Far Out 40: The ultimate French pop chic playlist
It’s hard to imagine the current cultural landscape if the 1960s had never happened. Everything changed – from people’s attitudes to the clothes they wore and the music they listened to. In Britain, bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones helped to kickstart the swinging sixties, with young people leading this call for innovative artistic, social and cultural development. In France, a similar phenomenon took place, with rock and roll making its way over to the country in the late ‘50s.
The radio show Salut les Copains!, which first aired in 1959, played lots of rock and roll songs and other forms of popular music from countries like America and England. As the ‘60s made way for more relaxed attitudes towards sexuality, and young people were beginning to act less traditionally, carving out their own way of living liberated from the confines of older generations, music began to change. The influence of rock and roll, classic French chanson music, and playful youth culture combined to form the yé-yé genre.
Yé-yé soon became ‘60s-era France’s defining genre, with countless predominantly female singers emerging from this period to become both music and style icons. Young girls, often barely out of their teen years, would perform songs about love and friendship, often using a naive or playful sensibility. For example, in Jacqueline Taïeb’s ‘7 heures du matin’, she sings lines such as “Oh, I have an English exam today/ Mmm, I wish I had Paul McCartney to help me.”
The biggest yé-yé girl of the era was Françoise Hardy, who has since become one of France’s most popular singers. She released her debut album, Tous les garçons et les filles, after auditioning for the record label Disques Vogue when she was 18. As a collection of original songs and covers, the album was a huge success, leading Hardy to release countless records over the coming years.
Other yé-yé singers who gained considerable success include France Gall, Sylvie Vartan, Gillian Hills (who was actually British), and Zouzou. The reason for the sheer popularity of yé-yé was due to its predominantly cheerful and lively sound, encapsulating the desire for young people to have fun and feel free. Sonically, these songs often took influence from American and British rock and roll, as well as incorporating other influences, such as surf rock, jazz, and non-Western genres. You could dance to most yé-yé tracks, and you might also find yourself laughing at the lyrics.
Jean-Emmaneul Deluxe, who penned the book Yé-Yé Girls of ‘60s French Pop, explained to Redbull Music Academy, “Yé-Yé is filled with sexual innuendo, double entendre and deadpan humour.” These tracks perfectly reflected an era where female sexuality was becoming less taboo, although we can’t ignore the fact that many older male songwriters, such as Serge Gainsbourg, made these young – sometimes teenaged – girls sing deliberately sexual songs.
Gainsbourg was one of the country’s most prominent musicians, releasing many iconic albums of his own, like Initials B.B., while also penning some of the biggest yé-yé hits. He was responsible for songs like ‘Laisse tomber les filles’, first performed by Gall, as well as duetting with both Brigitte Bardot and then Jane Birkin on the infamous ‘Je t’aime moi non plus’, which was banned in many countries for its orgasmic moaning sounds. Bardot made the album Bonnie and Clyde with her then-lover Gainsbourg before he made Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg with Birkin, who would become his long-term partner.
Gainsbourg’s influence on French pop music was massive, but he wasn’t the only man dominating the charts. Jacques Dutronc, known for songs like ‘Les Cactus’, was also incredibly popular, both as a songwriter and performer. He went on to marry Hardy, whom he had collaborated with numerous times in the ‘60s as a writer.
Since the 1960s, the legacy of French pop, particularly the yé-yé movement, has lived on through modern French pop artists. From Stereolab and Air to Fabienne DelSol and La Femme, the influence of ‘60s French pop can be found in these artists’ sounds, although many have taken a more modern, electronically-inspired approach.
Discover a playlist of some of the most essential French pop songs to emerge from the 1960s below, as well as a few modern French pop cuts which are a testament to the era’s legacy.
The ultimate French pop chic playlist:
- ‘7 heures du matin’ – Jacqueline Taïeb
- ‘Jane B.’ – Jane Birkin
- ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ – Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg
- ‘Le temps de l’amour’ – Françoise Hardy
- ‘Zou bisou bisou’ – Gillian Hills
- ‘Les sucettes’ – Serge Gainsbourg
- ‘Oh oh chéri’ – Françoise Hardy
- ‘Et moi, et moi, et moi’ – Jacque Dutronc
- ‘Ces bottes sont faites pour marcher’ – Eileen
- ‘Partie de dames’ – Liz Brady
- ‘Je t’aime moi non plus’ – Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
- ‘Moi je joue’ – Brigitte Bardot
- ‘Comment te dire adieu’ – Françoise Hardy
- ‘Les Cactus’ – Jacques Dutronc
- ‘Roller Girl’ – Anna Karina
- ‘Ecoute mon coeur’ – Ria Bartok
- ‘Rouge, rouge’ – Christie Laume
- ‘Tut tut tut tut’ – Gillian Hills
- ‘69 année érotique’ – Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
- ‘La madrague’ – Bridgitte Bardot
- ‘La machine’ – Dani
- ‘Idéalisation’ – Cosette
- ‘La Maritza’ – Sylvie Vartan
- ‘Baby Love’ – Annie Philippe
- ‘On dit de lui’ – Françoise Hardy
- ‘Les Papillons noirs’ – Michele Arnaud
- ‘Le coeur au bout des doigts’ – Jacqueline Taïeb
- ‘Tu Fais Partie Du Passé – Zouzou
- ‘Aline’ – Christophe
- ‘Poupée de cire, poupée de son – France Gall
- ‘Lo Boob Oscillator’ – Stereolab
- ‘Sexy Boy’ – Air
- ‘Laisse tomber les filles’ – Fabienne DelSol
- ‘Le Chat du Café des Artistes – Charlotte Gainsbourg
- ‘Que n’ai-je?’ – Karen Ann
- ‘Sex Appeal’ – Sexy Sushi
- ‘Si un jour’ – La Femme
- ‘Bisou Magique’ – Melody’s Echo Chamber
- ‘Le cannibale’ – Juniore
- ‘Écoute Chérie’ – Vendredi sur Mer