A guest mix by Jonathyne Briggs, author of a fascinating and highly recommended book on French pop history, Sounds French: Globalization, Cultural Communities, and Pop Music, 1958-1980 (Oxford University Press, 2015):
1971—the transition. The destruction of Les Halles in Paris began in 1971 in order to make way for a more modern marketplace, and this action symbolizes how the French found themselves in a period of transition. Just prior to the economic and social problems that would emerge with the oil shocks of 1973, the French were still very much enjoying the economic boom of the economic miracle and continued to embrace new ideas and technologies, albeit with some hesitation manifest in the protests against expanded military bases at Larzac. The Events of 1968 and the death of Charles de Gaulle were just a few years past and the centenary of the Commune reminded many of the revolutionary hope symbolized by the student protests and strikes. In the realm of popular music, French audiences continued to fragment with more and more stylistic influences emerging in different subgenres with the appearance of new artists. And yet, established artists began to experiment with new styles and ideas. 1971 in many ways is a watershed moment in French pop, in which the adventurousness of the French underground is echoed in the music of more popular acts and there was a moment of brief harmony of leisure and introspection. – Jonathyne Briggs
- Stone et Charden “L’avventura”
- Serge Lama “Superman”
- Jean-Jacques Perrey “Baroque Hoedown” (1971 rerelease)
- Michel Polnareff “Computer’s Dream”
- Serge Gainbourg “L’hôtel particulier”
- Catharsis “Masq”
- Leo Ferré “La solitude”
- Françoise Hardy “La question”
- Johnny Hallyday “Fils de personne”
- Alan Stivell “Pop Plinn”
- Dalida “Mamy Blue”
- Nino Ferrer “La maison près de la fontaine”
- Claude Nougaro “Un grain de folie”
- Catherine Ribero + Alpes “Diborowska”
- Jacques Higelin “Aujourd’hui Blues”
- Mouloudji “Le Temps des cerises”
Comments (0)