2:45
Les Chemins de traverse, 1979
Written by Francis Cabrel
I had never heard of this musician, although he's been huge in Europe for nearly fifty years. I read that one-time Dylan guitarist Freddy "Fuzzy" Koella referred to Cabrel as a Dylan-like French musician, a claim that clicked when I heard this warm, soulful folk tune. It was covered in both French and Spanish by Shakira and became a hit, also. It's a love song, with surreal but sweet lyrics reminiscent of "Love Minus Zero," except with a Gallic flavor: "Elle a gommé les chiffres des horloges du quartier / Elle a fait de ma vie des cocottes en papier, des éclats de rire / Elle a bâti des ponts entre nous et le ciel." It's a language of love that transcaneds the literal.