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A Short List of French Singers, Songs, CDs, and More

-- with links to many video performances of varied sound quality

Non-Francophones (with French Songs) -- Mort Shuman, Nina Simone and others

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. Also, a few I've listed  are more for their historic importance.
Patricia Kaas performingPatricia 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" (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," consiPiano Noirdered 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 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 You Tube, Nantes (lyrics) about her returning to try to see him on his death bed. You can also enjoy on You Tube her performance of  Ma plus belle histoire d'amour (lyrics), Chapeau bas (lyrics), Drouout (lyrics), Perlimpinpin (lyrics), Marienbad (lyrics) Ce matin là, (lyrics), La Gare de Lyon (lyrics), Dis quand reviendras-tu (lyrics), Tu n'en reviendras pas (lyrics), J'entend sonner les clairons (lyrics), Gaugin (with English subtitles) (Fr text), La Solitude (lyrics), Les Mignons (lyrics), and perhaps her most famous song, L'aigle noir (lyrics).  Watch her performance on dailymotion.com of Göttingen (lyrics), L'île aux mimosas (lyrics), Pierre (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, 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 chanteurBrel 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).


He sings on dailymotion.com Les bonbons (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."

 
Oil by Frans Koppelaar
River Amstel by Night
oil by Frans Koppelaar
guitar
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.

She performs in French on You Tube, Je sais pas (lyrics), On ne change pas (lyrics), Immensité (lyrics, Fr/Eng), J'attendais (lyrics), Vole (lyrics, Fr/Eng), Ziggy (lyrics),
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 (lyrics), 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 (French text, provided). 


Celine Dion

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).    

View in Monte Carlo

J. 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), Cette blessure (lyrics), L'affiche rouge (lyrics), Thank you Satan (lyrics),and La vie d'artiste (lyrics). On dailyMotion.com, enjoy Petite (lyrics), Chanson d'automne (lyrics of song by Verlaine), and Les anarchistes (lyrics). See site Pays-Âges de Léo Ferré and RFI bio (in French).

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.



Chateau Frontenac, Quebec

P. 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) and La lune et le miel (lyrics).

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). 

S. 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), 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 discussion of the film.  
Bust of Edith Piaf

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

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 BarbaraSee 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 websiteShe 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 (lyrics), the version 2 video (sous-titres), Tu trouveras (lyrics), Nos rendez-vous (lyrics), Quand on cherche l'amour (lyrics),
Tant que j'existerai (lyrics), and un ange frappe à ma porte (lyrics). See duet with Johnny Hallyday of the song, J'oublierai ton nom (lyrics). She sings on Dailymotion.com Je te souhaite (lyrics), Mourir demain (with Pascal Obispo) (lyrics under the video), and in a live performance of Quand on a que l'amour (a duet of sorts with a Jacques Brel video tape (lyrics).

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.






Quasimodo in love
Performed songs are:  Les temps de cathédrales, Les sans-papiers, Bohémienne, Esmeralda tu sais Ces diaments-la, La fête des fous, 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 soleilDéchiré, A boireBelle, Ma maison, C'est ta maisonAve Marie paien, Je sens ma vie Bascule, Tu vas me détruire, L'ombre, Le val d'amour, La volupté, Fatalité, Florence, Les clôches, Où est-elleLes 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, Libérés, Lune, Je te laisse un sifflet, Dieu que le monde est injuste (lyrics), God you made the world all wrong (Sung In English), L'attaque de Notre-Dame, DéportésMon maître, mon sauveur, Donnez-la moi, Danse mon Esmeralda and The finaleA 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 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 2C'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 MindI 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: SundayIt'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. 
Enjoy on You Tube, the following songs: Work Song, At the End of the DayI Dreamed a Dream, Castle on a CloudLovely Ladies - FantinesWho Am ICome to MeConfrontation, Fantine's Arrest, The Bargain - Waltz of the ThénardiersStars, Look DownOn My Own, Fantine's Death, A Little Fall of Rain, In My Life/A Heart Full of LoveDo You Hear the People Sing, Back at the Barricade, Night of + First Attack, Bring Him Home, The Second Attack, Look Down, The Attack on Rue PlumenOne Day More,
Imperial Theater, NY City

Master of the House, Drink With Me, Bring Him HomeJavert's SuicideEmpty Chairs and Empty TablesABC 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 WorldsOh Happy We, It Must Be SoGlitter and Be Gay (1) and (2) (text),You Were Dead You Know, I Am Easily AssimilatedAuto 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.

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