The Yé-Yé Girls

[callmemadam]

A few weeks ago on Sounds of the Sixties, our old mate Brian Matthew mentioned a CD called C’est Chic!, French Girl Singers of the 1960s. I rushed to Amazon to order a copy and two weeks later it arrived. Apart from Françoise Hardy and a couple of others, the singers were all new to me. I love this record! There’s a nice French version of Goffin and King’s He’s In Town sung by Ria Bartok as Tu La Revois. The revelation for me was A La Fin Tu Gagneras by Jocelyne. According to the accompanying booklet, she was a child star billed as ‘the French Brenda Lee’ and forced by her record company to wear white ankle socks to emphasise her youth. Her first EP came out when she was twelve but her career was short as she died tragically in a motorbike accident, aged only twenty. Everyone knows Brenda Lee and Helen Shapiro, but how come I’d lived so long before hearing of this little French belter? It’s really disgraceful how much our political and cultural news is biased towards America and how little we know of our European neighbours in comparison. End of anti-BBC rant. You can read more about Jocelyne here and see a photograph here. I haven’t been able to find any of her songs online.

When I told ramblingfancy that I was waiting for this CD to arrive, she recommended ZAZ. I’ve been listening to her on Spotify and Cor, what a voice. Judge for yourself.

Comments

[mammadibiba.livejournal.com]

Oh là là.

ZAZ, c'est super!

Seriously, thank you for that. Wonderful.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked.

[ramblingfancy.livejournal.com]

So glad you enjoyed Zaz Barbara. I hadn't seen that video before. Just love her outfit! C'est Chic looks great too - I must order it. Have you tried Sandrine Kiberlain? Different but tres chic in her own way!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think she looks good. Sandrine Kiberlain is new to me; will investigate

[lethe1]

Unfortunately my browser can't handle embedded YouTube videos anymore, I only see a black square.

It's amazing how many of these yé-yé girls there were. heartofdavid once sent me a CD called Swinging Mademoiselles: Groovy French Sounds from the 60s. It features 15 singers and the only one I had heard of was Jacqueline Taieb. I find this style of music immensely cheering.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Ha ha! Swinging and groovy: sounds great. Jacqueline Taieb is on C'est Chic!

[gghost.livejournal.com]

I've been wanting some new (old music), and this sounds perfect. Onto my wish list it goes.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Glad you like. There's so much out there I'd never hear of unless somebody pointed the way.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I admit the kazoo took me by surprise!

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

Francoise Hardie! Ou sont les amants d'antan?
(Is posing - knows exactly where they both are - one has sadly left us, and the other is a coach ride away)

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

She seemed so cool when I was at school!

[ooxc.livejournal.com]

That suggests that you are a little younger than I am. I was in my first job in London