Earworm

Bonjour! A new week brings a new weekly music playlist, and this time, I decided to go a little bit Français. What is the reason? I was caught in one of my usual daydreams and meandered back to memories of my trip to Paris this year. As my last foreign-language music article seemed to go down a hit, I thought I would risk one more.

Without further ado, let us dive into a few of my French favourites!

Suggested Music Listening

1. Voyage Immobile – Hocus Pocus

• Genre: Hip Hop
• Album: Place 54
• Year Released: 2007

Voyage Immobile was the song that opened the door to the world of modern French music for me. My friend Emile and I, after a rather rowdy night out with our university American football team, decided to have a quiet drink to relax before sleep. We swapped a few mellow melodies before he asked me if I knew Hocus Pocus. I assumed he meant either the 1993 comedy film or the magic words, but – lo and behold! – he introduced me to the French band.

I dare say that I was only half wrong about the magic side of things, because listening to Voyage Immobile for the first time was spellbinding. Something about the ambling hip hop beat infused with the creamy jazz and soul elements was fascinating. I loved every second of this almost nine-minute jam.

Voyage Immobile may not now be my first choice of song from Hocus Pocus’s extraordinary 2007 album, Place 54*, but every listen still conjures the same summer sunrise I saw as Emile sauntered away from my university flat that early morning. It is a fantastic fusion of genres, perfectly blending old and new to create a sum greater than its parts.

*My usual listen is Smile.

2. D.A.N.C.E. – Justice

• Genre: House
• Album: †
• Year Released: 2007

I was lucky enough to discover this 2007 banger thanks to a university friend that grew up in France. We had travelled to an inter-university tournament for eight-ball pool in Weston-super-Mare, and he stuck on this super shuffle at a party back at our Airbnb on the final day – a day on which I went 6-0, I must say.

D.A.N.C.E. is a delicious track from Justice’s † (AKA Cross). It brings together elements of electro, disco, and indie dance music to deliver something wholly unique. The staccato synths and frenetic bass certainly hint at something of Daft Punk’s oeuvre, but there is a certain je ne sais quoi, something musically raw, that makes Justice outstanding in the French house scene. Plus, if you do not end up singing ‘Do the dance, do the dance’ after you have heard it, I think this sort of music may be lost on you.

The music video, directed by Jonas and François starts in a fashion somewhat reminiscent to that of the video to The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army. Then you get the full 2000s flair with the transforming designs on the animated T-shirts. It is not be the most high-budget thing you will ever see from a music video, but it is hard to deny that it has a cool aesthetic.

3. One More Time – Daft Punk

• Genre: House
• Album: Discovery
• Year Released: 2001

Speaking of Daft Punk, I would be remiss not to mention the all-time kings of French house music. One More Time always takes me back to lazy teenage summer days when it was too hot to go outside. I would stay at home or hang out at my best friend’s house, and if we got bored of whatever was playing on Kerrang! or Scuzz, we would often find One More Time blaring out on another music channel.

I am sure many would agree that One More Time is easily Daft Punk’s most recognisable track. From Romanthony’s repeated vocal of ‘one more time’ to the house, funk, and disco-blended beats, One More Time finds a fine balance between an armchair listen and a dance floor anthem.

Then there is the accompanying music video, directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi. With it’s surreal, Sailor Moon-esque stylings, it rounds off One More Time as a 2000s classic that will keep people dancing for years to come.

4. Le Rendez-Vous – Manu Chao

• Genre: Reggae
• Album: Próxima Estación: Esperanza
• Year Released: 2001

Le Rendez-Vous is a complete 180-degree turn from the last two tracks. When you think reggae music, you more likely think of Jamaica than the Mediterranean. Nonetheless, Manu Chao brings something special to what is more traditionally Caribbean in rhythm. This 2001 cocktail of reggae, punk, folk, and Latin music is a showcase of eclecticism, and it highlights Chao’s ability as a song-writer to craft the personal, political, and every-day into a jumping number.

I first heard of Manu Chao at a house party to which I had been dragged along by my housemate. It was a rather dull affair, except for one rather wild French lass who was determined to liven up proceedings. We bonded over a shared love of vin rouge and music, with her putting on French song that entered her mind. Most of it went over my head, but I was struck by Manu Chao’s Trapped by Love. That meant me listening to the entirety of Próxima Estación: Esperanza for the next week, and on that album is where I found my favourite little ditty from the reggae rebel, Le Rendez-Vous.

5. Ça Plane Pour Moi – Plastic Bertrand

• Genre: Punk
• Album: An 1
• Year Released: 1983

We will have to start with the elephant in the room. All of the songs on this week’s playlist so far have been French. Ça Plane Pour Moi is a little different. The artist, Plastic Bertrand (Roger François Jouret), was actually born in Brussels, so he is, by all accounts, Belgian. Nonetheless, the song is sang almost entirely in French, so it gets the thumbs-up from me.

Ça Plane Pour Moi is a nugget of new-wave noise, serving up abundant energy with its wailing guitars and Plastic Bertrand’s gritty vocal. To see just how wonderfully nuts it is, you only have to look at the live performance from the Dutch TV show TopPop, with the singer bouncing around on a trampoline like a continental Adam Ant. You have got to love the late seventies!

Final Thoughts

That concludes this week’s suggested music playlist of modern French fancies. From the bold to the brilliantly bonkers, there is plenty to love about what the French (and one Belgian) have created musically over the years. What do you think of my list?

Did I miss off any of your French favourites? Let me know in the comments what comes to mind when you think ‘French connection’.

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About the Author

Lewis Brown

Lewis is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Earworm. His deep passion for music is what inspired him to create Earworm as a music magazine for lovers of all genres.

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