Chansons françaises comme celles de Charles Trenet
June 4, 2013 12:05 PM Subscribe
Francophone Mefites- what other mid-century French singers should I be listening to?
I have realized that I am a huge fan of Charles Trenet- which other French-language singers should I be listening to? In particular, I'm looking for singers who capture that same combination of nostalgia and sentimentality, without quite the melancholia of a Charles Aznavour or a Jacques Brel.
Note that I have plenty of Edith Piaf, and I dislike Maurice Chevalier for other reasons.
I have realized that I am a huge fan of Charles Trenet- which other French-language singers should I be listening to? In particular, I'm looking for singers who capture that same combination of nostalgia and sentimentality, without quite the melancholia of a Charles Aznavour or a Jacques Brel.
Note that I have plenty of Edith Piaf, and I dislike Maurice Chevalier for other reasons.
I have an album I bought on iTunes called 100 Classic French Songs that I love. In addition to Charles Trenet and George Brassens mentioned above, it includes Edith Piaf, Léo Ferré, Yves Montand, Maurice Chevalier, Joséphine Baker, André Bourvil, Fernandel, Boris Vian, Ray Ventura, Marcel Mouloudji, Juliette Grécco, Luis Mariano, Jean Sablon, Eddie Constantine, Line Renaud, Berthe Sylvia, and Francis Lemarque.
On last.fm, here are the links: Volume 1 and Volume 2
posted by Kronur at 1:44 PM on June 4, 2013
On last.fm, here are the links: Volume 1 and Volume 2
posted by Kronur at 1:44 PM on June 4, 2013
Best answer: I love Jean Sablon's "La valse au village".
posted by thebazilist at 3:33 PM on June 4, 2013
posted by thebazilist at 3:33 PM on June 4, 2013
Boris Vian!
posted by racingjs at 9:27 AM on June 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by racingjs at 9:27 AM on June 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I came in to recommend a website rather than a singer:
Du temps des cerises aux feuilles mortes, a site dedicated to la Chanson française. (Note: site is in French.)
It has audio clips for lots of French singers - I discovered it recently while looking up Fréhel's "Où est-il donc ?", which you can hear, along with four other songs, on the Fréhel biography page.
posted by kristi at 10:31 AM on June 6, 2013
Du temps des cerises aux feuilles mortes, a site dedicated to la Chanson française. (Note: site is in French.)
It has audio clips for lots of French singers - I discovered it recently while looking up Fréhel's "Où est-il donc ?", which you can hear, along with four other songs, on the Fréhel biography page.
posted by kristi at 10:31 AM on June 6, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by altolinguistic at 12:40 PM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]