{"id":2713,"date":"2021-04-14T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/?p=2713"},"modified":"2022-09-06T21:00:09","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T01:00:09","slug":"music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Music is an integral part of French culture. It\u2019s a vast topic, one you could easily write a very long book on, but today I want to share some of what I believe is the best<\/em> French music of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While French musical artists generally have less success in the States than actresses, there are nevertheless some amazing artists that you might have heard of in this list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am certainly not a music connoisseur<\/em> by any means \u2013 but this is the French music I love listening to.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I put together a short playlist of my favorite French music during the first confinement last year and shared it on Instagram. I\u2019ve also made a few French music playlists<\/a> on Spotify so be sure to follow me there for updates. I\u2019ll add new songs as I discover them in France!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I lived in France during high school more than a decade ago and that experience was my first foray into the world of French music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

France has a very<\/em> long history of music dating back to classical times, perhaps before then, but let\u2019s start there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classical French Music<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The classical music period generally refers to music composed between the years 1600 and 1900.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite song from this time period is Erik Satie’s \u201cGymnop\u00e9die No.1.\u201d Satie was a French composer who released three short piano solos in 1888. The first one became emblematic of the Romantic era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also recommend listening to Claude Debussy \u201cSuite bergamasque,\u201d Gabriel Faur\u00e9 \u201cDolly Op.56\u201d and Jean-Philippe Rameau \u201cThe Arts and the Hours\u201d for a relaxing French classical music experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early 20th Century French Music<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 20th century brought many timeless French songs<\/a> that you can still hear today in movies and in popular French culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music from this period notably featured many songs about love, but also ones celebrating France and its culture \u2013 from daily life in the city of Paris to the calm, seaside French landscapes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1930, Lucienne Boyer released the romantic song \u201cParlez-moi d\u2019amour,\u201d meaning \u201ctell me about love.\u201d The song was featured in the films Casablanca<\/em> (1942) and later Midnight in Paris<\/em> (2011).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several odes to French life were released in the 30s and 40s such as Maurice Chevalier\u2019s \u201cParis sera toujours Paris\u201d (Paris will always be Paris) and \u201cLa mer\u201d (The Sea) by the legendary Charles Trenet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Italian-born singer Yves Montand wrote two beautiful songs about Paris including \u201cSous le ciel de Paris\u201d and \u201cRue Saint-Vincent.\u201d The city provided endless inspiration for songwriters like Montand to describe the charming Parisian life they lived. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music by \u00c9dith Piaf is perhaps the most internationally famous and songs like \u201cLa vie en rose\u201d and \u201cHymne \u00e0 l’amour\u201d became renowned across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern French Music<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By the mid 20th century, French music, like anglophone music, began to feature more hits with faster rhythms and upbeat tones. This period of French music is my personal favorite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Less idyllic and more realist, the French music of the 50s and 60s reflected the changing times. The emergence of the documentary-style French New Wave film movement ushered in a culture that didn\u2019t see the world through rose-colored glasses. Songs about heartbreak, nostalgia and other darker themes caught on with the public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, it wasn\u2019t all doom and gloom!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the more upbeat subgenres to emerge during the mid-century period was the \u201cy\u00e9-y\u00e9\u201d movement. \u201cY\u00e9-y\u00e9\u201d was a colloquial term derived from the words \u201cyeah yeah\u201d often sung in many British and American pop songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fran\u00e7oise Hardy is the most well-known singer-songwriter of the French pop movement of the 1960s. She released two hits \u201cLe Temps de L’amour\u201d and \u201cTous les gar\u00e7ons et les filles\u201d at the young age of 18. Her sentimental lyrics and catchy beats caught on fast with France\u2019s female teenager population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brigitte Bardot might be better known as an actress, but in France, her successful pop songs were numerous. From the playful \u201cMoi je joue,\u201d which was later used in a Miss Dior Ch\u00e9rie commercial, to the flirty \u201cTu veux ou tu veux pas,\u201d Bardot\u2019s sultry voice is emblematic of the French pop 60s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another bubbly blonde that made waves on the French music scene was France Gall. Pop songs like “Laisse tomber les filles” and \u201cPoup\u00e9e de cire, poup\u00e9e de son\u201d resonated with the French population, earning Gall the Eurovision Song Contest award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg wrote several of France Gall\u2019s early songs before she realized his lyrics had sexual undertones and stopped working with him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite being a provocateur, Gainsbourg is perhaps the poster child for French music around the globe. His sometimes scandalous and audacious songs have played on airwaves across the world. A prolific songwriter, Gainsbourg wrote more than 500 songs during his lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gainsbourg\u2019s personal life was just as fascinating as his professional life and the two often collided. “Je t’aime… moi non plus” was a 1967 song originally written for Brigitte Bardot that Gainsbourg recorded with his partner Jane Birkin to international success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1967, Jacqueline Ta\u00efeb released “7 heures du matin” a song about a teenage girl who dreams of rock and roll stars instead of getting ready for school. The song is representative of the boy band craze that began to sweep the world at that time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An article about French music wouldn\u2019t be complete without mentioning French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour who brought us dreamy and nostalgic ballads like \u201cLa Boh\u00e8me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French pop rock scene was best represented by artists such as Jacques Dutronc and Michel Polnareff who gave us hits like \u201cIl est cinq heures, Paris s’\u00e9veille\u201d and \u201cLove me please love me\u201d respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late 20th Century French Music<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The French pop rock movement of the 80s is noted by none other than Johnny Hallyday and Jean-Jacques Goldman who churned out progressive rock songs for the French masses. Goldman is my personal favorite, and although \u201cQuand la musique est bonne,\u201d really shows off his talent for rock music, I much prefer the laid-back guitar melody \u201cBonne id\u00e9e.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

France Gall, the French y\u00e9-y\u00e9 singer mentioned earlier, made a splash in the 80s with the pop song \u201cElla, elle l\u2019a\u201d which means \u2018Ella she\u2019s got it,\u2019 a reference to Ella Fitzgerald. It remains incredibly popular even to this day! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might know Vanessa Paradis as the wife of Johnny Depp, but she\u2019s quite the star of her own in France. Her first hit, \u201cJoe le taxi\u201d was recorded when she was just 14 years old! She went on to record \u201cBe My Baby\u201d in 1992, a breathy English language pop song. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early 90s, an electronic music duo known as Daft Punk formed in Paris, marking the beginning of the dance music trend that would continue through the 2000s. Hits like \u201cAround the World\u201d and \u201cHarder, Better, Faster, Stronger\u201d played in nightclubs around the world, and Daft Punk became an international sensation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary French Music<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More recently, contemporary French music has evolved with the times and a number of notable electronic music acts have found success. Of course, romance is still a hot topic for contemporary French song lyrics. In order to gain a wider international audience, many French artists have begun to release songs in English, much to my disappointment! You can still find great songs that have been sung in French if you know where to look, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carla Bruni is better known as France\u2019s former First Lady, but the former model is also an accomplished singer. \u201cQuelqu\u2019un m\u2019a dit\u201d released in 2002 is a must-listen if you want to hear a modern-day French love song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phoenix is one of the first contemporary French bands I remember hearing in the wild \u2013 on the TV show Gossip Girl<\/em>! Songs like \u201c1901\u201d and \u201cIf I Ever Feel Better\u201d helped the band surge in popularity in the late 2000s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving into the 2010s, electronic music really began to take hold in France with acts like M83 and Polo et Pan taking center stage of the contemporary French music scene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ang\u00e8le, a Belgian singer, brought catchy French pop songs to the masses with lyrics referencing current events like the #MeToo movement in songs like \u201cBalance Ton Quoi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clara Luciani and Th\u00e9rapie Taxi are two of the most popular French musical artists in contemporary times. For more current French music, check out my playlist on Spotify<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[192],"tags":[137],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"French music","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":null,"yoast_head":"\nThe Best French Music of All Time to Listen To<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The French\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/frenchgirldaily\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-04-14T13:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-07T01:00:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/music.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Victoria Petersen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@frenchgirldaily\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@frenchgirldaily\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Victoria Petersen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Victoria Petersen\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c9fe3ec9c6447786f612994d099be88e\"},\"headline\":\"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-14T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-07T01:00:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/\"},\"wordCount\":1429,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"music\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Music\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/\",\"name\":\"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-04-14T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-07T01:00:09+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Culture\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/culture\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Music\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/culture\/music\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/\",\"name\":\"The French\",\"description\":\"an American in Paris\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"The French\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The French\",\"alternateName\":\"The French\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/theFrench-Logo@2x.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/theFrench-Logo@2x.png\",\"width\":691,\"height\":316,\"caption\":\"The French\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/frenchgirldaily\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/frenchgirldaily\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/frenchgirldaily\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c9fe3ec9c6447786f612994d099be88e\",\"name\":\"Victoria Petersen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b65f1e7b62bf82d993eac201bca11d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b65f1e7b62bf82d993eac201bca11d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Victoria Petersen\"},\"description\":\"I am an American girl from Connecticut living between Paris and Miami Beach. TheFrench.com is a place for women who love French culture and style. I hope this site inspires you to adopt a modern 'French' lifestyle and build a casual chic wardrobe that takes you through all of life\u2019s moments. If you like what you read, please consider subscribing to my weekly newsletter! Bisous...\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/victoriaptrsn\/\",\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/victoria_ptrsn\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/author\/victoria\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To","og_url":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/","og_site_name":"The French","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/frenchgirldaily","article_published_time":"2021-04-14T13:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-09-07T01:00:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/music.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Victoria Petersen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@frenchgirldaily","twitter_site":"@frenchgirldaily","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Victoria Petersen","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/"},"author":{"name":"Victoria Petersen","@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c9fe3ec9c6447786f612994d099be88e"},"headline":"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To","datePublished":"2021-04-14T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-07T01:00:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/"},"wordCount":1429,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["music"],"articleSection":["Music"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/","url":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/","name":"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-04-14T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-07T01:00:09+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/music\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Culture","item":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/culture\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Music","item":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/culture\/music\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Best French Music of All Time to Listen To"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/","name":"The French","description":"an American in Paris","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#organization"},"alternateName":"The French","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#organization","name":"The French","alternateName":"The French","url":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/theFrench-Logo@2x.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/theFrench-Logo@2x.png","width":691,"height":316,"caption":"The French"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/frenchgirldaily","https:\/\/twitter.com\/frenchgirldaily","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/frenchgirldaily\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c9fe3ec9c6447786f612994d099be88e","name":"Victoria Petersen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b65f1e7b62bf82d993eac201bca11d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b65f1e7b62bf82d993eac201bca11d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Victoria Petersen"},"description":"I am an American girl from Connecticut living between Paris and Miami Beach. TheFrench.com is a place for women who love French culture and style. I hope this site inspires you to adopt a modern 'French' lifestyle and build a casual chic wardrobe that takes you through all of life\u2019s moments. If you like what you read, please consider subscribing to my weekly newsletter! Bisous...","sameAs":["https:\/\/instagram.com\/victoriaptrsn\/","https:\/\/pinterest.com\/victoria_ptrsn\/"],"url":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/author\/victoria\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2713"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2713"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5820,"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2713\/revisions\/5820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrench.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}