The Wedding Jam Blog
Memorable Stories from Unforgettable Weddings.
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Five Romantic French Language Tunes
There is something unremittingly romantic and sensual about the French language. And from Pepe Le Pew, the randy cartoon skunk from the 1940s, to Serge Gainsbourg, the French themselves make no bones about their friskiness. And it is often reflected in their music too - so we’ve picked some of our favourite French language tunes...the perfect musical accompaniment to dinner, we reckon.
Blur feat Françoise Hardy - To The End (La Comedie)
Okay, Blur aren’t French, but Françoise Hardy most certainly is. This dual language duet between Hardy and Damon Albarn was released as a single in France and a mere b-side over here. The additional accordion and orchestral flourishes provide an extra Gallic flavour to what was already a sumptuous, swooning and timeless baroque classic. Incroyable!
Serge Gainsbourg - Ah, Melody
Taken from Gainsbourg’s seminal and iconic Histoire de Melody Nelson LP, ‘Ah Melody’ is a short but sweet track once sampled by De La Soul. We’d probably be more inclined to pick ‘En Melody’ from the same album, but since it’s an instrumental we’ve disqualified it from this French language selection. Gainsbourg was a randy old so and so, and boy was he not afraid to show it in his records.
Jacques Brel - Le Moribond
You can have never heard this song before and still recognise it, for it was re-worked and adapted and turned into sappy slush ‘Seasons in the Sun’ by Terry Jacks. That adaptation was remarkable for the way in which it sucked every ounce of the unbridled passion from Brel’s original. Brel was passion personified; a fizzing ball of charisma, wild romanticism and towering talent. You don’t need to be able to understand a word of ‘Le Moribond’ - Brel’s intense spirit oozes from its every pore.
Stereolab - Miss Modular
We’ll fess up - we haven’t got a clue what this song is about. But it’s in French, and it is wonderfully timeless, combining Stereolab’s loungey 60s vibes with a freshness so damn fresh it could’ve been released last week. The gentle, languid but groovy-as-hell bassline makes it an ideal pre-evening party vibe.
Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin - Je t’aime moi non plus
We make no apologies for including Gainsbourg twice, nor for including this rather obvious pick. It’s obvious because it’s obvious - the staple of horny French love songs. Gainsbourg wrote it after his then-girlfriend Brigitte Bardot asked him to compose the most beautiful love song he could imagine. Fair to say he made a pretty decent fist of it. Go on Serge!