Transcript for the Piece Audio version of The Magic Tent. A Celebration of French Language Popular Music

The Magic Tent: A Celebration of French Language Popular Music

Play Introductory music: Najoua Belyzel (0:07 to fadeout at 0:47)

Start of Text Segment 1:? Did this music catch your attention? Yes, French Language Popular Music can be pure magic. It has a long tradition, but in this show we’ll go forward from the 1950’s. My name is Charles Spira and I’ll be your companion on this journey of discovery. I like to think of French Popular Music as a colorful tent in which new artists constantly enter, to make their own contribution. At the center of the tent stand solid pillars, representing the legendary performers from the past, who support the tent. The next generation of artists contributes pillars further from the center and at the periphery there is a flurry of constant movement. Young people are entering, as well as immigrants bringing their own traditions into the tent and adapting them to the idiom of French Chanson. Last but not least, there is Canada. The province of Quebec brings exciting talent to French Language music, much of it by younger artists. ? End of Text Segment 1

Continue: Najoua Belyzel, Au feminin .( 0 :49 to fadeout at 1 :23)

Start of Text Segment 2 ?This was the phenomenal Najoua Belyzel singing “In The Feminine”. More about her and this song a bit later. Why would we want to listen to French Popular Music? Just like learning a new language is much more than using a different vocabulary and grammar, this genre enables us to look at the world through a different pair of eyes, It puts us in touch with how the French Speaking People feel and love, how they cope with life. By touching their world we enrich our own. But above all, the voices and melodies are really beautiful.

The central pillar of our tent is Edith Piaf, a petite woman who stood only 4’10”. Her powerful voice resonated with pain and suffering and the longing for true love. Edith Gassion (who 20 years later took the nickname Piaf) was born into a family of circus performers who lived in abject poverty. When her father had to leave for the military in 1915, her mother could not afford to keep her and left her with Edith’s grandmother, who put more water than milk in her bottles and laced them with red wine. Already as a baby Edith was suffering from rickets. She had inherited a strong voice from her mother and as a child earned money by singing in the courtyards of Paris apartment buildings. We’ll hear an excerpt from the song “Cri du Coeur” (“Scream from the Heart”) from 1960. ? End of Text Segment 2.

Play: Edith Piaf, Cri du Coeur. (0:07 to fade out at 01:07)

Start of Text Segment 3 ? So overwhelming was Edith Piaf’s need for companionship and love, that as an adult she never went to bed before dawn, staying up every night with friends and hangers-on usually in a restaurant after sharing a meal. She helped launch the career of many male singers, who more often than not became her lovers. Yves Montand is perhaps the most famous of them. After some time, in a repeating pattern, all these lovers fell in disfavor. Her great love was the heavy-weight boxer Marcel Cerdan, who tragically died in a plane crash, when, at her urging, he took an earlier flight to join her. Probably, had he lived, she would also eventually have grown tired of him. Interestingly there is no record of Piaf ever having helped a woman in the promotion of her career.

The second pillar of our tent is George Brassens. He was a bear of a man with a big moustache, He was first of all a poet, then a songwriter and being extremely timid, it took him a long time before he started to sing his own songs, but when he did, he took audiences by storm. He loved to berate the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie in songs with salty lyrics which sometimes were banned from the airwaves. Let’s celebrate his sensitive soul by listening to “Women Who Pass By” arguably one of the most beautiful songs in the French repertoire. In this song he describes how sometimes we perceive someone fleetingly behind a window or passing in a car and imagine that this person is the sister soul we were meant to spend our life with, but somehow it wasn’t to be. ? End of Text Segment 3.

Play George Brassens, “Les Passantes” (00:00 to fade out at 01:15)

Start of Text Segment 4 ? Georges Brassens in “Les Passantes” from 1972. Today Georges Brassens who died in 1981 is recognized by the French Academy as one of the most important French Poets of the 20th Century.

Charles Aznavour is one of the best known artists in the world. He started his farewell tour in 2006 and at the time of this recording this tour is still in full swing. His talent as a songwriter is legendary .He has written hundreds of songs that have been interpreted by France’s most celebrated artists. He was also a much sought after film actor. He is a central pillar in the Tent of French Music, yet it was an uphill battle to get there. Aznavour did not have the traditional good looks associated with the popular singers of the fifties, nor did he have the smooth voice that audiences expected. But he had enormous energy, charisma and the drive to go on in the face of adversity. His musical talent and stage presence tipped the balance in his favor We’ll listen now to his 1994 song “Take me with You. “At the docks where my back is bent from the weight and boredom, the ships come in, their bellies laden with fruits. They sailed from all corners of the earth bringing with them freewheeling thoughts of blue skies and perfumed air in far-away countries. I only have known the grey sky of the North. ”. Here is Charles Aznavour ? End of Text Segment 4.

Play Charles Aznavour “Emmenez-moi” (0:00 to fadeout at 01:28)

Start of Text Segment 5 ? The unmistakable voice of Charles Aznavour.

Equally a legend is the Belgian Jacques Brel who was unhappy working in his father’s cardboard factory in Brussels and broke loose to become one of the greatest singers songwriters ever. After his death in 1978 at age 49 his music and voice live on. The American Musical Revue “Jacques Brel is Alive and well and Living in Paris” premiered in New York 10 years before his death and is constantly being revived. Brel’s songs spanned many genres and moods and we’ll listen to “Amsterdam” which paints a dramatic picture of sailors on shore leave in the city’s Mariner quarter ? End of Text Segment 5

Play Jacques Brel “Amsterdam” (00:21 to fadeout at 01:64)

Start of Text Segment 6 ?”Amsterdam”, an impressive performance by Jacques Brel.

The talent found among the performers of the 1950’s is mind-boggling. Just take Marcel Mouloudj, son of an Algerian immigrant and a French mother. He was born in 1922 and grew up in a modest neighborhood in Paris. Through a youth movement he got involved in theatre work and movies. He became a well-known actor. However, his talents went well beyond acting. He was a painter, a writer and a gifted musician. We’ll listen to “One Day you Will See” a wonderful ballad from 1954.”One day you will see, we’ll meet somewhere guided by chance. We shall look at each other and we’ll smile and hand in hand we’ll walk through the streets.” Here is Mouloudji. ? End of Text Segment 6

Play Mouloudji “Un Jour tu Verras” (00 :30 to fadeout at 01:50)

Start of Text Segment 7 ? The distinctive voice of Mouloudji in “Un Jour tu Verras”. It was no easy task to choose between so many great artists from the 50’s. We’’ meet two more artists before we move on to the next generation. Barbara and arguably the greatest of them all Charles Trenet.

The singer Barbara (whose real name was Monique Serf ) had a love affair with her public. She was a cabaret artist who performed with total abandon in front of her live audience. Of course, she did studio work as well, but when she sang “My most beautiful love story” she was thinking of her audience, who returned the favor. When she died in 1997 at age 67, the small Jewish cemetery within the not much larger Christian cemetery of Bagneux, was overflowing with 2000 mourners. Most of them would have been total strangers to her. We listen to the song “From the tips of my lips” from 1994. ? End of Text Segment 7.

Play Barbara “Du Bout des Levres” (00 :11 to fadeout at 1:30).

Start of Text Segment 8 ? You heard Barbara in “Du Bout des Levres”
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Charles Trenet was a living legend in France and the legend continues after his death in 2001 at age 87. He started his professional life writing poetry and novels, but through happenstance he turned to songwriting and singing. He wrote almost a thousand songs and “La Mer”, translated in English as “Beyond the Sea” has been recorded more than 400 times by artists in many countries. Apparently this song was written in twenty minutes while on a train between Narbonne and Cacassonne. Here is another of his famous songs: “You, who walk by, without Noticing Me” from 1954. ? End of Text Segment 8

Play Charles Trenet “Vous, Qui Passez Sans me Voir” (00:10 to fadeout at 01 :25)

Start of Text Segment 9 ? That was Charles Trenet in “Vous Qui Passez Sans me Voir”. It is hard to move on without having heard Leo Ferre, Juliette Greco, Gilbert Becaud and so many others, but we must press on to meet the next generation of artists. Their pillars can be found somewhat further from the center of our tent.

Francis Cabrel who was born in 1953 lives quietly in the South of France, not far from where he was born. He is a sensitive man who is close to his family, and avoids the hype created by the media. He writes songs that celebrate a life lived well, songs that remind us that we are very similar whether we live in a palace or under a cardboard box in a shantytown. Let’s listen to “The dress and the ladder” from 2008 in which a young man on a balmy summer day takes his girlfriend to a cherry orchard. She is wearing a beautiful summer dress and when she ascends the ladder, just in front of him, and they stand close together while picking cherries, he feels the mantle of childhood slip from his shoulders. Here is Francis Cabrel. ? End of Text Segment 9.

Play Francis Cabrel “La Robe et L’Echelle” (00:12 to fadeout at 01:36)

Start of Text Segment 10? We listened to Francis Cabrel in “ La Robe et L’Echelle”.

Francoise Hardy, born in 1944 was an unlikely candidate for the big time in the world of entertainment. Raised by her mother, a single parent to whom she was never close and an overbearing grandmother always ready to criticize, while her absentee father almost totally ignored her, hers was not a happy childhood. In addition she attended a strict convent school. But she loved music and listened to the radio for hours on end and started to write songs. .She took to attending auditions and actually signed a contract with the Vogue label. In 1963 she fell in love with the photographer Jean-Marie Perier. Soon this timid, good-natured young woman, became a celebrated pop-idol and cover girl. But she was far from a one day wonder. She has continued to perform throughout the following decades and released a wonderful album in March 2010. Here she interprets the song “I am Me” from 1991. ? End of Text Segment 10.

Play Francoise Hardy “Je Suis Moi” (0:07 to fadeout at 1:25).

Start of Text Segment 11 ?. Francoise Hardy interpreted « Je Suis Moi ».

Alain Souchon who was also born in 1944, lost his father in a car accident when he was 15 years old. Because of the ensuing financial difficulties the family moved in with his grandmother who constantly listened to the radio and Alain found his first inspiration to become a singer by listening to the French chansonniers he heard on that radio. Alain Souchon is a great lyricist and when he teamed up with Laurent Voulzy, a gifted musician, it was a winning combination. We now listen to a song from 2008 for which he wrote both the music and the lyrics “Listen to The Source of My Pain”. ? End of Text Segment 11

Play Alain Souchon “Ecoutez d’Ou Ma Peine Vient (00 :00 to fadeout at 1:10).

Start of Text Segment 12 ? Alain Souchon sang “Ecoutez d’ou ma peine vient.”

Jean-Jacques Goldman occupies a special place in French Music, because of his talent and his legendary generosity towards fellow artists. He wrote much of his music under assumed names, so as not to steal the limelight from those who performed it. We’ll listen to the song “We Shall Go” from 1997. “We shall leave the cities behind, where people are too preoccupied to remember that one day they will die”. Oh my beauty, we shall go you and I. We’ll follow the beautiful roads, it is not important where they’ll take us, we shall follow the stars.” ? End of Text Segment 12

Play Jean Jacques Goldman “On Ira” (00.00 to fadeout at 1 :21)

Start of Text Segment 13 ? Jean-Jacques Goldman interpreted “On Ira”.

We now turn our attention to the contemporary, as well as younger artists of the French music scene. We start with Calogero who was born in 1971 near Grenoble. His songs have meaningful lyrics and he has a tender voice. This combination has made him much loved by the French Public. We listen to “Weightlessness from 2003 in which he enters an elevator and finds himself face to face with a woman beautiful like an angel. “The floor numbers flicker, may seconds turn into hours, if only we can remain by ourselves for this ride,” Here is Calogero ? End of Text Segment 13.

Play Calogero “En Apesanteur” (00:00 to fadeout at 01:27)

Start of Text Segment 14? Calogero interpreted “En Apesanteur”.

“La Grande Sophie”, literally “Tall Sophie” who comes by her name honestly, since she stands 5ft 10 was born in 1969 near Marseille. This fine artist with a very personal style, chooses her songs with great care. She tirelessly tours all across France and neighboring countries. Here is her song “Someone Else” from 2009 in which she observes that most of us, at one time or another, have wished to be someone else, or at least get a fresh start” ? End of Text Segment 14.

Play La Grande Sophie “Quelqu’un d’Autre” ( 00:00 to fadeout at 01:43.)

Start of Text Segment 15 ? We heard la Grande Sophie in “Quelqu’un Autre.”

Renan Luce was born in Paris in 1980. He has won many awards because of imaginative and sensitive songs. Here we listen to the 2009 song “Nantes” which is the name of a city. In this song a young man picks up a female hitchhiker who turns out to be not only attractive but also dangerous. “It was her little face that made me slow down, even before I saw her extended thumb. Her voice through the opened door has the pleading tone of those who know how to lie. I am neither lost nor a beggar, are you headed for Nantes in this boneshaker? Of course, it was not my destination, but I felt my hands grasp the steering wheel”. Renan Luce: ? End of Text Segment 15

Play Renan Luce “Nantes” ( 00:00 to fadeout at 01:12.)

Start of Text Segment 16 ? Renan Luce interpreted Nantes. There was not enough time to listen to the entire song, but at one point he discovers that the girl has a thick wad of money and a handgun in her purse.

The singer Clarika, who was born in 1967, is one of the outstanding artists who are defining the new French Chanson. She can be mischievous, tender, contemplative or cynical. There is no guessing what will come next. In her song, “Rubber Venus”, a store window mannequin looks at the world through her glass eyes and pink nylon eyelashes and bemoans that she has never seen the sky. “Are the colors beautiful? Are they all pink and blue?” Here is Clarika ? End of Text Segment 16

Play Clarika “La Venus en Caoutchouc” ( 00:00 to fadeout at 01:29.).

Start of Text Segment 17 ? That was Clarika, in a wistful mood.

We turn out attention to a very exciting group of artists. Either they or their parents moved to France and in their music we can sense the roots of their heritage, but they are solidly French and their music fits beautifully in the framework of French chanson. The lead-in to our show, Najoua Belyzel, is such an artist. She is the daughter of a Moroccan father and an Egyptian Mother. The song that introduced our program, “In the Feminine”, is about a young woman in an abusive relationship. Although things get worse and worse, she remains silent and almost becomes an accomplice.

The artist MC Solaar was born in Dakar, Senegal in 1969. His parents moved to France when he was only a few months old. He studied languages and philosophy. We listen to the song “Caroline” in which a man seated on a bench, talks about his stormy relationship which ends in a separation.. ? End of Text Segment 17.

Play MC Solaar “Caroline »” ( 00:44 to fadeout at 01:42.).

Start of Text Segment 18 ? MC Solaar interpreted “Caroline”.

Olivia Ruiz who was born in 1980 near Carcassonne. is the daughter of a professional singer and musician with Spanish origins. Olivia soon showed signs that she inherited her father’s musical talent and she started to make appearances on the local music scene. Her voice and music are quite unconventional and she had to work hard to be accepted. Now she is one of the stars of the rising generation of French singers. We’ll listen to her song “The Chocolate Woman” from 2005. Chisel my hips with an ax, I have eaten too much chocolate. Chew on my skin please and on my bones if it’s necessary. Knead my hips with kisses. I become the chocolate woman. Make my Nutella hips melt away. The blood that runs within me is hot chocolate. Ms. Olivia Ruiz ? End of Text Segment 18.

Play Olivia Ruiz “La Femme Chocolat” ( 00:19 to fadeout at 01:22).

Start of Text Segment 19 ? Olivia Ruiz interpreted “The Chocolate Woman”.

Our tour of French Music has finally reached the Canadian Province of Quebec where we find an abundance of talent. Isabelle Boulay was born in 1972 and first started to perform as a child for patrons in her parents’ restaurant. This led to her participation in local song contests where she stunned the jury and the audience with the beauty of her voice. She is today a celebrated international artist. Here is the beautiful “Song for the Winter Months” which appears on her 2009 album of the same name . ? End of Text Segment 19.

Play Isabelle Boulay, “Chanson pour les Mois d’Hiver” (00:00 to fadeout at 01 :16).

Start of Text Segment 20. The silken voice of Isabelle Boulay in « Chanson Pour Les Mois d’Hiver ».

« Les Cowboys Fringants » or « The Frisky Cowboys » have been a much loved Quebec group for a long time. We listen to a nostalgic song from 2004, “The Shooting Stars” in which they reflect on childhood, adolescence and adulthood and how quickly it all passes by. Les Cowboys Fringants ? End of Text Segment 20.

Play Les Cowboys Fringants “Les’Etoiles Filantes” (00:30 to fadeout at 01 :31).

Start of Text Segment 21 ? We heard “Les Cowboys Fringants” in “Les Etoiles Filantes”.

Some of the most exciting new Quebec artists perform songs with a definite edge, The actress Lara Hurni, who made an impact with her song “Murderous Heart” in 2009 is a good example. In Lara’s own words “This song has four characters and reveals that all of us potentially possess a killer heart. The cardiac patient who gambles with his life, knowing that he will die. The prisoner with only a few days left to serve who kills a guard because of an urge stronger than himself. The woman who seduces and then breaks the heart of her lovers, while herself in search of love. And I, a songwriter, who uses the unhappiness of others to find subjects for her songs”. Here is Lara in “Murderous Heart” from 2009 ? End of Text Segment 21.

Play Lara “Coeur Assassin: (00:07 to fadeout at 00 :55).

Start of Text Segment 22 ? That was Lara in an excerpt from “Coeur Assassin”. We have come full circle on our musical journey, in which we merely skimmed the surface of French Language Popular music. The program was recorded in the Studios of WYPR in Baltimore. Jonathan Ehrens is the Producer. My name is Charles Spira. We end our program with an excerpt from the “Rooster and the Pendulum Clock” by the beloved singer songwriter Claude Nougaro, born in Toulouse in 1929. This song deals with a love crazed rooster. The object of his affections: a pendulum clock. How nice to end on such a light and happy note! ? End of Text Segment 22.

Play Claude Nougaro “Le Coq et la Pendule” : (00:00 to fadeout at 01 :05).

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