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From now on, every blog post will be accompanied by a video podcast. The podcast provides an introduction, whilst the blogpost explores the topic in greater detail. The podcast is in Dutch, but YouTube translates it into English on demand. If you like, you can also watch the podcast on your smart TV. Select YouTube and search for ‘kanaal expeditie muziek’.
When you think of French popular music, you probably think first and foremost of the chanson, and without the culture of the chanson, French rock would hardly have distinguished itself from rock elsewhere in the world.
So let’s start by looking at the chanson. A chanson is a poetic, narrative song, usually with refined lyrics, often romantic or melancholic in nature, and featuring a catchy melody. In France, the chanson is regarded as a distinct art form, different from schlagers and pop songs. You’ll find plenty of examples on Spotify playlists featuring French-language chansons. The most famous chansonniers are Jacques Brel (‘Ne me quitte pas’), Edith Piaf (‘La vie en rose’), Gilbert Bécaud (‘Nathalie’) and Charles Aznavour. Find a performance of the latter at the podcast.
French rock is just as old as ‘rock’ elsewhere. In the second half of the20th century, rock grew into a dominant musical genre worldwide. I hrecent pst, ave devoted three (series of) blog posts to it: ‘From “rock & roll” to rock’, ‘The development of rock after 1960′ and ‘Progressive rock’. French rock is part of the development of rock in general but cannot be viewed in isolation from the French chanson tradition. That is what makes French rock unique, even more so than the French language itself. In the meantime, the popularity of French rock outside French-speaking regions has remained limited. That is why you will hear many little-known songs in this series.
The forthcoming episodes of this series will focus on the styles that can be distinguished in the development of French rock. In this initial episode, I’ll give an example of each style. When distinguishing between styles, you need to consider overlap, the existence of hybrid forms, and the fact that songs by a band or singer can belong to different styles:
- Classic rock ‘n’ roll;
- Poetic and intellectual rock;
- Punk, garage and rebellious rock;
- New wave and alternative rock;
- Extreme metal and underground.
Classic rock ‘n’ roll
The rock ‘n’ roll craze of the 1950s did not leave France untouched. Initially, French artists limited themselves to translating English-language songs. Later, the Beatles also became a source of inspiration, which is why the term ‘Yéyé rock’ is also used. The lyrics are cheerful and simple, aimed at a young audience.
Above is an image of the ‘photo du siècle’, taken by Jean-Marie Périer (1966). It features many French artists who can be counted among the classic rock scene and later went on to represent other styles as well. You can find out who they are here.
The most influential representative of this style is Johnny Hallyday, who, not without reason, occupies a special place on the ‘photo du siècle’. In 1961, he released ‘Viens danser le twist’, a cover of ‘Let’s Twist Again’, of which he sold over a million copies. Over his 57-year career, he sold 110 million albums and made rock popular in France, perhaps partly because the distinction between chanson and rock was often blurred in his work. Listen to one of his most famous songs, ‘Que je t’aime’
Under the heading ‘classic rock ‘n’ roll’, the following artists will be featured across two episodes: Les Chats Sauvages, Les Chaussettes Noires, Dick Rivers, La Femme (episode 2) and Johnny Hallyday (episode 3).
Serge Gainsbourg is also considered a representative of this style. The poetic nature of many of his songs carries greater weight, which is why he is featured in episode 4.
Poetic and intellectual rock
Songs I classify as belonging to this style are often melancholic, reflect on existence or express dissatisfaction with it. Songwriters often draw inspiration from poets such as Baudelaire and Rimbaud and have artistic pretensions that are at least as great. A representative of this style is the band Noir Désir with the song ‘Le vent nous portera’ (2001), a stylish, politically conscious and ‘dark black’ song that you can hear below. The band also gained fame abroad from the 1980s onwards. ‘Le vent’ is by far the best-known French rock song abroad in recent decades:
The band’s existence ended abruptly in 2003 when its singer, Bertrand Cantat, was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, the actress Marie Trintignant.
Under the heading ‘poetic and intellectual rock’, the following artists are featured across two episodes: Serge Gainsbourg, Alain Bashung, Renaud (episode 4) and Noir Désir, Matthieu Chedid, BB Brunes and Feu! Chatterton (episode 5). The latter group can also be classified as ‘new wave and alternative rock’.
Punk, garage and rebellious rock
French punk, just like punk elsewhere, is raw and direct music with simple lyrics and melodies. The lyrics are political in nature and are mainly directed against ‘the system’. Most punk bands have a local character and can be classified under the heading ‘garage rock’. The bands I’ll be discussing sometimes play pure punk, but their repertoire is broader. You can watch and listen to Shaka Ponk here. The band sings in French, Spanish and English. Their music is a mix of punk rock, electronic dance music (EDM) and funk, and the band puts on spectacular shows with visuals and humour. Listen and watch the energetic track ‘Palabra mi amor’ (2011) at the podcast
Under the heading ‘punk, garage and rebellious rock’, the following bands are featured across two episodes: Indochine, Téléphone, Les Thugs and Mano Negra (episode 6) and Las Wampas, Shaka Ponk and Last Train (episode 7).
New wave and alternative rock
This broad category includes bands from the post-punk era that radiate the energy of punk and whose music is therefore danceable. They place greater emphasis on content, form and musical quality.
As a representative, I have chosen Indochine, a band that has been around since 1981 and still enjoys great popularity. The band recently released their 14th album. Here, they perform the track ‘L’aventurier’ from their debut album, which is typical of new wave.
Under the heading ‘new wave and alternative rock’, the following artists are featured across two episodes: Indochine, Les Rita Mitsouko, Louise Attack, Phoenix (episode 8) and Dionysos, Biolay, Magma and The Limiñanas (episode 9)
Extreme metal and underground
What is particularly striking about this style is the occult nature of the lyrics, which are fueled by sadness, nihilism, dark romanticism, tragedy, melancholy and morbidity. Extreme ‘metal’ is instantly recognisable by its deafening volume and ‘roaring’ vocal style. The bands in question have a relatively small but dedicated following.
As an example, I’ll play the band Mutilation with the track ‘New false prophet’.
Mütilation belongs to a loose collective of bands calling themselves ‘Légions noires’. Also featured under this banner are: Regarde les hommes tomber, Sortilège, Hangman’s Chair, Varsovie and Perturbator (episode 10).
In the final episode (11), I explore why the word ‘noir’ features in the names of many bands, regardless of their style, and why they often describe their songs as ‘noir’ as well.
Music: Listen, Look and Enjoy 