Music seems to be a good way to learn french better right? well I think so... anyway... I really don't know any french singers... so please enlighten me with a few songs in french, and maybe if I'm addicted and start singing the songs my french will improve. I sound like an English speaking girl trying to speak french. lol, well it's my first year of taking it in school, but whatever...







>edit [25/07/2008]
wow... it's almost two years...
this thread is still going. O____O

I'd like to recommend Emmanuel Moire - Mon Essentiel.
Two students from my french class sang this song for some HS international competition... fell in love with it since.

Lol. The only one that I remember is "Ca Plane Pour Moi" by Plastic Bertrand. How lame.
My French teacher used to play French hip-hop from her laptop during class. Ha.

hehe
Le Responsable by Jacques Dutronc
rockish song

I only know two old French songs

Edith Piaf - La Vie En Rose
Helene Rolles - Je M'appelle Helene

I like Nadiya's songs a lot. She has more of a R & B/ Pop style

i don't like her songs.. if you know what she talking in, i don't know if you'll like....



i lives in France... and maybe it's a good to learn you french like this... Lara Fabian is canadian but her songs are good.... Marc Lavoine, 15 years ago did beautiful french songs too... many others french songs are good, but for me often the old french song..

Lara Fabian "Je vivrais" "Je t'aime" "Je suis malade"
Marc Lavoine "Je n'ai plus rien à te donner"
Larusso "Je survivrais"

Vanessa Paradis did a good song in her album "Variations sur le même t'aime" written by Gainsbourg....

this album is really good!

I like Mathieu Chedid aka M
became a fan after hearing his song "Rendezvous" in the french animated film Triplets of Belleville
"La Bonne Etoile"
and pretty much anything else he's done is good

sort of pop-rock with jazz and funk influences is the closest I can come to describing it
he has a lovely voice and infectious music

i forget Marc Lavoine with "J'espère", his new brand song in duet...

You should listen this Marc Lavoine's songs like :

Amour Décadent
C'est La Vie
Chère Amie
Elle A Les Yeux Revolver
Faux Rêveur
J'ai Tout Oublié
Je N'ai Plus Rien à Te Donner
Même Si
Si Tu Veux Le Savoir
Tu Me Suffiras

he was so romantic ten years now..... now he do weird song but "j'espère" is a beautiful song...

I know a french artist...her name is Camille
some songs are:
"Au port"
"Ta douleur"
"1, 2, 3"
"Pour que L'amour me quitte"

she has a pretty unique sound..

=X We listened to these songs in French class, and I liked them! :]
And a few I just heard here and there.

Axelle Red - Je Pense a Toi
Celine Dion - Je Chanterai
Natasha St. Pierre - Un Ange Frappe a Ma Porte
Pink Martini - Je Ne Veux Pas Travailler

i didn't know Camille... i forgot Celine Dion... i like her songs "Un garçon pas comme les autres" ("a guy like not the others")(but you can find an another english version too) "Mon ami m'a quitté" ("my friend left me" in english) Axelle Red "Sensualité"

Well, I don't speak French so it really doesn't matter to me. Why, what are in her lyrics?

I'd really recommend to give a listen to Emilie Simon
She's pretty new I think.. Or maybe she 'debuted' last year, but that's still recent.
She has unique&awesome songs.

And:
- Mylène Farmer (tho I don't think her songs would really help you if you want to learn French through songs ^^") but her 80s songs were 'hits' so you could always listen to some of her work (:
- Axelle Red
- Vanessa Paradis...

i just know "la belle et le bad boy" by mc solar from the last season of sex and the city lol

I completely agree, even if I’m french I usually don’t like French music, but Emilie Simon is one of the best musics I have listened this year (her last record Végétal is really awesome).
She’s got a very sweet voice, really unique. I don’t know if it’s a good way to learn French, her lyrics are sometimes weird and poetic, so maybe not easily understandable for who don’t speak french, but it’s good for your ears.

And her music videos are really good :

Desert
Flowers (in English, with a funny accent )
Fleur de Saison (her last one)

yes, i know you don't know french! Nadiya says in her last song "Roc" talking about something "solid like a rock"..... and i dislike her anothers songs.... one of the best french song is Jane Fostin "La Taille de Ton Amour" ("The Size of your Love" in english) : she's talking to her lover who do many promises to her but this guy don't do all his promises, she asked him to show his love this night before she left him... really good french song!

I saw some translations from her songs including Roc and some others and it really didn't seem that bad. Not as bad as a lot of lyrics in American music anyway.

yes, i know you don't know french! You don't have to say it like that

Même les anges - Audrey de Montigny
Être une femme - Nolwenn Leroy
Ces soirées-là - Yannick Noah
Baby love - MC Solaar
Les temps changent - MC Solaar

Those are my favourites~

Ces soirées là is from Yannick (just Yannick), not Yannick Noah.
It's a cover song of the vintage hit Cette année là by Claude François ("Clo-Clo" for the girls )

i don't say it "like that"... i say it like i forgot... you should ask to Epikt who know french... and after it depends of what kind of music you like... Nadiya don't do interesting lyrics.... for me of course...

Camille sounds really good. thanks for the list!!! ^___^ I hope I can find these songs. O___O

i only know one rapper and im not even sure how to spell his name...hahaha i know

LAME

its somewhere along the longs of....cool shen?

my friend showed one of his songs to me awhile back...i really liked one of the songs....

ehhhh that's bout it

sorry

I love Camille! I would second that recommendation.

i know some singers from France and listen them with great pleasure,
Amel Bent-Ma Philosophie
Leslie-Vivons Pour Demains
Matt Pokora-Elle Me Controle
Amine-Ma Vie,J'Voulais
Willy Denzey-L'Orphelin
Anggun-Cesse La Pluie
that's all for now...hope you like them

Johnny Hallyday - A tout casser and Noir C'est Noir
Martin Deschamps - Comme Je Suis

i like camillie. she has a fresh indie sound.

francoise hardy is my all time favorite french singer. can't go wrong with any of her songs.

les nubians are a french R&B duo, their remake of Sade's famous " sweetest taboo " is excellen. a must-listen.

i just recently got two nouvelle vague album, very good. a punk bossa nova sound.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Les Nubians; they're really good.

The band is called Two Nouvelle Vague? Can you recommend me some of their stuff?

corneille - parce qu'on vien du loin

good song. good canadian artist. all his songs are definately worth checkng out.

Hi I'm french

Well, all the songs already said are great, but you forgot J.J Goldman and Francis Cabrel ^^ ("Petite Marie" by F. Cabrel is very beautiful but maybe hard to understand... I don't know )

other French singers : Anais, Olivia Ruiz, Leslie, Tina Arena, Laurent Voulzy, Bénabar, Gregory Lemarchal, Florent Pagny, Renaud... and a comedy musical very beautiful called "Le roi Soleil" ^^

Bon courage !

~ Elodie ~

Hey I like your recommendations, thanks!

I agree, Corneille's stuff is awesome I love "Ensemble" and "Avec Classe" too

Also, anything by Anggun. My personal favourite is "Cesse La Pluie" right now ^^;;

Julio Iglesias's Vien M'embrasser. i think that's how you spell it? nice song.

oooo My Frenchie sent me some good underground HipHOp

I like: Assassin- Da Hypnotik- L'art de la guerre
and the others were cool too, but I really really really like----French Affair's Sexy

oh, thank you i'm glad to know that you liked marc lavoine's songs... i recommended others french songs on the first page, but i liked old songs like
Jeanne Manson Faisons l'amour avant de nous dire adieu
Images Les démons de minuit
Lara Fabian Je vivrais, Je suis malade, Je t'aime, Tout
Pacifique Quand tu sers mon corps
Vanessa Paradis Variations sur le même t'aime (all this album!)
Roch Voisine Avant de partir
Larusso Je survivrais
Jane Fostin La taille de ton amour
Anggun Cesse la pluie

I thought it was called, "Sympathique", or does it have two titles?

But yeah, that's the only French song I know. I think Pink Martini has a couple more songs in French. Lemme go look. Yeah, they have "Vivre la vie". It's really different from the first song.

ze pequeno-le centre du monde , ze phenomene

I think Amel Bent is a good singer, and some songs I recommend are
- Ma Philosophie
- Ne Retien Pas Tes Larmes

Well her whole first album (all she has so far) is pretty good =]

It's only called Sympathique.

Wallen Nikita
Marc Lavoine J'ai tout oublié, Toi mon amour
Hélène Segara Les vallées d'Irlande, On the radio

hahaha the only french song i know is 'LE Ragga Des Pingouins' and 'Papa Pingouins' by PIGLOO..omg they're such cute songs!! check it out>>YOUTUBING!!

i swear...such cute little songs..if you dont like these...then you must have a heart of ice! hahaha j/k

check out songs by Pink Martini... very nice, lol ; P

That's not really what is the better on French radios, but, what can we do ? we can't hide it
(to be more precise and even more ridiculous, "Le ragga des pingoins" is a cover from "La danse des canards" !)

In the same style, there is Ilona, that's her that (re)launch the wave of "songs with stupid lyrics sing by kids with an animated video. Here is her first video, Un monde parfait (A perfect world) you'll love it !

listen to kyo, thats the band name... the songs are REALLY good, their like pop/punkish

hey..i juss listened to a random french song today.. and i actually like it!!

"Elle me Controle" by Matt Pokora

its a hip hop/ soul / pop sorta song

Vanessa Paradis all the way. Any of her french songs, but I really recommend Joe Le Taxi. She can sing in english too.

Btw, I know of her because I used to be a diehard Johnny Depp fan, and that is his babies momma.

Tonight a friend of mine send me a song (unusualy a french one), and I liked it so much.

Gentillement je t'immole by Mai Lan (lyrics by La caution)
taken from the ost of the movie Sheitan



I love the song, I love the voice, I love the lyrics. But I thought : how will american people see it ?
So you are my guinea pigs : you'll listen the song, make yourself an idea, and only then read the lyrics (I did my best, but sometimes it's weird )

I think this kind of experiment says a lot about how we can have a disorded and partial idea of foreign songs.

CLIC & LISTEN TO IT BEFORE READING WHAT'S NEXT



And here are the french lyrics if you want to sing :



Espèce d'hindou rien à foutre tu viens d'où
Quinze coups dans la gueule, j'ai la main lourde
Je déterre ta grand mère et la viole comme une chienne
Et si t'es pas content, je viole ton père
Prés pour la douche ? Je te pisse dessus
Et je te brisse le cul, petit fils de pute
Je te fist nu, ne te crispe plus


Vulguaire comme la chatte à ta meuf
Ramène tout ton clan et ta mère à la cave
Près pour la tournante ? Je vais te faire un nouveau frère
Ne pleure pas pédale de merde
C'est mortel, c'est le bordel
Ecrase le blunt et protège tes seufs
C'est la guerre espèce de petit batard
N'es pas peur et crève petit hataï


Que des batards de barbares
Que des batards de barbares
Que des batards de barbares
Tu cries comme une pute, ta peau se décolle
Que des batards de barbares
Gentiment je t'immole


Je suis une bombe humaine dans une maternelle
Un cutter dans le coeur de ton paternel
J'ai mis ta mère en vente sur internet
Et je fais tapiner ta soeur, on vient m'interner
Cock dans le zen, pompe sur la tempe
Obtempère, pédale de merde
J'appelle à la haine, au meurtre, au viole et à la tuerie, au massacre, à la furie, au napalm


Que des batards de barbares
Que des batards de barbares
Que des batards de barbares
Tu cries comme une pute, ta peau se décole
Que des batards de barbares
Gentiment je t'immole


Que des batards de barbares
Que des batards de barbares
Que des batards de barbares
Tu cries comme une pute et ta peau se décole
Que des batards de barbares
Gentiment je t'immole



and the english translated lyrics :
( WARNING EXPLICIT LYRICS )



You hindou, (I) couldn't give a damn where you are from
Fifteen punches in the mug, my hand is heavy
I dig your grand-mother up and rape her like a dog (=b*tch)
And if you're not happy, I rape your father
Ready for a shower ? I piss on you
And I break your ass, little son of a b*tch
I fist (f*ck) you naked, don't tense yourself

Vulgar like your girlfriend's pussy
Bring your gang back and your mum in the basement
Ready for the collective rape ? I'll make you a new brother
Don't cry shitty f*ggot
It's mortal, it's a mess
Squash the "blunt" and protect your "seufs" (kind of ununderstandable and untranslatable french slang, sorry ^^)
It's the war you little bastard
Don't be affraid and die little "hatai" (idem)


Only barbaric bastards
Only barbaric bastards
Only barbaric bastards
You scream like a whore, your skin peels off
Only barbaric bastards
Kindly I burn you


I'm a human bomb in a nursery school
A cutter in your father's heart
I sold your mother on the internet
And I prostitute your sister, I'm going to be interned
Cock in the ass, shotgun on the temple
Comply shitty f*ggot
I'm calling for hate, murder, rape and slaughter, massacre, fury, napalm


Only barbaric bastards
Only barbaric bastards
Only barbaric bastards
You scream like a whore, your skin peels off
Only barbaric bastards
Kindly I burn you


Only barbaric bastards
Only barbaric bastards
Only barbaric bastards
You scream like a whore, your skin peels off
Only barbaric bastards
Kindly I burn you

If you're into rap then definitely K'Maro!

Amel Bent and Tragedie are good too =]

If you're looking for something more old school then Jean-Jacques Goldman has some catchy songs XD

if you want a really really beautiful song get Teri Moïse's Je serai là. it is one of the most beautiful, romantic song I have heard. She also sings her words very clearly which is good if you are trying to learn french. She has other good songs too. I have also really really got in to Louis's new album La Nuit M'attend. which has some killer songs.

this song is vulgary, even lot, i understand french and i think it must be a rap song...

This one, not really, but yes, it a kind of "soft" cover of Bâtards de barbares by La Caution which is a rap song.

More than vulgary, I think this song is unhealthy. Not only because of the lyrics, but also because of the musical arrangements, really soft, which highlighs the violence.
That's why I upload it here, because of the disconnection between lyric and music, what we don't realise if we don't understand the text (that's the case when we listen to a korean song, or for us French to an english song).