This article was first published on CLUAS in Jan 2006

French Letter: Gainsbourg & Hallyday

Johnny Hallyday & Serge Gainsbourg back in the news? Aidan's on the case...

Aidan Curran, a CLUAS writer since 2004, is now based in Paris from where he files the 'French Letter' column

Two of France's biggest rock icons are experiencing contrasting fortunes at the moment.

Johnny Hallyday, that glorified Elvis impersonator you may have seen in your French schoolbooks, is suffering a sustained public backlash from even his most dedicated fans.

You see, France's number one rock star wants to become a Belgian.

The news of his citizenship application has caused Johnny Hallyday and Serge Gainsbourg ructions here. Despite his family ties to Belgium (his father was Belgian), most commentators have pointed to its more generous tax system, noted Hallyday's lucrative new record deal, and have (like Johnny's accountant, no doubt) put two and two together.

The French media, sensing weakness, are tirelessly probing his private life, especially rape allegations which were recently thrown out of court. Meanwhile, his PR team is relentlessly pushing his family – especially recently-adopted Asian baby daughter – into the spotlight in a mad scramble for positive publicity. His die-hard fans are simply upset that their idol, the self-styled rocker-of-the-people they made into a star, is upping sticks to a country traditionally the butt of French jokes. Tough times indeed for poor old Johnny.

The late Serge Gainsbourg, by contrast, is about to enjoy renewed exposure and acclaim in the English-speaking pop world with the release on 27 February of 'Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited', a tribute album to mark the 15th anniversary of the death of a true French pop/rock genius. A star-studded, eclectic and ultra-hip line-up includes Franz Ferdinand, Portishead, Michael Stipe, Tricky, Jarvis Cocker and Marianne Faithfull, all singing English-language versions of his songs. With such marquee names on board, the project is sure to generate huge interest in the man and his work.

A cross between Sean Connery and Shane McGowan, Gainsbourg combined arrogant sophistication, artistic sensitivity and boorish decadence. During his creative peak in the late '60s his singles rivalled Lennon & McCartney and Bacharach & David for innovation and ambition. Enthralled by Latino rhythms, American pop culture and British aristocratic sang-froid, his work is nonetheless unmistakeably French, fun and fantastic.

Serge Gainsbourg - essential listening...

'Comic Strip' (compilation, 1996)

Comic Strip The best of his recordings from 1966 to 1969 - 20 electrifying tracks whose legacy (crafted arrangements, tense mood swings, playful eclecticism) can be heard in The Divine Comedy, Beck, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Tindersticks and others. Recorded in Swinging London, drenched in symphonic strings and sexual innuendo, sampled and imitated ever since – unquestionably one of the most influential bodies of work in modern music.

Standout tracks: The opening three songs - the edgy 'Requiem Pour Un Con', the thrilling 'Bonnie and Clyde', the soaring 'Initials B.B.' - are absolutely flawless. Even 'Je T'Aime (Moi Non Plus)' - the most notorious banned single ever - sounds great, with Jane Birkin sounding heartbroken one minute and then the next minute a little, em, happier.... (Get a new or second hand copy of this album on Amazon)

'L'Histoire de Melody Nelson' (1971)

L'Histoire de Melody Nelson His greatest album – a melancholic yet sexy mix of soulful basslines, lush orchestrations and more sound effects from Ms Birkin. Need we say that it's about a middle-aged man's affair with an underage English girl? Dodgy concept, brilliant record.

Standout track: 'Ballade de Melody Nelson', with its unforgettable descending bass intro. (Get a new or second hand copy of this album on Amazon)

'Love On The Beat' (1984)

Love On The Beat Okay, admittedly this isn't classic Gainsbourg (or even classic anybody else) but as '80s synth-rock is probably going to come back into fashion later this year, why not start here? This New York-recorded album is famous for its iconic cover photograph by William Klein (currently the subject of a retrospective at the Centre Pompidou in Paris).

Standout track: Gainsbourg's infamous 'Lemon Incest' duet with his own daughter Charlotte (currently recording an album with Air) - although the most shocking thing is her tuneless singing. (Get a new or second hand copy of this album on Amazon)

'Aux Armes Et Cetera' (1979)

Aux Armes Et Cetera Gainsbourg's reggae album, recorded in Kingston with Sly & Robbie as producers and Jamaican backing vocalists singing French lyrics. It sounds like a bad idea, but in fact it works fantastically with Gainsbourg's drawling voice and sleazy persona.

Standout track: The title track is actually 'La Marseillaise' (the French national anthem) done reggae style - it provoked venomous outrage in France on the scale of 'God Save The Queen' in Britain… or that Brian McFadden video in Ireland. (Get a new or second hand copy of this album on Amazon)

Johnny Hallyday - essential listening...

You must be joking.

Aidan Curran

Other French Letter columns (from 2006 through to March 2007)

*St. Patrick's day 2007 & Irish music in France...*	Dateline: March 2007
March and Saint Patrick's Day, when the expat's thoughts turn home. But don't fear that the lavish CLUAS Foreign Correspondent Expense Account is being wasted on homesick yearning for Tayto Crisps, Barry's Tea and TG4 weathergirls. Not at all! Instead, we're taking the opportunity to see how Irish acts are getting on in France these days. And hurrah! They're getting on very well! Read the full article...
*Best French Music of 2006...*	Dateline: December 2006
In China apparently they curse you with "may you live in interesting times". Here in France in 2006, times are very interesting - and you wouldn't miss it for the world. The country has been shaken by protests, adrenalised and then traumatised by the World Cup, smitten by Ségolène... and the soundtrack has been fantastic. Read the full article...
*Prix Constantine: France's most prestigious contemporary music honour...*	Dateline: November 2006
France's most prestigious contemporary music honour, the Prix Constantin, was presented at a ceremony in the Olympia theatre in Paris on 15 November last. The prize, named in memory of a late French music industry talent-spotter, is awarded annually to an artist or group who has come to prominence during the year. The ceremony consisted of a concert featuring ten short-listed acts, before the announcement of the winner and successor to Camille, last year's laureate. Read the full article...
*La Rentrée 2006: what's stirring in the French music scene...*	Dateline: September 2006
‘September in France means ‘la rentrée’ (literally, ‘the return’), when everybody goes back to school, work and normal life after the whole country was practically shut down for the month of August. France’s pop stars are also packing away their beach towels and getting back to the studio and stage. Autumn 2006 will see a flurry of activity on the French music scene. Read the full article...
*The latest Parisian bands angling for indie stardom...*	Dateline: August 2006
‘Paris Calling’ is the name of a 2006 compilation album and a subsequent showcase gig in the French capital. As the Clash-alluding title suggests, the half-dozen or so bands involved see themselves as parishioners in the broad church of punk and new wave – and mass is in English. Photos are black-and-white, blurry and taken either in a crowded venue or against a blank wall. Read the full article...
*Phoenix ready to make it big?*	Dateline: July 2006
It's hard to concentrate on music at the moment when football, wonderful football, is demanding all your love and attention. The French rock scene, however, could soon have its own international champions before the end of the summer. Phoenix, from Versailles, have just released their third album "It's Never Been Like That" and big things are expected of them. Read the full article...
*Rap and its constructive role in French society.*	Dateline: May 2006
So far this year there have been high-profile clashes on the streets of Paris lately between police and students protesting at the centre-right government's controversial labour laws aimed at the 18-25 age bracket. Following weeks of strikes, protests, student sit-ins, streetfighting, burning cars and omnipresent riot-police, the proposed laws were eventually scrapped. Read the full article...
*The French success of Irishman Perry Blake.*	Dateline: April 2006
I braved the paddywagons around the Sorbonne last week to head to my favourite Parisian book- and record-store, Gibert Joseph halfway up the boulevard Saint Michel. There, I found a display for the new release by an Irish singer described on his album's promo sticker as 'le dernier dandy romantique' ('the last romantic dandy'). This wasn't the new Van Morrison record, then. Read the full article...
*Irish music, as understood by the French...*	Dateline: March 2006
So it's March again, the month when a certain green-tinted festival will be celebrated around the world by ex-pats and non-Pats alike. France too will join in the fun. Last year, posters plastered across every metro station in Paris were promoting a huge St Patrick's night concert at Bercy, the equivalent of The Point. The advertising featured a young red-haired dancer, Book-of-Kells typeface and a list of Celtic regions - Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, the Isle of Man... but not Ireland! Surely some mistake? Read the full article...
*Hallyday & Gainsbourg back in the news?*	Dateline: January 2006
Not to be confused with the Dublin-based cabaret singer of the same name, Camille and her album 'Le Fil' won the prestigious Prix Constantine for the most promising new act to emerge onto the French scene in 2005. Sounding both petulant and warm at once, this single is idiosyncratic and likeable. An approximate transcription of the backing vocal is 'splutter-groan-squeal-belch-fart'. Read the full article...
*Voulez-Vous Rocker Avec Moi? The French rock scene.*	Dateline: January 2006
As I sit on a terrasse sipping my café allongé and watching Parisian commuters scowl at tourists, I reflect on the many wonderful things about life in France – excellent food; streets alive with history and art; Juliette Binoche. Unfortunately, being the CLUAS correspondent in Paris involves listening to a lot of French alternative music – and French alternative music is quite dire. Read the full article...

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