Under legislation from 1996, France’s commercial radio stations are bound to a language quota where 40 percent of programming, including song lyrics, must be in French.
Despite this restriction, France’s biggest airplay hit so far in 2008 is in English. What’s surprising is that it’s not an R n’ B import from the States or a trans-Europe floorfiller. Just as unexpectedly, the song in question is a modest folk-pop tune that was written, recorded and produced in Paris.
“Oh” is the debut single by Micky Green (right), who is female despite the male name. Born Michaela Gehrman in Sydney in 1985, she worked as a model in her native Australia before coming to Paris.
In the French capital she made a demo on her computer, with a rhythm track that consisted mainly of her tapping a pen on her table. The finished article, an album called “White T-Shirt”, keeps this organic feel; its sparse arrangements depend heavily on fingerclicks and basic vocal harmonies.
With this simple homemade vibe, Green shares the happy-clappy boho-pop sound of Yael Naim, another who came to Paris and launched a successful English-language career.
Like Naim’s “New Soul”, soundtrack to a computer advertisement recently, Green’s “Oh” seems made for marketing. Its hum-along intro has the summer-meadow freshness of your fabric softener. Or maybe it’s the carefree joie de vivre of you in your new car, winding through country roads with your gang of bright young things in the back. (No doubt the marketeers will know exactly what this tune could sell.)
Aside from its product-shifting potential, we’re surprised that “Oh” hasn’t become a radio hit in Ireland or the UK yet. Apart from an appearance at a festival in Tokyo, Green’s summer shows are all in France so perhaps the international push isn’t starting just yet. But surely a tune as radio-friendly as “Oh” will get heavy promotion and ad-work before long.
Anyway, judge for yourself. Here’s the rather murky and overcast video for Micky Green’s “Oh”. There’s some swearing at the start – and it’s a French video so there has to be a bit of film-acting: