With many of my friends wanting to learn French at the moment (read: Mary. Mary is learning French. Hi Mary!), I thought I’d put together a list of French songs that aren’t entirely terrible for those of you who might want to diversify your playlist. Because let’s be honest here, what else are you going to do, since going out would definitely be irresponsible and you’ve been going “meh” at every suggestion on Netflix for the past two hours?
The songs are in no particular order, and I selected them based on completely subjective criteria such as (a) whether I liked them, (b) their potential benefits in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and cultural content, and (c) the complete certainty that none of them had been written for or sung by Edith Piaf, whom I hate with the fire of a thousand suns for no particular reason.
Le Métèque (George Moustaki, 1969)
➤ Language focus: everyday life vocabulary, poetic vocabulary, past and future tenses.
The song is partly autobiographical, as Georges Moustaki was a Jewish Italian-Greek singer/songwriter/painter/actor born in Alexandria who became French at the age of 51. There’s quite a bit of slang in there, including but not limited to the title, ‘Le métèque’, which is an old-fashioned slur used to describe anyone who looked Jewish or of Mediterranean origins. It has fallen in disuse nowadays, but while it is ok for people of those origins to use it, make sure not to do it if it doesn’t apply to you. The word ‘gueule’ is a little vulgar too, and it means ‘face’. Go figure out the rest for yourself with the lyrics.
I love the song because it is a beautiful ode to immigrants, to those who do not quite look like they belong, to difficult beginnings and to budding romances. And I’m a sucker for Greek melodies. Also, I must confess that I had a major crush on Georges Moustaki even when he was in his late 70s (look, I have problems, ok?).
More songs by Georges Moustaki: Ma solitude, Je ne sais pas où tu commences, Ma liberté.
➤ Listen to Le Métèque on Spotify | Read the lyrics
Rouge (Fredericks, Goldman & Jones, 1993)
➤ Language focus: everyday life vocabulary, future tense.
Jean-Jacques Goldman probably is the greatest songwriter who ever graced the land of France (at least, in my opinion), but he’ll probably only be recognized as such after his death, and it will be a national tragedy. He is one of the truly great minds of his generation, with a very distinctive style and voice. For a time, he composed and sang with American singer Carole Fredericks and Welsh guitar player and singer Michael Jones.
The song I have selected is deceptively complex, as it uses simple vocabulary to describe a situation with many layers. While Goldman has written countless magnificent love songs (many of which for Céline Dion), this one is about politics, and I’m sure at least some of you will enjoy it. Let’s see if you can figure out what it is about. Hint: Yes, that choir is the Alexandrov Ensemble (also known as… the Red Army Choir).
More songs by Jean-Jacques Goldman: Je te donne, À nos actes manqués, Sache que je.
➤ Listen to Rouge on Spotify | Read the lyrics
Nouveau Western (Mc Solaar, 1993)
➤ Language focus: everyday life vocabulary, western movies vocabulary, present tense.
Mc Solaar is the pope of French rap, but at the same time, he’s a bit of an oddity. While French rap, in most of its incarnations, tends to rely heavily on a vocabulary that requires extensive experience of conflict with French people who really do not like you, MC Solaar’s language varies from academic to fifties gangster slang. He’s basically a walking history of the language, and it makes things very interesting for native speakers and learners alike.
This song, which contains many references to western movies, might sound familiar to you if you’ve listened to some music by Serge Gainsbourg as it contains a sample of Bonnie and Clyde.
Nouveau Western being a rap, beginners and intermediate learners will probably find it a little difficult to understand at first.
More songs by MC Solaar: Caroline, Da Vinci Claude, Bouge de là.
➤ Listen to Nouveau Western on Spotify | Read the lyrics
Un point c’est toi (Zazie, 1995)
➤ Language focus: formal language, present imperative.
I’ve had a long debate with myself as to which song by Zazie I needed to include in this list. Zazie has written many very good songs about very serious topics, and I always feel that she’s a bit underrated, but for some reason, this song is the one I always come back to because it is funny, tongue-in-cheek, and, let’s face it, frankly sexy. Please do watch the video clip until the end, as it caused a bit of a scandal at the time of its release.
The song is about a woman who’s asking a man to get naked, nothing more, nothing less, and draws on a wordplay on ‘un point c’est tout’ (‘and that’s it’). If I remember my language learning days correctly, asking someone to remove their clothes should come in handy at one point or another.
More songs by Zazie: Je suis un homme, Zen, À ma place (with Axel Bauer).
➤ Listen to Un point c’est toi on Spotify | Read the lyrics
Octobre (Francis Cabrel, 1994)
➤ Language focus: everyday life vocabulary, future tense.
You may know Francis Cabrel’s Je l’aime à mourir as it was a bit of a hit in non-French speaking countries a couple of years ago when Shakira covered it for some reason that’s not entirely quite clear to me, even now.
I think Octobre is fairly easy to understand, even for beginners, as the tempo is pretty slow and the lyrics are not all that difficult. I love how it paints a picture of the simple little moments that make a love story, and life. It’s like looking at an impressionist painting.
More songs by Francis Cabrel: La Corrida, L’Encre de tes yeux, Madame n’aime pas.
➤ Listen to Octobre on Spotify | Read the lyrics
Tableau de chasse (Claire Diterzi, 2007)
➤ Language focus: formal language, poetic vocabulary, present imperative.
Claire Diterzi is considerably less famous than the other singers on this list, which is a shame because she’s extremely talented both in terms of songwriting and vocal prowess. I once saw her on stage in a very small concert hall, and her live performances really are something to behold.
I’m not going to lie to you, Tableau de chasse probably has some of the most difficult lyrics in the entire French catalogue. If you’re a beginner, you will suffer, but it’s entirely worth it. I’m not going to tell you what it is about. Instead, you let me know in the comments once you get it.
Plus, the song has hunting horns in it, and frankly, who doesn’t like that?
More songs by Claire Diterzi: L’Odalisque, Zubrowka, La vieille chanteuse.
➤ Listen to Tableau de chasse on Spotify | Read the lyrics
La Tribu de Dana (Manau, 1998)
➤ Language focus: historical vocabulary, present indicative, past tenses.
Jon picked this one and I have to make some concessions if I want him to make dinner tonight, which I do.
La Tribu de Dana was incredibly popular in the late nineties, and on the rare occasions where people of my generation still muster enough courage to go to a party, it’s guaranteed to be an instant hit, with everyone shouting the lyrics which we of course still know by heart.
It’s the story of a Celt warrior whose tribe is attacked by Cimmerians (not exactly the topic you’d think of for a summer hit, but here we are). It samples a traditional folk song from Britany, Tri Martelod (‘three sailors’).
Frankly, if you understand everything on your first try, you probably speak French much better than I do.
More songs by Manau: L’avenir est un long passé, Panique celtique.
➤ Listen La Tribu de Dana on Spotify | Read the lyrics
Brest (Nolwenn Leroy, 2010)
➤ Language focus: everyday life vocabulary, formal vocabulary, past conditional, structure of questions.
While we’re in Britany, let’s spend some time with Nolwenn Leroy, a wonderful French singer whose every single appearance is guaranteed to make me cry. I’d really rather not love Nolwenn as much as I do, because she’s too beautiful and too clever to be real, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
This bittersweet song was written by her fellow Breton songwriter and singer Miossec, and it is about what it feels to miss Brest, and by extension Britany. It’s guaranteed to have me in tears before the first chorus is over. Not that it is all that sad, mind you, it’s just that I am a messy bitch.
More songs by Nolwenn Leroy: Je ne serai jamais ta Parisienne, Juste pour me souvenir, Suite sudarmoricaine.
➤ Listen to Brest on Spotify | Read the lyrics
La chanson de Jacky (Jacques Brel, 1965)
➤ Language focus: everyday life vocabulary, formal vocabulary, present conditional, past tense.
As a Belgian, I have a legal obligation to have at least one song by Jacques Brel in every mixtape I make, because otherwise they’ll revoke my citizenship and take away my supply of chocolate. Now, most people would advise you to listen to Amsterdam or Ne me quitte pas, but not me, because I’m cool and stuff. So instead, I think you should really listen to La chanson de Jacky, a somewhat autobiographical song in which Brel reflects on what might have been and how much he would have liked to be handsome and stupid for a bit.
If you’re old enough, or if you like 1960s music, you may have heard the English cover by Scott Walker (in an excellent translation by Mort Schuman) which tells the same story. I guarantee that the words you’re not going to understand in the very first verse are ‘Knokke-le-Zoute’, which is a famous seaside town in Flanders.
More songs by Jacques Brel: La chanson des vieux amants, Ces gens-là, Les bourgeois.
➤ Listen to La chanson de Jacky on Spotify | Read the lyrics
Fugee-La / Refugee Camp Global Mix (The Fugees, 1996)
➤ Language focus: everyday life vocabulary, past tense, Psalm 23.
The Score is not one of the best albums in the history of hip hop; it’s one of the best albums of all time and in all genres, period. And it has one bonus track whose lyrics are (mainly) in French, and also a bit of Haitian Creole (and the numbers listed in Japanese), which is hardly surprising since Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel both are of Haitian origins, and those two languages are the official languages of the country. The song isn’t very difficult to understand if you listen closely. Thanks to Gareth for suggesting I should add this song to the list; I would never have thought of it as a French song in a million years.
➤ Listen to Fugee-La on Spotify | Read the lyrics
Next time, I’ll make a top 10 of French songs that really do suck; it will be much easier.
If you’re interested in reading a little more about learning languages, do hop to my extensive post on the matter, 5 No-Nonsense Language Learning Tips.
Let me know about your favourite French songs in the comments! À bientôt, les amis !
