Hey Mr. Caution - Eddie Constantine

Hey Mr. Caution - Eddie Constantine

2:42

single, 1965

Written by Eddie Constantine?

I never heard of this guy, but he's American!  Could have fooled me.  He sounds just like a Parisian yé-yé rock singer to my thick ears.  Apparently he fled the US during the McCarthy era, so I guess by 1965 he'd had a lot of practice getting fluent.  This song is inspired by the character Lemmy Caution, a private eye who first appeared in a 1936 novel.  Although the creator is English and Caution is American, there was never an English-language movie made about him, but plenty of French ones, which starred Constantine.  They were noir, but later tended toward comedy and even science fiction (like Dick Tracy!).  In this song, a breathless female voice keeps trying to get Caution's attention, but he's busy tossing hard-boiled threats at some guy named Tony.  It's played tongue-in-cheek.

Tu veux ou tu veux pas - Marie France

Tu veux ou tu veux pas - Marie France

2:58

Marie France visite Bardot, 2009

Written by Pierre Cour and Carlos Imperial, 1969

This song is adapted from a Portuguese song and first recorded in 1969; I haven't heard the Bardot version.  France is a transgender singer who started recording in the 1970s.  This song is a burst of campy glamour and cheeky attitude. Her delivery, both sung and spoken, is playful and assertive, riding the bouncy, retro-pop arrangement with cabaret flair and knowing charm.

Les Champs-Elysées - Joe Dassin

Les Champs-Elysées - Joe Dassin

2:37

Joe Dassin, 1969

Written by Pierre Delanoë, Michael Wilshaw, Michael Deighan

Here's something I didn't know:  This song is a French-language cover of "Waterloo Road," a single released the previous year by the English rock band Jason Crest, which I have never heard of.   Another Wikitidbit: Dassin later recorded versions of the song in English, German, Italian and Japanese!  I assume he did this with varying degrees of fluency.  It's a feel-good ballad with a sing-along chorus, about meeting someone ("Je m'baladais sur l'avenue le cœur ouvert à l'inconnu / J'avais envie de dire bonjour à n'importe qui") who takes you on an adventure, and just enjoying the life on the street.  

Zou Bisou Bisou - Gillian Hills

Zou Bisou Bisou - Gillian Hills

2:15

Zou Bisou Bisou, 1961

Written by Bill Shepherd, Alan Tew, & Michel Rivgauche

This song is a trifle, a silly sexy French song about kissing, but fun and catchy.  That 1960s bubblegum pop sound associated with miniskirts and flower pop, Frenchified and called yé-yé music.  "Les amoureux glissent à pas de loup / Comme les oiseaux, ils ont rendez-vous."  The lyrics might be from Brassens, except more come-hither and less arch.