While the Franks were godlessly plundering the Gallic population, the bosota were fighting for their lives by consuming plebeian frogs, decadent snails and nihilistic cheese with mold. In the best days, the toad carcass was washed down with fermented wine with bubbles, which made the nobility grimace. If the French language were not so beautiful, the world would not have bought into the dubious charm of Paris, from where the Cossacks of Ataman Platov were trying to escape, shouting “bistro”. And the hunchbacked bell ringer would lead a gang called Le Chat Noir, becoming the hero of a completely different novel. However, the French language is beautiful, but also lengthy, unlike the Anglo-Saxon monosyllabic surjica, which is so convenient for rhythm. And this requires a different approach to music.
The French chanson, often presented by Belgians, Jews and Armenians, is known to everyone and does not require a separate analysis. French rock? It turns out that he existed even before the night of the aforementioned Russian rock. But it wasn’t exactly rock, and it wasn’t called in French at all, short and frivolous: ye-ye (ye-ye). Not a can-can, not a Marseillaise, and not an attack of enuresis. The first radio program for struggling youth in the late 1950s was “Salut Les Copains/Hello, rebja”, led by two outstanding practitioners of absurd humor: Frank Teno and Dan Filipacci. In 1962, Francoise Ardee sang “La Fille Avec Toi”, whose small refrain gave the name to the style, which, in addition to American rhythm and blues, mixed the European version of jazz, the notorious chanson, the European archaic, from Baroque to Renaissance, and all sorts of exotic elements.
One of the brightest stars of ye-ye was France Gall, whom the European show business took over very early. Born in Paris, Gall took the first prize at Eurovision at the age of 17 (then it was still a solid competition) from the mighty Luxembourg with the song “Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son”. This song, tellingly, was written by Odessa sinner Serge Gainsbourg, who composed several more hits for France, the most untethered among them is “Laisse Tomber Les Filles”, known to fans of modern rockabilly as the “Chick Habit” of the Swiss Hillbilly Moon Explosion. And in “Jazz A Go-go,” Gall anticipates Aguzarova’s “Martians Don’t Belong here.”
France Gall – Jazz a Go-go
Salvador Adamo became the idol of Francophone youth with the poignant ageless ballads “La Nuit” and “Tombe La Neige”. Les Chats Sauvages were a real rock and roll band, which can be heard on the powerful “Twist A Saint-Tropez”. In 1961, together with Vince Taylor, they staged a complete frenzy at the Paris Palais des Sports. The gendarmes, called upon to calm the riot, also danced, brandishing batons in the manner of Louis De Funes.
Francoise Ardi has made a significant contribution both to the genre and to the treasury of world music. Her “Le Temps De L’Amour” can still be heard in various TV series in different languages. In 1963, at the same Eurovision Song Contest, she performed on behalf of the powerful principality of Monaco. However. The parade of mediocrity that year was crowned by a certain Ronnie Carroll with the sugary and outdated “Say Wonderful Things” at the time of writing. The legendary singer Jacques Dutronc, whose luggage includes garage rock with psychedelia and mature chanson, remained the author of the music and the life partner for Francoise until 1988.
Claude Francois, simply Clo-Clo to fans, along with his own compositions, performed overseas material from the repertoire of, for example, the Everly brothers in his native language. In turn, his song “Comme D’habitude”, translated in the United States as “My Way”, became a landmark for Frank Sinatra and the later stage of his work. Elvis.
Johnny Hallyday (Jean-Philippe Leo Smet, of course) is perhaps the biggest star on our list. He has recorded 5 diamond albums, 22 platinum albums and 40 gold albums in the world of frogs. Jean-Philippe also made his mark at the cinema, playing in more than thirty films, including “Rock’n’roll”, where Johnny Hallyday brilliantly portrayed Johnny Hallyday. “Elle Est Terrible”, a funny and evil version of Eddie Cochran’s “Something Else”, which takes on new meanings and shades in French, is perfect for tasting his work.
Elements of ye-ye can be found even in Charles Aznavour‘s rich discography, including the author’s “Il Faut Savoir” and the American “Jezebel”, previously performed by Frankie Lane and on Gene Vincent’s first album.
It is impossible to mention all the iconic figures of the era in one article, but it is possible to confidently recommend such French products as ye-ye, cognac and armagnac. Something will fall on my soul. Especially Ardi! The frogs croaked shamelessly, the snails squelched passionately, and the cheese turned moldy like a prisoner of the Bastille. Au revoir, les chiens de la lune!
P.S.: les chiens de la lune is difficult to write, impossible to read. We’ll remind them of Borodino…
