# Learning French thanks to French songs



## kalmen

Salut à tout,

une des façons que j'apprends la langue française est en écoutant des chansons françaises.

Mon préféré est Charles Aznavour, ses mots sont clairs et je pourrais trouver des paroles sur l'internet pour ses chansons. 

Pourrait-quelqu'un plaire me dit les noms de quelques chanteurs français qu'ils recommandent ? J'aimerais écouter plus de chanteurs. 

Je suis un novice dans la langue française, corriger mon écriture à tout moment.

Merci,
Kalmen


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## Mycall

There's quite a few of them. I'd go for the more ancient ones, they sound more articulate.

Edith Piaf (though her vocabulary is now outdated)
Charles Dumont
Nana Mouskouri
Serge Reggiani
Serge Lama
Jacques Brel
Francisca Brel
Michel Sardou
Michel Delpech
Michel Polnareff
Michel Fugain
Marcel Amont
Annie Cordy
Georgette Lemaire
Georgette Plana
Charlotte Julian
Mireille Mathieu
Richard Clayderman
Démis Roussos
Vicky Léandros
Georges Brassens
Jean Ferrat
Serge Gainsbourg (early périod)
Patrick Topaloff
Mike Brant
Pétula Clark
and last and by no means least: Céline Dion.

Although she's been hailed as a French singer I wouldn't recommend Jane Birkin


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## Aupick

If you want an introduction to French slang, try Renaud. He's not always clear, but you could write a slang dictionary based entirely on his music.


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## timpeac

Un des chanteurs qui chante le plus clair, à mon oreille, est Jacques Brel. Il est plutôt poétique aussi donc si tu aimes Aznavour je suis sût que Brel te plaira également.


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## Auryn

Mycall said:
			
		

> Francisca Brel



Ce ne serait pas plutôt Francis Cabrel?


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## timpeac

Ô la honte ! C'est ce que je voulais dire moi ! Pas Jacques Brel ! C'est Francis Cabrel que je recommande! C'est la fin d'une très longue journée...


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## kalmen

Oh Mon Dieu! 

Beaucoup de noms, merci beaucoup! 

Je devrai les écouter un à un....  Je vous dirai que je pense.


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## kalmen

Francis Cebrel ne Chante-t-il pas dans espagnol aussi ?


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## Mycall

Auryn said:
			
		

> Ce ne serait pas plutôt Francis Cabrel?


 
   Oui, bien sûr. Désolé je n'ai pu résister à cette blague honteuse. 

   That was only me being naughty again.


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## MelB

Barbara  (une chanteuse merveilleuse)

Et aussi, deux chanteuses qui sont contemporaines . . . 

Patricia Kaas 
Lara Fabian


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## calembourde

Great idea for a thread, I was thinking of asking that myself. The only French singer I've found so far (on iTunes) that I like the sound of is Keren Ann. Her lyrics are quite easy to hear (and of course nice to listen to) so they're good for learning from. She also sings some songs in English but I prefer the French ones. They're available from a lot of different paid download sites.

(j'ai la flemme de répondre en français maintenant, j'ai besoin de sommeil)


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## MelB

"J'ai la flemme"[Je suis endormi], [et ne peut pas] répondre en français maintenant, j'ai besoin de sommeil.

Calembourde, merci pour votre recommandation!


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## Tchesko

kalmen said:
			
		

> Francis Cebrel ne Chante-t-il pas dans espagnol aussi ?


 
Effectivement, Cabrel chante aussi quelques chansons en espagnol (par ex. "Lo quiero a morir", qui est une traduction de sa propre chanson "Je l'aime à mourir", traduite également en tchèque  etc.)

Perso, j'ai un faible pour Georges Brassens, à cause de la beauté des paroles de ses chansons, de sa richesse lexicale et de sa malice...


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## calembourde

MelB said:
			
		

> "J'ai la flemme"[Je suis endormi], [et ne peut pas] répondre en français maintenant, j'ai besoin de sommeil.



J'ai eu l'impression que 'j'ai la flemme' veut dire 'je suis trop paresseuse', c'est ça que j'ai voulu dire.


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## Grinder

The lyrics of mylene farmer are very interesting - a real eye opener - coz you don't get such explicit songs in English.  Kate Ryan did a cover of Libertine.


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## Mycall

Grinder said:
			
		

> The lyrics of mylene farmer are very interesting - a real eye opener - coz you don't get such explicit songs in English.  Kate Ryan did a cover of Libertine.


Kate Ryan originates in Belgium, just like the great Jacques Brel. Musicwise though, they're worlds apart...


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## Tchesko

calembourde said:
			
		

> J'ai eu l'impression que 'j'ai la flemme' veut dire 'je suis trop paresseuse', c'est ça que j'ai voulu dire.


 
C'est exact, et la phrase était juste !


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## badgrammar

Now please do not take offense, I like many of the musicians listed above...  But French music has evolved with the times, like all music, so I wanted to propose some contemporary artists and groups. A lot of very good French music has come out in the last twenty or so years, stuff that is a far cry from Piaf, Aznavour, Gainsbourg... 

I learned listening to ARTHUR H (he's the son of HIGELEIN), his albums from the early 90's are great and his voice is very clear.  Style is orchestrated funky-juzzy-rhythmic .

And I also learned from LES NEGRESSES VERTES, which is great French-Beurre Rock.  Lyrics are a treat, and really, if you have them written down, you read them a couple of times and hop! You're singing it, accent banlieusard and all.  You will want to dance.

Then there's that guy who sings "J'étais sur la route toute la sainte journée", that is really cool smooth, modern rock...  Depalmas! 
BRIAN DEPALMAS.  Look for the album with that title...  Very upbeat, great voice, and he's pretty handsome, too...

Whaddelse...  Oy yeah, depends on what you like, but if you're into rock, you should defnitely listen to some NOIR DESIR (aka "LES NOIRDEZ), which will also give you a chance to catch up on one of the most shocking celebrity fait divers that happened a few years back.  The singer from the group, Bernard Cantat) kinda' accidentally violently killed his girlfriend (famous actress, daughter of ??? and ???, also famous) in a hotel room in Lithouania.    

And BASHUNG! And CHARLELIE COUTURE!!! 

And how could we forget ZEBDA!  Zebda is great, look for the album with "Y a pas d'arrangement" and "Tomber la chemise".  You will be dancing your proverbial butt off.

Well, if any of that sounds interesting to you, I can recommend certain albums or titles to download.  And I'm sure I'll think of some other groups, too.  But I guess it all depends on your musical tastes.


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## timpeac

kalmen said:
			
		

> Salut à tout,
> 
> une des façons que j'apprends la langue française est en écoutant des chansons françaises.
> 
> Mon préféré est Charles Aznavour, ses mots sont clairs et je pourrais trouver des paroles sur l'internet pour ses chansons.
> 
> Pourrait-quelqu'un plaire me dit les noms de quelques chanteurs français qu'ils recommandent ? J'aimerais écouter plus de chanteurs.
> 
> Je suis un novice dans la langue française, corriger mon écriture à tout moment.
> 
> Merci,
> Kalmen


 
Ecoutez Benjamin Biolay - c'est fantastique. Il est sorti du conservatoire, je crois, donc toute sa musique est d'une qualité suberbe mais les chansons sont aussi agréables à écouter et les paroles sont bien écrites. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde là je dirais.


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## pieanne

Personne n'a parlé de Julien Clerc!!!


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## MelB

On this whole list, for those of us who are not fluent French speakers, but are learning, it's important that the CD comes with a French text, or, if not, that it is easy to find one on the internet.


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## timpeac

pieanne said:
			
		

> Personne n'a parlé de Julien Clerc!!!


 
Parles-en alors Pieanne!!


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## pieanne

LOL
d'abord il est très beau    , il parle un français impeccable, son accent est très bon, et ses chansons ne sont pas c*****s, en plus! Je ne suis pas ultra-fan (je préfère Brassens et Barbara), mais Julien Clerc est tout à fait accessible  pour ceux qui veulent apprendre le français.
Brel est belge, il peut avoir des expressions qui ne sont pas de France.
Gainsbourg est à un autre niveau (+ difficile pour la langue), et
Brassens est pour moi à un niveau littéraire.


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## MelB

The Barbara albums I cited in this thread had a French text.  For Patricia Kaas, I had to find them on the internet.  Celine Dion's Live in Paris Album had a French text.  I have two Francis Cabrel CDs, Hors-Saison, and Samedi Soir Sur La Terre, and they have a french text.  lara fabian's CD  "nue" has a French text.   It's extremely important for me to have a French text.  I can learn that way, follow along, and afterwards, can even listen and enjoy without it.  (I love the Patricia Kaas albums ("Ce Sera Nous" and "Les Chansons Commencent"), but her French is not as clear as Babara's).


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## pieanne

Isn't it hard now to find song lyrics on the net? I used to translate them on "coccinelle.net", but I think there have been lots of problems?


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## badgrammar

I think you'll find the lyrics for almost every French song that has come out on a known label, just go to Google and type paroles+ the singers name/song title, or lyrics+name/title.  I checked for all the songs I suggested, they're all there ... Sometimes there are even translations on certain sites...

I've been learning Turkish and German this way too (listening to music), and if I can find lyrics for Turkish pop music easily on the web, I think you'll have no problem with French lyrics...


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## MelB

It's better if the text is in the CD, than having to print it out, off the internet, as that takes up a lot of space, or maybe the problem is that it easily gets misplaced.  I did go to the internet for Patricia Kaas, but have too hunt around a lot to find it (the paper I printed out with the text).  It's much nicer when the text is part of the CD.  Still, finding the songs on the internet is an option.  And Patricia Kaas is worth the effort.


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## hiwelcome

suggestion: 
je ne donnerai pas de noms de chanteurs pour commencer, mais je reformulerai la phrase:
quote:
une des façons que j'apprends la langue française est en écoutant des chansons françaises.
Unquote
Une des façons par lesquelles j'apprends le français consiste à écouter des chansons françaises
Mon préféré est Charles Aznavour, ses mots sont clairs et je peux trouver les paroles de ses chansons sur internet. 
Y aurait-il-quelqu'un qui pourrait me citer quelques noms de chanteurs français ? Merci d'avance.
J'aimerai écouter davantage de chanteurs.
Comme je commence à apprendre le français, merci de bien vouloir me corriger.

Pour les chanteurs...la liste de Mycall est très bien. Sans doute pourrait-on ajouter..par la qualité du français  Charles Trenet, Yves Montand, Tino Rossi, Gilbert Bécaud entre autres. ...
Salutations


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## hiwelcome

j'ajouterai aussi Félix Leclerc, Yves Duteil...un vrai plaisir


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## pieanne

Il est aussi important d'écouter (puis de reproduire phonétiquement) des chansons qu'on aime... surtout!


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## Mycall

Schnappi lyrics are very easy to understand only he doesn't sing in French (as yet). Very uplifting stuff too if you ask me... 


http://www.davidfuchs.ca/blog/media/schnappi/Schnappi%20-%20Das%20kleine%20Krokodil%20(Original%20Mix).mp3


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## hiwelcome

Mycall,
My pc is not able to open the website you indicated.
I confess I have some difficulties to understand your statement ...as the thread was made from someone interested to learn French from French singers beside Charles Aznavour and you mentionned:
quote:
Schnappi lyrics are very easy to understand only he doesn't sing in French..
Unquote 
cordiales salutations

only he doesn't sing in French​


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## timpeac

hiwelcome said:
			
		

> Mycall,
> My pc is not able to open the website you indicated.
> I confess I have some difficulties to understand your statement ...as the thread was made from someone interested to learn French from French singers beside Charles Aznavour and you mentionned:
> quote:
> Schnappi lyrics are very easy to understand only he doesn't sing in French..
> Unquote
> cordiales salutations
> 
> only he doesn't sing in French​


 
He also asked the question in French...


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## the.lotrium

Si la musique québecoise vous intéresse, cherchez la baladodiffusion à bandeapart.fm.


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## MelB

It would help if when people recommend someone, they explain what type of singer the person is (rock, folk, pop, a chanteur like Jaques Brel, chanteuse like Barbara, etc), who they are like, etc. Otherwise, the list is huge, and I have no idea whether the person sings the type of music I might like.


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## hiwelcome

Je suis un peu surpris que personne ne soit intervenu, après mon commentaire, sur le bon français ou non du demandeur...


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## Valparaiso

I have actually been listening to MC Solaar.  Rap is really not my favorite but he has a nice voice so that makes it easier to listen.

Val


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## Suzie

I noticed that no one mentioned Mylene Farmer. Can anyone tell me if her songs are as convoluted in french as they appear to be when they're translated into english. I don't always seem to know what the theme of the song is.  However I do love listening to them.  Few french CDs are available in Australia, apart from the same old, which Edith Piaf and Aznavour, nothing modern is available, except for Patricia Kaas and Mylene Farmer.  yes, there is Jane Birkin. Another good artist is Eve Angeli.


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## Mycall

Suzie said:
			
		

> I noticed that no one mentioned Mylene Farmer. Can anyone tell me if her songs are as convoluted in french as they appear to be when they're translated into english.


 
   The thing with la Farmer (just like a paraphernalia of others : Hardy, Daho, Gainsbarre...) is that you need subtitles for she's downright incomprehensible, a sheer lack of respect towards her audience if you ask me . Mind you, they don't seem to care, as she's still selling millions...


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## Mycall

hiwelcome said:
			
		

> Mycall,
> My pc is not able to open the website you indicated.
> I confess I have some difficulties to understand your statement ...as the thread was made from someone interested to learn French from French singers beside Charles Aznavour and you mentionned:
> quote:
> Schnappi lyrics are very easy to understand only he doesn't sing in French..
> Unquote
> cordiales salutations
> 
> only he doesn't sing in French​


 

Well, it's not a website but just one single MP3 for I wouldn't like to transgress any beloved forum rules. Maybe you need some kind of MP3 player like "Real Player". You can download it for free via Google.

  Incidentally, I meant to say that a lot of French kids are discovering the German language through Schnappi songs for they aptly combine simple mélodies and easy to grasp lyrics. To cut a long story short, the message is: before tackling patrimonious singers (see list abôve), why not first have a go at listening to Chantal Goya, Dorothée, Douchka, Licence IV, les Musclés, Hélène Rollès, Henri Dès (the latter is Swiss but his French is perfect) ?

  Just a thought...it's a free planet (or is it ?...)


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## pieanne

There's a lot of "anciennes chansons françaises" recorded by Dorothée, and they are really great! I wonder if they're still available?


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## geve

oh well, now that Dorothée has been mentioned, I can give you my suggestions : what about these great 80's singers ??? I'm thinking of Elsa, France Gall, Desireless, Lio, Début de Soirée... and Sabine Paturel of course... What a wonderful way to learn French : "j'ai tout mangé le chocolat" (ok, this is not 100% correct syntax  )
[Edit : look how she's cute on her website where you can watch the videoclip -and get the text too]​ 
Anyway, you might hear interesting "retro" French songs of this kind on this web radio : http://www.bide-et-musique.com/ (they might sometimes air a few songs in English, nobody's perfect)

Now if you want contemporary sing-along music you can also try les Rita Mitsouko (rock) : "Andy, dis-moi oui, chéri, oh-oh-oho...", "c'est comme ça-a, lalalalala", "les histoires d'amour finissent mal... en général..." (but some titles might be hard to understand) 

And if you're more into jazz, Dee Dee Bridgewater recently issued a CD entirely in French called "J'ai deux amours" - now I know she's not French  , but she speaks very well and perfectly clearly as only non-natives can do... She sings nice old-time songs from Piaf, Ferré, Distel... and my point was, the CD might be easier to find abroad.


_NB : J'ai une question et comme il n'y a pas (encore) de forum Mycallois-English : Je vois que "abôve" prend un accent, mais est-ce que ça se prononce différemment aussi ? (j'apprends  )_


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## The Ho

Richard Gotainer


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## Mycall

geve said:
			
		

> _NB : J'ai une question et comme il n'y a pas (encore) de forum Mycallois-English : Je vois que "abôve" prend un accent, mais est-ce que ça se prononce différemment aussi ? (j'apprends  )_


 
   Nope. Rest assured. My accents are fully house-trained and will not cause any altérations whatsoever in the way of pronounciation. I daresay they're only ornemental. Just consider them as pre-Xmas désign.


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## Mycall

The Ho said:
			
		

> Richard Gotainer


 
  "Le mambo du décalco" is simply out of this world. I've heard there is a C.D. available by Gotainer including his sizeable contribution to French commercials. Learning French by the ads: now, there's a novelty !


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## MelB

Geve, 

    Thanks for that Web radio station.   It plays very well on my computer; I can enjoy it and learn.


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## geve

Easy on that web-radio MelB, eh ? I can't guarantee there aren't any side-effects...


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## Israel Hands

> And how could we forget ZEBDA! Zebda is great, look for the album with "Y a pas d'arrangement" and "Tomber la chemise". You will be dancing your proverbial butt off.



I agree--Zebda is a fun band, and gives you an interesting insight into how the second-generation immigrant angst plays out in France.

I would also recommend Marc Lavoine both because he annunciates clearly and because he has a gret way of expressing himself. For someone else along the lines of DePalmas, check out Axel Bauer. He put out a killer tune a few years back called A Ma Place-- a duet with Zazie.

Great thread!


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## xanana

Voici un nombreux de chansons ancienne françaises pour télécharger.


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## Nenita84

Could anyone recommend me music in French but a bit moderner and more lively? 

Thanks in advance!


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## Chabada

Plenty of them have been mentioned in that thread already. All styles are represented in the replies.


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## Nenita84

Then i´ve had bad luck because i´ve downloaded some songs of the singers that were in the replies and they all seemed really old-fashioned.  For example, Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf...I wanted music like the music by Kate Ryan.. I´ll try with Zebda... Thanx for your answer anyways.


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## geve

all singers listed in page 1 (except for posts 1 & 2) are contemporary... even if they might sometimes not sound so


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## Aupick

I don't know Kate Ryan, but Keren Ann (mentioned by Calembourde), Carla Bruni and Coralie Clément (not mentioned) are all recent acts (last five years) whose music is distinctly French in style and whose lyrics are quite understandable. (But watch out: Keren Ann has started recording songs in English.)


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## zaby

Some others
- Cali
- Mickey3D 
- Emilie Simon : Album _Emilie Simon_ (2003), some songs are in French other in English (electro-pop) . To listen go here
- M
- Raphaël
- Carla Bruni
- Zazie
- Benabar (for the funny lyrics)
- Calogero
- Amel Bent


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## u_n_i_q_u_e

Peut-être un genre totallement different, mais je suis accro à un groupe qui s'appelle KyO !! J'ai trouvé les paroles aussi facile pour comprendre, et tout leurs lyrics sont sur le net. Mais Céline Dion aussi ouai, j'aime beaucoup le chanson qui s'appelle "Ziggy", c'est aussi assez facile à suivre pour un novice
Je suis sûr tu aimera ces 
unique


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## calembourde

Depuis mon premier message sur ce fil, j'ai découvert:

Alizée
André Bourvil (dont les paroles sont très drôle!)
Autour de Lucie
Dolly

et aussi beaucoup de musique libre et gratuite sur http://musique-libre.org/ 

Il y a aussi quelques chanteuses anglophones qui chantent parfois en français, comme Lily Frost et Deborah.

I don't know why I wrote this message in French when it's English speakers who want to find the music, but I guess I need practice.  I second zaby's suggestion of Mickey3D, his lyrics are very easy to hear and understand.


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## Joelline

Hi,

I can recommend all of the following as *easy to* *understand* and beautiful!

Julien Clerc:  album "Les aventures à l'eau"
Jean-Jacques Goldman: albums 1. "Non-Homologué"; 2. "Entre Gris Clair et Gris Foncé"
Joe Dassin:  album "Le Jardin du Luxembourg"

But the one I'd recommend most highly is the soundtrack from the "spectacle" Notre-Dame de Paris.  I was amazed that I could understand almost every word of every song.  The album to get is the abridged one with 16 songs on it.  It's relatively inexpensive and there's no point in going for the 3 box set until you're sure you like these 16 songs (in my opinion the best songs).


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## ShOoK

Vanessa Paradis is my favorite French singer .
I've been learing French for a year now and Vanessa's music has really helped me. My favorite songs:
Commando, Tandem ,Joe Le Taxi, Dis Lui Toi Que Je t'aime, Pourtant.

I also love Céline Dion, Mathieu Chedid, Carla Bruni and Garou.


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## kalmen

Hi all, 
This forum has become something really fun to go through thanks to all of you.
I'm getting my hands on as much songs as possible thanks for this forum.
I found this radio: bide-et-musique , thanks to Geve.


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## paradox17

J'écoute rap au français.  C'est super-bien!


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## Melonette

Moi je pense à Keren Ann, ce qu'elle fait est superbe même si elle ne chante pas que  en français.

Et pardonnes moi, un peu ancien mais tout aussi superbe: Barbara.


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## K.os

A very interesting group I can suggest if anyone is interested in Québec french with sometimes quite a bit of slang would be *Les Colocs*. Their songs are a quirky look at the everyday life.

Some ot the interesting Québec bands that I'm thinking of at the moment:

Les Cowboys Fringants: A huge success here, they mix sounds old and new and use the language that people use here. There are songs and videos available on the website. The lyrics are available under the 'partitions' section because they also give the chords and stuff.

Mes Aïeux: Very interesting band making a mix of modern rock with more folkish sounds. Website in French, English, Spanish and German.

And for those who prefer music with more edge, might I suggest Banlieue Rouge, the Québecois answer to Bérurier Noir. Very interesting is the fact that the songs are all available through the official website as the band is now defunct. The lyrics to some of the Banlieu Rouge songs can be really politically charged so read at your own risk. All the lyrics are available on the website.


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## MonsieurAquilone

J'ajoute "Elisa Tovati".


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## mgarizona

Was surprised to see Françoise Hardy and Etienne Daho listed as being hard to understand, I couldn't disagree more. Two of my mainstays: great lyrics, great voices.

My buddy Garbonzia recently turned me on to Camille, whom I did not see mentioned here anywhere. She's rather insane, but brilliant. Here's a link to a video for her song Ta Douleur in case anyone is interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgXUctWDF34


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## Auryn

mgarizona said:
			
		

> My buddy Garbonzia recently turned me on to Camille, whom I did not see mentioned here anywhere. She's rather insane, but brilliant. Here's a link to a video for her song Ta Douleur in case anyone is interested:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgXUctWDF34



I love it!


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## shaloo

Beautiful thread ! I would love to subscribe to this one.
Et ma chanteuse française prèferé est Céline Dion. Ses paroles sont claires et trés sympathiques.
Bonne écoute !


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## padfoot

hello everybody! i'm passionate for any kind of french songs! so, if you have time, i would really like to get to know your favorite ones....
thank you in advance


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## Nil-the-Frogg

Brel did have many outstanding lyrics. He wasn't actually French, but who cares?


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## le Fnake

Hello,

You could listen to one of the plentiful songs of Jean-Jacques Goldman "Né en 17 à Leidenstadt".
"Comme quand j'étais môme" by Eddy Mitchell is a song i love too


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## NorthCarolinian

J'aime "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" par Celine Dion.


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## doodlebugger

_Jacques Brel_ was a great composer and a fantastic performer.
My favorite song is _Chez ces gens la_, he performs it with so much soul that it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
But he has many other incredible songs.
_Edith Piaf_ was also a great performer (such soul!) but did not compose much herself.
_Les amants d'un jour_, _l'accordéoniste_ are among my favorite.
_Georges Brassens_, _Serge Gainsbourg_, _Georges Moustaki_ were (are for the latter) great composers but rather poor performers in my opinion.
_Serge Reggiani'_s covers of _Moustaki_ songs are so much better than the originals!


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## Mjollnir

I'm liking "Dégéneration" par Mes Aïeux so far.


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## hlafor

Je n'ai rien oublié  (Charles Aznavour)... Old but..


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## Loic

Francis Cabrel's songsssssssss  !!!!!!
And of course all - or nearly so- of Brassens"s repertoire lollll for the poetry and emotion.


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## Loic

And also  _Renaud's_ songs


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## charcholle

Songs from Les Tetes Raides, les Ogres de Barback and La Tordue are great.
And Alexis HK: c'que t'es belle quand t'as bu


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## Loic

And a rather recent artist with very clever lyrics  : _Clarika _and  not forgetting the Québecoise Lynda Lemay : such perfect ironical or moving lyrics !!!!!!!!! We have beautiful French songs galore.


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## Nil-the-Frogg

Try to google for "La Gargote" as well. Small, almost unknown, but well worth the effort!


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## Conchúr

C'est "Partons Vite" par Kaolin qui me plait le plus en ce moment - j'adore !


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## calembourde

You might find this thread useful. It doesn't mention specific songs but a lot of singers.


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## konungursvia

Try "Ne me quittes pas" by Mireille Mathieu (easy download).


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## hlafor

konungursvia said:


> Try "Ne me quittes pas" by Mireille Mathieu (easy download).



Yes...


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## topaze

In this moment I like very much the last CD from Marc Lavoine and particulary :"J'espere"song in duo with Quynh ANH.and the other one: "toi mon amour"


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## dohnut

L'Alizé - JBG  - *cacher*


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## gegetronic

try les "tit'nasselles" especially Les cendres de cassandre


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## padfoot

thank you! thank you! thank you! all those songs are SO great! you are VERY kind and VERY helpful! thanks again!... merci beaucoup! =)


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## auggiedoggy

C'est difficile à dire. Quelque chose dans mon coeur par Elsa Lunghini, peut-être?   Mais, la musique française, c'est quelque chose de nouveau à moi.

On m'a dit qu'elle va sortir un nouveau disque en 2007. Es-ce le cas?

AD


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## samala_cali

Moi, j'aime beaucoup "Au Bal Masque". (J'ai oublie qui le chante ).


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## calembourde

Adding all the required contractions to Le Ours et La Hirondelle by Jérémie Kisling would be a good exercise for a learner. 

One of my favourites is Chanson pour Elle, by Talking Cure, and it's free for download.


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## Idiha

Johnny Hallyday : _Que je t'aime_


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## Gordo

Juliette Greco... 'Deshabille-moi'. Arguably the sexiest song in the French language!


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## Idiha

Diane Tell, but I've forgotten the name of the song :S, it's sung in "Chouchou" (Gad El Maleh )


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## shork90

i would reccomend "J'ai oublie" by Captaine Revolt, "Desenchantee" by Kate Ryan, "Plus Rien" by Les Cowboys Fringants, "le grand secret" by indochine and "parce qu'on vient de loin" by corneille


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## shork90

Nenita84 said:


> Could anyone recommend me music in French but a bit moderner and more lively?
> 
> Thanks in advance!


 
this was playing in quebec on the radio almost every day this summer:

j'ai oublie - Captaine Revolt
Montreal - Arianne Moffat

Bonne Chance!


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## EnIrAc

Gordo said:


> Juliette Greco... 'Deshabille-moi'. Arguably the sexiest song in the French language!


Déshabille*z*-moi  En effet une très belle chanson de Juliette Greco de ...1967! mais indémodable et reprise par d'autres ensuite! 

"_Déshabillez-moi, déshabillez-moi_
_Oui, mais pas tout de suite, pas trop vite_
_Sachez me convoiter, me désirer, me captiver_
_Déshabillez-moi, déshabillez-moi_
_Etc..."  _


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## EnIrAc

Nil-the-Frogg said:


> Brel did have many outstanding lyrics. He wasn't actually French, but who cares?


Brel was Belgian and sang in French.


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## Pedro y La Torre

Pas Toi  - Jean-Jacques Goldman

Tatouage Bleu - Ben Onono

Aisha - Khaled

are some good ones.


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## EnIrAc

pieanne said:


> Personne n'a parlé de Julien Clerc!!!


J'adore! mais si nos amis anglophones ou autres écoutent "Petits Pois Lardons" ou "Mélissa" -par ex - ils ne vont pas comprendre grand chose  
Pourtant c'est génial


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## calembourde

Jérémie Kisling est un bon chanteur suisse 

And if you like funny songs, check out Blük blük, Topaloff, or the band with several different names all of which include the 'word' Bidochons (which there is a thread about.)


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## EnIrAc

mgarizona said:


> Was surprised to see Françoise Hardy and Etienne Daho listed as being hard to understand, I couldn't disagree more. Two of my mainstays: great lyrics, great voices.
> 
> My buddy Garbonzia recently turned me on to Camille, whom I did not see mentioned here anywhere. She's rather insane, but brilliant. Here's a link to a video for her song Ta Douleur in case anyone is interested:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgXUctWDF34


Une autre de Camille est "Assise"
You should like Emilie Simon "Fleur de Saison" et "Desert", "dame de Lotus" entre autres..
About Etienne Daho et Françoise Hardy, it's true that it must be difficult to understand them but there're great!! 
J'aime bien Zazie aussi  
Pour les paroles en français il faut aller sur www.paroles.net


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## DeeFine

Et les têtes raides, alors ! sans oublier les Martine city queen, bientôt célèbres !
Arno, les VRP, les nonnes troppo (très droles), et bien sûr le grand Bobby Lapointe (attention, jeux de mots supersoniques). Si vous comprenez les textes de Bobby Lapointe sans avoir les paroles sous les yeux, alors là, vous êtes très très fort (a good test !)


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## larrys13

'Flower Power' de Zazie


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## LV4-26

Brel's songs were arranged/orchestrated by a true genius named *François Rauber
* (who died a fiew years ago).
I believe Brel's masterpiece, for the lyrics, is the song Orly -->

Et puis infiniment
Comme deux corps qui prient
Infiniment lentement ces deux corps
Se séparent et en se séparant
Ces deux corps se déchirent
Et je vous jure qu'ils crient


More


*
Anne Sylvestre* and, more recently, *Juliette*, are two extremely talented lyrcists (maybe the only true followers of Brassens).
Incidentally, A. Sylvestre's songs were also orchestrated by F. Rauber.


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## mgarizona

Françoise Hardy's _Et si je m'en vais avant toi_ is an utterly perfect little pop song, can't be beat.


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## marbeannie

I LOVE _maladie d'amour _originally sung by Michel Sardou


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## vittel

For the "oldest" (so to speak): Brel (greatest french-singing artist ever), Gainsbourg, Brassens, Nino Ferrer, Renaud, Huber-Félix Théfaine, Jacques Dutronc. 

For the youger: Les Tête Raides, Les Ogres de Barback, Hurlement d'Leo, Les Wampas, Noir Désir,  Mano Negra, Thomas Fersen, Camille, Mano Solo, Dionysos, Alexis HK... and Emilie Simon of course! (c.f. my picture)
Some people like Bénabar too (tho I'm not fond of it), and Carla Bruni (1st album).


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## razzmtazzy

DIAM'S will change your life!!!

after awhile it gets very easy to understand what she's saying. And she says very powerful things!
Check out "Par amour," "jeune demoiselle"
Look up the lyrics online, some are so funnY!


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## Agnès E.

Bonjour à tous,

Learning French thanks to francophone musicians and singers is a very good idea. Nevertheless, this topic is a bit out of the scope of these forums... we aren't supposed to discuss music and singers. 

Now that we have left this list last 108 posts, it is time to close it and use it as a reference for future needs. Thank you for all your ideas and your enthusiasm! 

Agnès
Modératrice


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