Throwback on French Musique

June 18, 2015 posted by The Gypsetters Net in Dot Dot Dot

(Featured photos from Wikipedia.org and Flickr.com)

Who does not love good music? French music is gaining ground in the local music scene in the Philippines, and with the Fete dela Musique opening this Friday, we’ll be hearing more from local artists-cum-Francophiles on stage at the Sky Park in SM Aura Premier. The party continues on Saturday at 3:30 in A-Venue with 17 more pocket stages all over Makati, and finally ending on Sunday in Intramuros at 4pm.

With performances by Basti Artadi, SINOSIKAT?, Reese Lansangan, and Taken by Cars (and several more, just to name a few), this year’s edition is guaranteed to give you more than happy, music-induced goosebumps.

But where are our songs today without the songs of yesterday? And without French songs, where would our beloved Fete be?

In celebration with the 21st edition of Fete dela Musique Manila, we’re sharing 5 great French songs that you may or may have not heard of. They’re all available on YouTube, but go find and download your favorites on iTunes. These may be sweet melodies, but they’ve influenced a lot of artists today. In any case, we hope that this small selection will put some musical adrenaline in your soul in time for Fete dela Musique.

Tino Rossi–J’attendrai

Not so known in our pop culture is French singer and actor Tino Rossi. His acting career reach its peak during the Nazi regime in France, but was later arrested for his political stance at that time. When he was freed, he concentrated on singing and had a long career until his death in 1983.

Edith Piaf–L’Hymne a L’Amour

While known for singing La Vie en Rose, Piaf has a long discography of famous songs, such as Padam Padam and Je Ne Regrette Rien. Her songs still make the airwaves and are considered French classics.

Charles Trenet–La Mer

Charles gained American fame after World War II and performed in New York. He’s most famous for singing La Mer, to which Bobby Darin performed an English translation entitled, Beyond the Sea.

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin–J’Taime, Moi non Plus

In the 1970s, Gainsbourg and Birkin made the French airwaves with their songs and illicit love affair. Little known fact about the two: Jane, a British-born songstress, didn’t like Serge at first and she even couldn’t pronounce his name. Their partnership was a turn of events for her, then.

Francoise Hardy–Mon Amie La Rose

If you think Brigitte Bardot is the only pretty French face of her time, then please meet Francoise Hardy. Despite being on of France’s cultural icons, she’s very shy. Despite that trait of hers, she starred in one of Jean Luc Goddard’s Masculin, Feminin and her singing career catapulted to great heights. Some of her most famous songs are Le Temps de L’Amour and Comment Te Dire Adieu.

Of course, there are more great French songs, so which one is your favorite?

But are you looking for more modern French songs? We got you covered.

Fete dela Musique is brought to you by Alliance Francaise in Manila and Cebu.

Will you be here this weekend? Alons-y, notre cher Gypsetter!