, an internationally recognized singer and icon, was discovered by Edith Piaf, who became his mentor and lover.  Later, he married Simone Signoret.  See the Wikipedia bio for him. He performs on You Tube: Les feuilles mortes, version 2 (lyrics by Prévert, in Fr. and Eng.),  A bicyclette (lyrics), Sous le Ciel de Paris (lyrics), Le chat de la voisine with English subtitles (Fr. lyrics), A Paris (lyrics), and Les grands boulevards (lyrics).

W. Claude Nougaro, affectionately known as the Little Bull, is a famous French singer who had two major passions in his life, jazz, and Toulouse, the city of his birth.  He was also one of the first French singers to experiment with the Brazilian influence. He performs on You Tube his beautiful song, Toulouse (lyrics), Il y avait une ville (lyrics), Une petite fille (lyrics), Cécile, ma fille (lyrics), Armstrong (lyrics),and Le cinéma, aka L'écran de mes nuits blanches (lyrics). See on DailyMotion.com, his Bidonville (lyrics). and Le jazz et la java (lyrics). There's a bio for him at Wikipedia and another at rfi musique.

X. Edith Piaf (nicknamed, the Sparrow) is one of the most famous French chanteuses of the 1940s and 1950s, perhaps of the twentieth century. Fame came during World War II with her song La vie en rose (lyrics) (performed on You Tube). Enjoy there also, Adieu mon coeur (lyrics), Emporte-moi (lyrics), A quoi ça sert l'amour (duet with Theo Sarapo) (lyrics), Sous le ciel de Paris (lyrics), and Non, je ne regrette rien (lyrics). This latter song closed the 2007 film by Olivier Dohan, also titled La Môme" (French for "the kid"), with the English title, "La Vie En Rose" after her famous song by that name. See my review of the film.

Bust of Edith Piaf in Celebrity Alley in Kielce (Poland)

Y. 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) and Joyeux Noël (lyrics) on DailyMotion.com. He has an album, Mathieu Rosaz Chante Barbara. See Amazon.fr.

Z. La Grande Sophie is a singer-composer of pop and rock, who started her career in the 1990s. She lived in her early years at Port-de-Bouc near Marseilles. Her preferred instrument is the guitar, and she performs what she calls "kitchen music," that is, music little different from other daily tasks. See the Wikipédia bio for her, and her official website. On YouTube, enjoy her rendition of: Je ne changerais jamais (lyrics), Du courage (lyrics), and Martin (lyrics).

AA.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 Les regrets (lyrics) and Foule sentimentale (lyrics).

BB.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. 

Natasha St-Pier

Enjoy on You Tube her live Eurovision performance of Je n'ai que mon âme, Version 2 (lyrics), Tu trouveras (with Miguel Bose) (lyrics), Nos rendez-vous (lyrics), Quand on cherche l'amour (lyrics), Tant que j'existerai (lyrics), Je te souhaite (lyrics), and un ange frappe à ma porte (lyrics). Enjoy a duet with Johnny Hallyday of the song, J'oublierai ton nom (lyrics), a duet with Pascal Obispo of Mourir demain (lyrics), and another of sorts against a taped performance of Jacques Brel Quand on a que l'amour (lyrics).

CC.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, interpretation by Pauline Julien (lyrics ) from her CD 40 ans de chansons is gorgeous. It's a favorite of mine, though I could only find on the YouTube Pauline Julein singing it! Watch Sylvestre perform on Dailymotion.com: Les chemins du vent (lyrics), Berceuse de Baghdad (lyrics), La Cathédrale de papier (lyrics), Un coeur sur les bras (lyrics), and Chanson d'amour (lyrics).  

DD.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), Que reste-il de nos amours (lyrics), Débit de l'eau, débit de lait (lyrics), La vie qui va (lyrics), L'âme des poètes (lyrics), La romance de Paris (lyrics), Quand j'étais petit, je vous aimais (lyrics), and Je chante (lyrics) on You Tube.  

EE.Le Vent du Nord  is a Quebecois band, extremely popular, with wide international recognition. Their debut album Maudite Moisson (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). 

FF.Martha Wainwright, Canadian singer) has a beautiful version of a song Barbara is famous for, "Dis quand reviendras-tu" 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). See her Wikipedia bio. 

GG.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), Un point c'est toi (lyrics), Zen (lyrics), Tous des anges (lyrics), A ma place (lyrics) with Axel Bauer, and Rodéo (lyrics). On DailyMotion.com, she performs J'envoie valser (lyrics). See the Wikipedia (Eng.) and Wikipédia (Fr) summary of Zazie.

II. 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.

Quasimodo in love

Performed songs are:  Les temps de cathédrales, Les sans-papiers, Bohémienne, Esmeralda tu sais,  Ces diaments-la, La fête des fous (Fr. lyrics), Le pape des fous, La sorcière, L'enfant trouvé (the foundling) (in English), Les portes de paris, La cours des miracles, (aka Tentative D'Enlevement), Le mot de phoebus (Word of Phoebus) (in English), Beau comme le soleil, Déchiré, A boire, Belle, Ma maison, C'est ta maison, Ave Marie paien, Je sens ma vie qui bascule, Tu vas me détruire, L'ombre, Le val d'amour, La volupté, Fatalité, Florence, Les clôches, Où est-elle, Les oiseaux qu'on mets en cages, Condamnés, Visite de Frollo à Esmeralda, Le procès, La torture, Je reviens vers toi, Un matin, Tu dansais, Libérés, Phoebus, Être prêtre et aimer une femme, La monture, Vivre, Lune, Je te laisse un sifflet, Dieu que le monde est injuste (Fr.lyrics), God you made the world all wrong (Sung In English), L'attaque de Notre-Dame, Déportés, Mon maître, mon sauveur, Donnez-la moi, Danse mon Esmeralda and The finale.  A lot of excellent singing and drama!  The English version of this musical is also quite enjoyable.

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 (lyrics), La Haine (lyrics), Un jour (lyrics), La demande en marriage (lyrics), Tu dois te marier (lyrics), Les rois de monde (lyrics), J'ai peur (lyrics), Le Bal Part 1, L'amour heureux (lyrics), Le Bal Part 2,  C'est pas ma faute (lyrics), La poète (lyrics), Le balcon (lyrics), Par amour (lyrics), Les beaux, les laids (lyrics), Et voilà qu'elle aime (lyrics), Aimer (lyrics), On dit dans la rue (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 (lyrics), Avoir un fille (lyrics), Sans elle (lyrics), Le poison (lyrics), Comment lui dire (lyrics), La Mort de Mercutio (lyrics), Mort de Romeo (eng. subtitles), (fr lyrics), La mort de Juliette (DailyMotion.com) (fr.lyrics), J'sais plus (lyrics), Coupable (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, (lyrics, scroll down page to find).  And on dailymotion.com, La vie passe (lyrics)

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.

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. 

Enjoy on You Tube, the following songs: Work Song, At the End of the Day, I Dreamed a Dream, Castle on a Cloud, Lovely Ladies - Fantines, Who Am I, Come to Me, Confrontation, Lovely Ladies and Fantine's Arrest, The Bargain - Waltz of the Thénardiers, Stars, Look Down, On My Own, Fantine's Death, A Little Fall of Rain, In My Life/A Heart Full of Love, Do You Hear the People Sing, Back at the Barricade, One Day More (HD). Master of the House, Drink with Me, Bring Him Home, Javert's Suicide, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,  and International 17 Jean Valjeans.

Imperial Theater, NY City