Probably not that you've actually heard of them, unless you have an eclectic taste that encompasses suggestive, inuendo-filled, dance techno-pop; France's answer for the reagae chillness of Jason Mraz; and bland, six-minute-long, filth whispered over repetitive drum loops. My guess is that you don't.
So what do these three artists have in common? Well, depending on what you type into the google search area, you could be told that any of these three currently have the hottest single in all of France, at least until you notice the last time some of these sights were updated. France apparently doesn't seem to put a lot of emphasis in keeping its pop culture up to date.
When we started this blog out we thought it would be fun to regularly report on what was going on in France in the world of film, music, and news. Something that I have always had a fascination for, ever since seeing a particular montage in the Tom Hank's film "That Thing You Do", is the Billboard Hot 100. I took it upon myself to bring to you each week the number one single in France.
I typed in "France music charts" into the search engine. The first site to come up seemed quite promising:
France Music Charts - Top Singles
allcharts.org/music/france/singles.htm
To my amazing surprise and honestly, a sense of disappointment, the site reported that the number one song in France was "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga. Not only was this surprising, given that the song had long since peaked in the US, but what amazed me was that it claimed this was the number one song in France for the last NINE WEEKS!!
I was so interested in this that I spent quite a bit of time researching any links between Lady Gaga and France. Did she have a huge following there? I mean, she must. Does she have French recordings? etc.
Well, I found some concert footage of her in Marseilles and she has mastered basic phrases of conversation like "Ca va Marseilles?!?" and "OK, Chantez avec-moi! Can't read my, can't read my...no you can't read in my..." although that last one wasn't on the set of Pimsleur CD's I listened to. In some of the comments I discovered that apparently a french version of the song Poker Face exists somewhere and some people claim to have listened to it, going so far as to assert that it is superior to the English version (blasphemy, I know). Despite leaving no stone unturned, I was unable to find anymore than whispers in the dark about this version. What I did find was a hilarious interview between Lady Gaga and some two French television hosts who interview her in French and she answers in English. It is clear to me from this interview that the poor girl, does not, in fact, speak French. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOTrKmCG8SI
The hosts sound like they're Quebecoise, especially when she asks her "Est-ce que vous aimez ca?" Listen for it.
OK so Lady Gaga doesn't speak French, so what is she doing on the top of the French charts? Well, in preparation for this article, I started to doubt the validity of my first site and upon a closer look, I saw this...
FOR THE WEEK STARTING 28 MARCH 2009
You're telling me the site hasn't been updated in nearly SIX MONTHS!!! You know what, forget it.
I was disappointed because I was really excited to write about how crazy it was to me that Lady Gaga was sitting on the top of France for nine weeks. I did it anyway.
So then what is the number one song in France? That was the point wasn't it? Well, I tried again.
The third result mentioned the French Top 40 so I sought some redemption there:
top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=11
The number one reported by this site was an adult themed dance song which will be diffilcult to reproduce here. Let's just call the song "S*xtonik" by an artist formerly unknown to me, Mylene Farmer. I wish she still was. In my diligent research I listened to the song, which, in good conscience, I can only recommend to deaf people. Its over six minutes long, never changes from beginning to end and tries unsucessfully to make you feel like you are on a psychedelic trip into your deepest desires. I won't be providing a link. Look it up yourself if you are still curious. However, despite the site looking much more professional than the last one, I was quicker to catch onto its lack of updates. This song was at the top of the charts the week of August 31st. What gives?
I won't be fooled again. I find yet another artist sitting at the top of the charts at a site with the running title:
France Singles Top 100 - Music Charts
acharts.us/france_singles_top_100
OK, here we go. Looks like we have an up-to-date chart with a much more mainstream artist who just barely debuted on the charts in the first position in time to make it onto this blog. Tom Frager and Gwayav' currently hold the number one spot on the charts with their Jason Mraz-like tune "Lady Melody".
This is a great little song. Easy listening, simple and charming. Starting out with just piano and gradually adding guitar, then drums, then sax at just the right moments. A simple love song about the girl that helps the singer get through anything life can throw at him thanks to her faithfulness and beauty.
Tom Frager is a decorated surfer, originally from Senegal he is the most decorated surfer of his generation and has been surfing and playing music for over a decade now. His band, Gwayav' was formed in 2004 with Tom and four of his surfer-muscician friends. This is their biggest song so far.
And now...le mot du jour! (Word of the day)
Tatillon: (adj) - finicky, nit-picky
un tatillon - a finicky person
-Pete
