I was raised on French pop. Up until the age 9, Joe Dassin was what I heard from an old tape recorder standing on the window-sill of my bedroom. I distinctly remember Mylène Farmer's "Ainsi Soit Je" breaking my heart each night as I was trying to fall asleep. It was sensual and whispery and erotic in a way I could not yet comprehend. My face was smeared with tears. I lost my virginity to French pop.
To me, these ten songs represent the best of French music, from early 60s and all the way to the current times. From yé-yé to power pop to singer-songwriter to art pop. Essentially, though, this is all shameless pop music. But French. Which, let's face it, removes any shame from the whole thing.
"Tous les garçons et les filles" by Françoise Hardy (1962)
Hardy was at the forefront of the yé-yé wave that mixed bubblegum and innocence in a highly sexualised French way. A classic song, of course, but the entirety of her back catalogue is well worth exploring.
"Bonnie and Clyde" by Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg (1968)
Few things in the world of French pop are as iconic as the vocal hook by Brigitte Bardot that gallops in the background of "Bonnie and Clyde". Tasteful and seductive.
"Comme un boomerang" by Serge Gainsbourg (1975)
Serge Gainsbourg made his name in the 60s, but this song from 1975 is the one I have always loved the best. The groove just rolls on and on, and Gainsbourg's vocals are typically detached and engaging at the same time.
"Cendrillon" by Téléphone (1982)
Hard rock did not become them: mostly, they just sounded dull and predictible. "Cendrillon", however, was an entirely different matter. Released in 1982, this was power pop that relied on charm rather than power.
"Ella, elle l'a" by France Gall (1987)
I have never actually liked France Gall in her yé-yé glory. "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" was way too much. "Ella, elle l'a", on the other hand, is a brilliant tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and features unsubtle 80s production that somehow works. It is slick but not soulless.
"Sensualité" by Axelle Red (1993)
Well, what can we do about a song that disembowels you with its pop hooks? Axelle Red is a Belgian artist whose first album was patchy but not without its share of great songs. One of them was "Sensualité", a song so irresistible you have to surrender at some point during the chorus.
"Raphaël" by Carla Bruni (2002)
A short article in a music magazine once pointed me in the direction of Carla Bruni's sentimental folk music, and from what I could gather her debut album is where it's at. Since then, she's been pleasant but inessential. "Raphaël" is a great little pop song.
"Christine" by Juniore (2013)
Juniore is a fantastic band from Paris that combines yé-yé with psychedelic surf music. A very attractive combination that has yielded two excellent albums and "Christine" as their debut single. Sizzling.
"Où va le monde" by La Femme (2016)
This band from Biarritz is the epitome of diversity (synthpop, indie rock, ambient, folk pop, psychedelia, yé-yé) and inconsistency (even their best albums are all over the place). But God knows "Où va le monde" is criminally catchy. Maybe the greatest song of all time, maybe not.
"Monde Nouveau" by Feu! Chatterton (2021)
I reviewed these guys in 2021 when their last album was released, and I stand by what I said back then: adventurous art pop with great songwriting. "Monde Nouveau" is still a modern classic.
