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I live next door to Quebec and often listen to French radio. And like Hyun Soo, have no idea what they're going on about but still I enjoy it. A few years ago I walked into a record shop (in the US) and heard Brigitte Bardot singing such a gay (as in happy) tune. This isn't it, but it's still fun.
My favourite French singer is Francis Cabrel, wonderful melodies set to fabulous poetic and deeply meaningful lyrics. Also brilliant in concert. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
He has written some wonderful songs about slavery, war, his song on Corridas ( "La Corrida") chills me every time I hear it, loneliness, greed and of course some wonderful love songs.
Renaud writes some fabulous socially engaged lyrics and I love his music but his voice is not so great. Still love him though.
Lots of Golden Oldies like Brel ( who was Belgian not French), Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet and slightly less old but from the 70s and 80s, Michel Delpech, Michel Fuguain, France Gall, Alain Souchon, Eddy Mitchell, Joe Dassin ( American but sang in French), Daniel Balavoine, Indochine, Patrick Bruel,Alain Chamfort, Jean-Patrick Capdevielle,Maxime Le Forrestier, Manu Chao, The Gypsy Kings, Etienne Dao, Michel Sardou.
I also particularly love Alan Stivell ( who sings mainly in Breton), Tri Yann, Dan Ar Braz ( Also Breton) and music from "l'heritage des Celtes" yearly festival.
Patricia Kaas and Henri Salvador are great too .
"Zebda" also has some clever , and sometimes very funny lyrics.
My favourite Quebec bands are "La Bottine Souriante" and "Les Batinses" both fantastic in concert too.
I'm sorry, but there are no world-class French singers today.
Gimme a name, just a name. None.
Eddy Mitchell is a copycat country singer for French rednecks who fear for their mental equilibrium listening to country&west directly in English.
Maybe a diva : Diane Tell (French Canadian), her songs though are too sad for my taste. The best known, CD , gives me the creeps, she's so pretentious, kind of Mariah Carey or JLo : "see I'm the diva!"
Ferrat's lyrics were good, but very pompous. ("Woman is the Future of Man, I say it in Front of the Centuries...")
Florent Pagny is not bad, but once you've heard a few times his hit "Freedom of Thought/ Liberté de penser", that's it.
I'm sorry, but there are no world-class French singers today.
Gimme a name, just a name. None.
Eddy Mitchell is a copycat country singer for French rednecks who fear for their mental equilibrium listening to country&west directly in English.
Maybe a diva : Diane Tell (French Canadian), her songs though are too sad for my taste. The best known, CD , gives me the creeps, she's so pretentious, kind of Mariah Carey or JLo : "see I'm the diva!"
Ferrat's lyrics were good, but very pompous. ("Woman is the Future of Man, I say it in Front of the Centuries...")
Florent Pagny is not bad, but once you've heard a few times his hit "Freedom of Thought/ Liberté de penser", that's it.
Francis Cabrel. As far as I'm concerned he is world class. I can't think of one anglophone singer who comes even close to writing such fantastic lyrics. Not one.
My British partner who until he met me had never had the slightest interest in French music and knew nothing about it now has put Cabrel as his number one recording artist too. We have been to a few of his concerts and his "Bodegas" tour was the best concert we had ever been to.
Isn't it all a question of personal taste anyway ?
Like Hyun-soo and Square Peg I haven't a clue as to what they are singing of, but good is still good. I was turned on to Francoise Hardy in the early '70's by a friend and I am woefully behind on collecting her material. She has a long career going back to the mid-60's; her earliest material behing on the 4 corners label in the States, I believe it was called "The Yeh-Yeh Girl from Paris, France". Reprise picked her up a little later and put out a few LP's, which I believe were recorded on the Vogue label in France. Another effort of hers I really like is called "Comment to Dire Adieu".
Just saw the movie The Darjeeling Limited, and it ended with a French song called "Les Champs Elysees" by Joe Dassin. A love song, but one with a fun, upbeat, catchy tune.
I love French songs!! I have loads of the Putamayo cds in French, and love Edith Piaf, but, lately I've gotten into Matthieu Chedid, aka "M" -- I love him -- he is so quirky, but fun!! (In his videos and in concerts he does have that weird "M" shaped hair, but in "real life" he doesn't.....just a gimmick -- hey, he has a song called that, too "Gimmick!"
I also love French movies -- especially the one with Mathieu Chedid's girlfriend, Audrey Tautou, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.
We can share these! Great! Thanks for the thread!
The first thing I thought when I saw this thread was Belleville Rendez-vous. I love that song!
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(In his videos and in concerts he does have that weird "M" shaped hair, but in "real life" he doesn't.....just a gimmick -- hey, he has a song called that, too 
"Gimmick!" 
