hey

I'm starting a new thread because the original was getting a bit heavy with all those (great) videos.
I won't introduce you to another artist, but I just wanted to tell you that I have assembled a compilation of Henri Salvador's early material. Just give me your email address or Facebook or RYM pseudo if you're interested.
Dan, I've sent it your way ! Hope it works.

Can't resist

I'm having some friends over for dinner (and I'm more than just a little tipsy). But I have to say that for about the 20th time this "Juanita Banana" video is making me laugh out loud. I'm sharing it with everyone I know, and I'm definitely not the only one enjoying it. Thanks nicolas!

Then you've probably checked the other Salvador scopitones on youtube. All masterpieces, but none of them can't beat that one

Richard Gotainer

1948.......
IS a humorous singer.
Throughout the 1980s, its electronic hits, with wacky and witty arrangements and double entendre phrase, to the rhythmic sound high and playing with alliteration, will be widely broadcast on French radio.

My top 3 :
Combat de Rock
La ballade de l'obsédé
Primitif

Here is a selection :
1977 - Le moustique


1977 - Polochon Blues

1977 - Le taquin et le grognon

1977 - Confetti

1979 - Quatuor en détresse

1979 - Tout foufou


1980 - Maman flashe et papa flippe


1980 - Primitif


1981 - Tranche de cake


1981 - Chipie


1981 - Poil au tableau


1981 - Le Sampa


1982 - Le mambo du decalco


1982 - La ballade de l'obsédé (what a hot song)


1982 - Trois vieux Papis

Boys Bands

I know, it should be Boy Bands, but that's how we name it in France.
nicolas and Romain have tried to convince you that French people have good taste and that the few times we don't, it is as least the funny. They lied to you, we have awful tastes in music, and here is one of the worst trend to ever appear in our beautiful country.

Whenever anglosaxon people do something crappy that meets success, we do the same, but worst. Boy Bands were no exception.

Before the french ones, some bands like New Kids on the Block, Take That or East 17 have met success, but not as much as in the US or the UK.
Strangely enough, the real boys band craze started because of a british band no one else gave a f*** about : Worlds Apart



Don't laugh, but they became quickly called "four boys in the wind" (4 garçons dans le vent) which is the French nickname for the Beatles, even if they quickly are reduced to 3.

Their 2nd hit is a cover of a Jean-Jacques Goldman's song (don't know him ? I guess you won't find anybody most fitting in the theme "popular songs", almost everyone knows his hits by heart in France). It's a major success, and it allows them to avoid limited airplay due to a law which forced French radios to a quota of songs in French.



Brace yourself, French ersatz are coming.

In 1996 appeared the biggest French boys band and, to be honest, the least annoying one. Not that they are any good, but when you see the others, they appear rather sympathetic, humble and they were the only one able to speak proper French in interviews.



"Partir un jour", its videoclip and choregraphy, are now the symbol of this era, from 96 to 99, where French music scene was at its worse.
2be3's success during those years was huge, they have had lots of hits : a cover of "Never Gonna Give You Up" called "Toujours là pour toi", "La Salsa", "Donne" and "2be3", the theme song of their own sitcom, and a play on word between "to be three" or "to be free" which makes not much difference with French accent. (you would hardly hear any of their fans not pronounce their name "to be free", with a french "r")



As hard as it might be, it then went downhill.

2 other bands met a big success, Alliage and G-Squad, and both vied with each other in terms of bad music, lyrics and style.



Other main offenses by Alliage : Lucy, Le Temps qui Court and duos with Ace of Base and Take That.

If you have found them ridiculous (especially the one with as much light in the eyes as a dead oyster and a completely pervy smile) you won't believe French teenage girls actually loved those too :



Horrendous...
Their other main offense was "Raide Dingue de Toi" which is more or less the same song.

Some producers realized that producing a singer might cost less, which led to Allan Théo and this gold record single :



What have they become ? Well, in most cases we don't know : Worlds Apart is currently trying to take profit from the 90s revival trend to make some concerts with other 90s success like Real 2 Real, HAddaway or Dr Alban, Allan Théo works in a bank, Quentin from Alliage is a gay porn star and the biggest star of them all, Filip from the 2be3, first met success in French police TV shows and died of a heart stroke 3 years ago.

I can not resist this opportunity to add a video of a girl which was Allan Théo counterpart, often paired in the same TV shows...



And if you wonder if France had their girls band to, we only had one, with almost a single big hit :



Any resemblance with the Spice Girls is of course pure coincidence. I can laugh as much as I want, teenage me was in love with the red head.

Hey Nassim, you could have at least talked about the famous Minikeums parody, "Ma Mélissa" as the Bogoss Five... One of the only fictional band to have scored a gold record :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w86ADyhJ9Fw

My youth ! :)

Shame on you Nassim to destroy this beautiful thread.
But, of course, you are in the mood of what I want.
Bravo and continue.

Patrick Coutin

Today, a one hit singer.

1981 : J'aime regarder les filles