Paris in July: French-ish songs

Every year as part of Paris in July, I like to share some music. Generally I choose songs with the word Paris in the title but I have used lots of them before so only have more obscure songs available, so I am changing it up a little bit.

Recently I read French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain, and there was quite a bit about music in the 1980s. Originally I thought it was going to be a book about music and nostalgia but it ended up being quite political but it did inspire my first selection for my post today.

For my post today, I am starting with one of the songs that was mentioned in the book as a French song that made it big around the world. I then thought about other modern songs that would fit (kind of) into this category

Ça plane pour moi by Plastic Bertrand (1977) - In the book French Rhapsody, we follow some of the members of a cold wave rock band who never made it. This song was referenced quite a few times in the book. Apparently this song has had a bit of controversy around it around whether the singer actually sang it. Interestingly, Plastic Bertrand (not his real name) was from Belgium but he had a French father. 

Joe Le Taxi by Vanessa Paradiso (1987) - When I thought about other songs that made it big around the world this one came to mind.  I didn't realise that she was so young when she recorded it though! Apparently she is still touring as well.

Blue by Eiffel 65 (1997) - Fast forward another 10 years and this song was everywhere. It certainly got a lot of airplay in Britain where I was living at the time! Turns out Eiffel 65 are Italian but with a band name like that I couldn't leave them out!

Aux arbres citoyens by Yannick Noah (2007) - It was actually a coincidence that the first three songs I have shared were released in 1977, 1987 and 1997, so I thought it would be fitting to choose a song from 2007 as my next choice. When I looked at the list though, there wasn't really any particular song that jumped out at me. However, I was curious to see that Yannick Noah had a hit in that year and this song was Song of the Year. Yes, that is the same Yannick Noah who was a successful tennis player, but he looks every inch the rock star in this video!

Makeba by Jain (2017) - When I looked at the list of French hits for 2017 this was the one that jumped out at me as being a song I was familiar with, but that may well be because it had a resurgence in the last couple of years after being used in a couple of ads.

Do you have a favourite French-ish song?

Paris in July: Paris songs!

Every year I when I do this post, I wonder if this is going to be the year that I run out of new Paris songs to share, but somehow I always find some more to share, although a few of the ones that I have on my list are now French songs about Paris, but lets start with some more familiar names.

The first is Paris by Taylor Swift

I wasn't all that familiar with Corinne Bailey Rae other than her song Put Your Records On, but this song, Paris Nights, is lovely

Apparently this Elton John song, simply titled Paris, was released as a single in France, but I don't remember hearing it before finding it for this post.

Les Nuites Parisienne by Louise Attaque - You might have been expeecting to see a female singer for this song, but Louise Attaque is actually a four piece folk rock band

And I'll finish with Paris Summer by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood

Paris in July: Party Music

As I may have mentioned already, we were in France for a couple of weeks over the New Year period.  After spending Christmas in the Netherlands, we made our way across the north of France exploring Normandy.

We found ourselves at Mont St Michel. During the day we explored the famous medieval abbey and island which was amazing!

A few days before we arrived we received notification from the hotel that there was going to be a New Years Eve celebration. When we got there, we took a look around and made the last minute decision to attend the party. The maitre de was adamant to make sure we knew what we would be attending. French people, French food and French music. 

I have posted about the amazing food in a previous post, so today I thought I would share the songs that got the crowd up and dancing!

Bella by Maitre  Gims

Le Jerk by Thiery Hazard

Les sunlights des tropiques by Gilbert Montagne

Jusqu'au Bout de le Nuit by Emile and Images

MarciaBaila by Les Rita Mitsuokoa

There were also some songs we knew like Swing the Mood by Jive Bunny, Despacito by Luis Fonsi an Daddy Yankee, Happy by Pharrell. It was such a fun night. Definitely a New Years Eve to remember!

Musings on Music: Ed Sheeran

On Friday night we joined around 110000 other fans to see Ed Sheeran perform live at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This is the largest ticketed crowd at a concert in Australia and Ed Sheeran's biggest crowd ever. And we were there!

This is actually the third time I have seen Ed in concert. Each time the event has been bigger than the time before. I can't even think how he will go bigger than this one! Whatever he does, we will be going for sure!

This was a concert with a round stage in the middle of the oval and he was very good at performing to the whole crowd which can't be easy. Let's put it this way - he definitely did more than 10000 steps on Friday night!

Ed Sheeran's song Perfect is a very special song for us. The version of the song that he did with Andrea Bocelli is our wedding song. We like that version because my husband loves classical music so that mixture of love song and classical music is our jam. Here's a clip from the concert which includes a glimpse of my pretty close to perfect husband!

There were so many great moments during this concert! One standout moment was when he sang a song that he wrote for Justin Bieber called Love Yourself. This is not the only song that these two have worked on together. The crowd (and me) really enjoyed the line "My mama don't like you and she likes everyone"

Whilst there was a band for some of the songs, I think my favourite parts of the show were the parts  which were just Ed, his guitar and the looper. The way he can just create a wall of sound by just adding layer after layer on the loop is just amazing!

There are so many songs  I love but this one was one that the crowd went wild!

I have one more big concert in the next week and then there is a bit of a break for a while, but there are more concerts coming!

Musings on music: Del Amitri and Sting

It's been a big week when it comes to music for us. We have been to two live events and we have another one this week which I am very much looking forward to.

Last Thursday night we went to see Scottish band Del Amitri. Back in the very late 1980s and early 90s their album Change Everything was one of my favourite albums. I still love to listen to the big songs off it now. 

Memory is a really funny thing. I associate this album with driving all around Adelaide on multiple occasions with my friend Brigid. I didn't see her for many years and when we reconnected I mentioned this album and she had no recollection of it whatsoever. And yet for me, I always think of her when I hear a Del Amitri song.

The live show was so good. They played all the songs that I love, plus a few I didn't. It was also funny watching the crowd. I don't know if you've observed this, but if you go to a show where the crowd is of a certain age, there is a constant tussle between the people who want to get up and dance and the people who want the crowd to sit down sedately and enjoy the show from their seat.  We've seen this happen at multiple concerts. This played out as there were a couple of very excited fans who wanted to dance to all the songs. The security guard, who was just doing his job, kept on going down and telling them to sit down. After this happened a few times, the security guy was stopped by another crowd member who said something along the lines of leave them alone. Next thing, the crowd is going crazy, and there is a guy shouting out "Everyone stand up. They can't throw us all out!"

Here is one of my favourite songs from them

On Saturday evening, we headed out to a winery about 85kms from us where they regularly hold an event called A Day on the Green. This is an outdoor concert which starts around 5pm and it goes on into the evening. I have seen Elton John there before as well as Cold Chisel and other Aussie bands.

This time we saw Sting live, supported by his son Joe Sumner and Aussie singer James Reyne.  I would have said that whilst I have always liked several of Sting's songs, I wouldn't have called myself a super fan. After seeing him perform I am now definitely more of a fan. I have already said that if he comes to Australia again we are definitely going to see him again.

Sting had most of the crowd up on their feet from the first song and most of them stayed standing for the whole concert! Outstanding, or should that be upstanding! 

There are so many great Sting/Police songs, it's hard to know which song to share, so I am going with this one.

What's your favourite Sting or The Police song?

Musings on Music: The music of Roy Orbison

A couple of years ago I was doing Music A-Z where each week-ish I would share music beginning with the letter of the week. Last year I intended to do Musings on Music whenever there was something  I fancied talking about that. A new song, an old song, a concert we went to - anything really. But it turned out without the structure, the thoughts that I did have didn't really make it into blog posts. I am, however, going to give it another go.

I have had several posts kicking around in my head - songs we heard as we travelled around Europe, new songs that make me cry and we also have a few concerts coming up. 

A couple of weeks ago now, we went to see Damien Leith sing the songs of Roy Orbison, backed by his band and a full orchestra, and it was magical. Damien Leith was Australian Idol winner back in 2006. One of the songs that he sang during the show was Crying. And so began an ongoing association with the music of the Big O.

We went to the show with a friend that I work with. She was a last minute addition but it turned out to be fortuitous as Roy Orbison is her favourite artist of all time. So whilst I was not familiar with all the older songs, she knew every song, including this one

There is no way I couldn't mention the songs that are synonymous with Roy Orbison, including Blue Bayou, Oh Pretty Woman, Only the Lonely and so many more. It was a fabulous night! 

I did laugh at one point as one lady in the queue for the bathroom was questioning why they sang Drove All Night. Yes, Cindy Lauper did a version of this song and apparently Celine Dion as well, but so did Roy!

Last year we saw Leith do the songs of Lennon and McCartney and now Roy Orbison. We will definitely be keeping an eye for his future shows.

And in the mean time, I will continue to listen to more Big O!

Paris in July: I Swear I Know That Song

 

Earlier in this year's Paris in July event I shared some Paris themed songs.

Today, I thought I would have a bit of fun by sharing some songs that will sound familiar and yet not quite as we know them!

Let's start with Ces Soiree La by Yannick

And now we go old school with Personnalites by Sacha Distel

Here's one I am pretty sure you will recognise

Here is French rock legend Johnny Halliday singing Noir C'est Noir. (I may have spent quite a while watching live videos of Johnny Halliday when I was preparing this post. No idea what he was singing but he clearly was a big star in France!

And finally another old school song, although apparently the words have been changed a little

I thought I would try and find some songs where the reverse happened. Even though there are many examples of English language versions of French movies, I couldn't find any songs which were originally recorded in French and then translated to English.



Do you know of any other French versions of English songs, or vice versa?

Christmas in Paris in July

I don't know if Christmas in July is a thing all over the world, but it is here in Australia, or maybe it is just in my little corner of Australia. I even went to the bakery and they had traditional Christmas mince pies for sale, so it is definitely more than just in my friend circle. One of the nice things about that is that we can have the full on traditional Christmas dinner when it is cold, instead of when it is very hot! If we are organised enough we can wear our Christmas jumpers, we play Naughty Santa so everyone ends up with a small gift, my brother in law makes eggnog on occasion and generally we all have a lovely time. 

This year we spent time with a friend I formerly worked with who is crackers about Christmas (deliberate pun!) for a Christmas in July celebration so it was great to catch up with all the people I used to work with.

This year, we are planning to spend a week or so in France over the Christmas/New Year period, and the last time I was there nearly 30 years ago (how on earth has it been that long!) it was around Christmas time too. So today, I thought I would share a few Christmas (in Paris in July) related bits and pieces.

When I was last in Paris back in 1994, it was very early in my tour, so we really were a bunch of strangers on a bus who were about to spend 3 and a bit weeks together. We went to a small restaurant, where I tried snails for the time and received a small gift from the tour director. After dinner we went to a local church around the corner and had the most magical experience of midnight mass in French. I wrote more about this experience here.

If all goes to plan we will be in the Netherlands for Christmas then spend a few days in Northern France, followed by a few days in Paris in early January and then onto Southern Italy. I am therefore very hopeful that I will get to Paris in all it's glory, but just in case here are some lights

Last year I discovered Tatiana Eva Marie who is a Swiss born jazz musician who grew up in France but is now based in New York.  She released a Christmas album called Wintertime Dreams: A Parisian Christmas a couple of years ago that I listened to a lot last Christmas. It is such a delight to listen to with it's mix of classic songs, violins and accordians, and plenty of songs that sound like they have jumped out of the typical soundtrack which nevitably accompanies any movie set in Paris.

Here is a taster:

Currently I am reading a book called The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France by John Baxter. I am not going to finish this book in time to post about it for this year's Paris in July event. However, I have read a couple of other Baxter books over the years, most notably his book The Immovable Feast: A Paris Christmas. My full review is here, but I am going to share a quote from very early in the book about Baxter's first Christmas with his new French family.

With Jean-Paul present, the meal could begin. A few minutes later, he took his place at the head of the table, and the other dozen guests arranged themselves, with me at the foot.

The marathon of Christmas dinner commenced.

I'd been warned what to expect. After the foie gras, we'd be enjoying white boudin veal sausage with fried apple, then roast pintade - or guinea fowl - a gratine dauphinois of sliced potatoes baked with cheese and cream, accompanied by green beans and carrots, followed by cheese, and Francoise's twenty-five-egg mousse - each course with its wine, including champagne with the dessert.

The goose liver was delicious enough for one to spare little thought for the poor bird that produced it.We smeared it into fresh white pain, larger brother of the more familiar baguette, washing it down with '84 Bordeaux from Madame's own cave - which was literallya cave, hollowed out of the rock on which this house was built.

The women never stopped handing around plates, offering more foie gras, and returning to the kitchen for bread or cornichons. Jean-Paul exchanged a few phlegmatic words with Jean-Marie, then fell silent. From time to time he would tilt a wine bottle away from him and stare at the label, as if it might have changed miraculously into a better year.

Joyeux Noël en Juillet!

Paris in July is hosted by Tamara from Thyme for Tea and Deb from Readerbuzz.

Paris in July: Paris Songs

Last year during Paris in July I shared a number of songs about Paris (here and here).  You would think that there wouldn't be a huge amount left, but you would be surprised. I still have nearly 20 songs on my list and I am sure there are still more out there.

Today I am therefore bringing you a few Paris themed songs or at least that mention Paris. There is a mixture of old and new and English and French! And the ones I haven't shared yet. They are already on the list for next year!

I do have a vague plan for another music post later in the event!

Let's start by getting Lost in France by Bonnie Tyler

Now we head from Paris to Berlin

Now we are wondering down the Champs Elysee

Where there may well be kissing on the street

I can't wait to be standing under the skies of Paris later in the year as long as everything goes to plan

Enjoy!

Weekend Cooking: Breakfast songs

I have breakfast on the brain, mainly because we haven't yet had it on thisSaturday morning.  In fact, I think we are going straight to lunch today. So, today, I am sharing songs with a breakfast them.

Let's start with a couple of songs that mention breakfast

Breakfast in America by Supertramp

Followed by Breakfast at Tiffanys by Deep Blue Something

And a song from Australin rock legends Cold Chisel talking about Breakfast at Sweethearts

There are so many things that you can eat for breakfast. You could start with Jack Johnson's Banana Pancakes 

Of course, you could want to put Duffy's Syrup and Honey on top of those pancakes

Or maybe a Bacon Roll is more your style. Mark Knofler may agree with you.

Or maybe you prefer fruit. The Mamas and Papas may suggest so given that's what mamas and papas would suggest right?

You may need to have your coffee black

Especially if there is No Milk Today

Can  you think of other breakfast-y songs?

Weekly meals

Saturday - 

Sunday - Steak with salad

Monday - Lasagne
Tuesday - 
Wednesday - Ratoutille with chipolats
Thursday - Out for dinner

Friday - Out for dinner

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Musings on Music: Mix Tapes

Last year I had a feature called Music A-Z where each week I focused on a song or artist that started with a particular letter. Having gone through from A-Z sharing favourites, it's a bit hard to start again and come up with different favourites so I have had to think about something else to do in relation to music.

Rather than commit to a weekly post, I will be sharing Musing on Music whenever inspiration strikes. It might be a new song I hear that I love, or some obscure fact, or talking about a concert we've been to or it could be anything really. 

I thought I would start my musings to talk about a book that I read not too long ago in which music played a really large part.

Mix Tape by Jane Sanderson was recommended to me by a friend at work who thought I might enjoy it.  And I did, but maybe not quite for the story as much as the idea and the setting. 

The book is a dual timeline predominantly set between late 1970s Sheffield in Yorkshire and 2013 Adelaide in South Australia. The reason those settings were winners for me is that spent most of my formative years in Adelaide and I lived in Sheffield for four years back in the late 90s. There is always something nice about being able to visualise when a character is driving from one place to another. It was a bit harder to remember Sheffield as it has been quite some time since I have been there, but reading the book did have me consulting Google Maps to look at the houses I lived in there.

The idea of the book is great. Dan and Alison were inseparable as teenagers, bonding over their love of music, until one day Alison disappeared, ultimately ending up in Australia. Years later, Ali writes a super successful novel. Dan, who is now married and living in Scotland, comes across her social media profile which brings back memories of the girl he loved. He sends her a message of a song that meant something to them, and so begins a series of messages they both share songs, reawakening the feelings that they had.

Soon both Dan and Alison are reevaluating their lives, their relationships and remembering what actually happened that cause Alison to leave Sheffield in a hurry and never look back. To be fair, she had good reason given the horrible home life that she had when growing up.

In the end, I didn't love this story, mainly because of the trail of damage that is left in the wake of the actions that are undertaken by the main characters, but I am glad that I read it, if for no other reason that it gave me the chance to reminisce.

One of the things I was very excited about when I opened this book is that the author has included a playlist so you can listen to the songs as the two characters interact which is super cool, and the playlist is even available on Spotify.

I do like it if an author shares playlists that they have listened to as they write books. Authors like Susanna Kearsley and Elizabeth Chadwick often share the songs that have provided inspiration for their characters. It does provide an additional layer.

I know that we can add whatever songs you like to your playlist on Spotify, but I couldn't help but think of the old days when you would create a cassette tape by recording songs that you heard on the radio.

Do you like it when an author shares their musical inspirations?

Rating 3.5/5

From Goodreads

You never forget the one that got away. But what if ‘what could have been’ is still to come?

Daniel was the first boy to make Alison a mix tape.

But that was years ago and Ali hasn’t thought about him in a very long time. Even if she had, she might not have called him ‘the one that got away’; she’d been the one to run away, after all.

Then Dan’s name pops up on her phone, with a link to a song from their shared past.

For two blissful minutes, Alison is no longer an adult in Adelaide with temperamental daughters; she is sixteen in Sheffield, dancing in her too-tight jeans. She cannot help but respond in kind.

And so begins a new mix tape.

Ali and Dan exchange songs – some new, some old – across oceans and time zones, across a lifetime of different experiences, until one of them breaks the rules and sends a message that will change everything…

Because what if ‘what could have been’ is still to come?