10 Legendary French Songs Chosen by Someone Learning the Language
10 Legendary French Songs Chosen by Someone Learning the Language
Living in an English-speaking country, there are limited opportunities to learn a new language such as French. As I’m not taking things too seriously, I naturally gravitated towards technology and the internet to be my tutor. It has its ups and downs. Though I must admit, I get bored from time to time with the monotony of staring at words on a screen. Hardly competes with a real conversation but it’s mighty convenient. Music has been one solution to this dilemma, who doesn’t love music? What better way to learn than to do something enjoyable?
A simple solution, but one with an unexpected problem. I don’t know any French music. Finding new music is easy, in your native language that is. Usually, I would pick a genre I like and just explore it, guaranteed to find something that way. Alternatively, I would steal from a friend with respectable taste in music. With a friend being out of the question, I decided to go searching myself. I was soon to realise that the music I liked in French was nothing like the music I liked in English. The very definition of the music I enjoyed changed with the language, what a strange circumstance.
This is the main reason for my desire to share this music with others, because there is music out there I had no idea existed until I went looking for it. Music that is not niche or alternative, but famous and well respected. Hidden only behind a barrier of language and culture. Interestingly, I don’t believe either of these get in the way of enjoying the music, they only shield it from view (though understanding the lyrics does help). Whether you’re a music lover, a learner of French, or maybe even French, I think you’ll find something you like in the following list.
FYI, this list is in random order.
1. Les amoureux des bancs publics — Georges Brassens
This song is undoubtedly in my top three French songs. It’s spoiled only by my lack of ability to understand Monsieur Brassens, I’m not exactly sure why I struggle so much with his music but a warning to fellow learners, Brassens is not for beginners. Though his music is so real that it’s hard to not feel a connection with it: catchy, deep, poetic and humorous all at the same time. If your uncle was French and actually knew how to play the guitar, that would be Brassens. He is one of my favourite artists who could have had many entries on this list, Les Amoureux just paints such a clear picture of Brassens’ feelings that it’s too good to not include. If you support PDA (public displays of affection), this song is for you.
2. Douce France — Charles Trenet
This is certainly the sweetest song on the list. Listening to a man sing about how much he loves his country really helps a French beginner to connect with another time and place. I really feel that Charles can communicate his love for France to anyone who is willing to listen. Considering this song came to conception around the time of the Second World War and the Nazi occupation of France, the lyrics really do take on a whole other meaning. A very famous song that’s both easy to learn and culturally significant, perfect for beginners like myself.
3. Nous voyageons de ville en ville — Romuald, José Bartel
This song is competing with one other on this list for my top spot. I don’t have much more to say other than it’s a brilliant song. Michel Legrand is a famous and well-respected composer amongst other things, I highly recommend watching Les demoiselles de Rochefort which is the movie this song was composed for. I’ve never been one for performance art or musicals, but this movie pushes firmly against that notion. Every time this song comes on I want to get up and sing, it’s high energy and paints a great picture of an adventurous life.
4. Sous le ciel de Paris — Édith Piaf
This is the other song competing for my number one spot. Edith is able to paint such a vibrant mental image with this song, as if I’m sucked into her Parisian fantasy, I think that’s the whole point. It’s a perfect blend of quality music and amazing storytelling. I’m not a singer but this song makes me want to, as an added bonus it’s not too difficult to understand for a French beginner. It’s a song you can play over and over again to learn and never get bored. Plus Edith Piaf is one of the most famous French singers, she has countless other great songs which I would recommend checking out. I only included Sous le ciel de Paris in this list because for me, there is something one of a kind about this song…
5. Il faut savoir — Charles Aznavour
The appeal for me with Charles’ music is something I struggle to find in modern English music. There is a real sense of depth and strength in his music, accompanied by such a powerful voice Charles fills the void of a strong masculine singer with his music. It really feels as if it’s from a bygone era, one that I feel we could all learn something from. I fell in love with Il faut savoir early on in my French music journey and it has stuck with me till today. Charles also has some songs in English I believe, that could be worth checking out for those of you not interested in learning French.
6. Vesoul — Jacques Brel
There is no word for this song other than brilliant. I was absolutely lost the first time I heard it, I’m sure you will understand if you listen to it. It’s passionnant, hilarious at times and tells such a great story of one man’s struggle. I recommend looking up the lyrics if you’re new to French because it’s in the fast category, you’ll need some more than beginner skills to keep up. Jacques is also known for his performance style so checking out some of his live performances will definitely be worth your time. It may not be the most elegant song on this list but Jacques sure knows how to get his message across.
7. Les vendanges de l’amour — Marie Laforêt
If you’re looking for the stereotypical French love song then this one is for you. A beautiful song about the harvest of love, sung in such a sweet tone that you’ll be jealous you’re not in love by the end of it. There are plenty of love songs written in the language of love, but something is so attractive about this one in particular. It seems to better capture the feeling of love for me, I’ve been a big fan since the day I first heard it. I changed to this song at the last minute, I had originally planned for Saint-tropez blues also by Marie. I do suppose that’s a bit of a cheeky honourable mention, but Les vendanges is just too good to not take its place. However, I would highly recommend them both.
8. Quand on s’aime — Nana Mouskouri, Michel Legrand
A recent discovery of mine that was found after falling down the Michel Legrand rabbit hole. All I can say is, what a lovely duet. This is the reason why I love French music, never in my life have I listened to this type of music before but somehow I love these songs. I really feel as if I have entered another musical universe and I want to share that with everyone. This song is so captivating, Michel is a well-known composer but he is also an amazing performer and singer. I think this song helps communicate all of that in such a small package. I know it’s not the case, but when you hear this song it makes you want to believe that for a small moment, Nana and Michel are in love.
9. Emmenez-moi — Charles Aznavour
I sing to myself, “Emmenez-moi au bout de la terre!” If you know any of these songs you might start to get the impression that I like music which tells a story, and you would be correct. Emmenez-moi is a journey, both in the physical sense but also a journey into the mind of a man. I actually wasn’t a huge fan of this song when I first heard it but one day it just struck me. There is a part of this song that I can’t resist singing, I think you can guess judging based on the first line in this paragraph. Charles has a catalogue of quality music but something about this song is so gripping, it’s deep and it’s real. That’s good enough for me.
10. Santiano — Hugues Aufray
The final song on this list has also taken me into uncharted musical territory. I always resisted the manly urge to sing a sea shanty. But, this song does nothing more than make you want to get a boat and sail the sea with your best mates. It’s enchanting and I find it hard to not get caught in the drift. I’m not overly fond of America but come on boys, we’re going to San Francisco! I’m not sure you need to understand the lyrics of this song to get it. I think that’s quite the compliment.
That makes 10! For different reasons, these songs are the ones that stood out above the rest. Without going through my music I could pick these out as the obvious choices. Every single one of these artists has many more songs that are worth listening to. This list is entirely subjective, but I believe my intention in creating it speaks to something larger than my own music taste. This is why I have been compelled to listen to them, they’re far beyond what was once normal to me.
If you’ve made it this far, please do go listen to these songs! To give some credence to what I have said. Good luck to all those on their French and/or musical journey!
À la prochaine 👋
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