New "French" songs

[dhampyresa]

(2 in French my Belgians, one in Brezhoneg by French nationals)

1.

Watch on YouTube

I was listening to Stromae's Multitude a few days ago, found this song one of my faves and then boom! There was a music video. So now it's time for your irregularly scheduled Stromae appreciation interlude.

I love the implicit parallel between sex workers "selling" their bodies and soldiers doing the same. The absence of the sex worker's voice is meant to highlight how everyone gets to talk about them (wrt legality debates etc) but no one talks TO them. (Social commentary is nothing new for Stromae, but I continue to appreciate that he uses his platform to Say Things.)

I don't think I've ever heard a song that includes the PoV of a sew worker's child. The closest is the end of Brassens' La complainte des filles de joie.

Which brings me to:
a) I don't understand why people keep comparing Stromae to Brel when Brassens is right there (It's because thy're both Belgians, innit)

b) The title is a pun and I love it. It combines "fils de pute" ("son of a whore") with "fille de joie" ("girl for happiness", a euphemism for prostitute). Stromae always involves plays on words in his lyrics and the care he puts in his work is amazing.

But then he named himself Stromae, so loving wordplay is hardly surprising -- "stromae" is verlan, a form of French slang involving swapping syllables around, or "maestro".

2.
I recently discovered Angèle's Plus de sens and the lines "Et j'ai essayé de tenir / Oublier que j'ai peur de l'avenir / C'est pas toujours parfait / J'ai parfois des regrets" ("And I tried holding on / Forget I'm afraid of the future / It's not always perfect / I sometimes have regrets") keep popping up in my head.

3.

Watch on YouTube

FRANCE IS SENDING A SONG IN BREZHONEG TO EUROVISION :D
(This is where I'd put an emoji of the Gwenn ha du ("white and black"), the Breton flag, but there isn't one. Please consider signing this petition to change this.)

Anyway, I can't believe we're sending a song in Brezhoneg. (To quote one of the band members in an interview: "[le breton] est une langue dont on a souvent eu honte" / "[Brezhoneg] is a language we were often made to feel ashamed off". It's not just a "we, the band", either more "we, the Breton people", btw.) Breizhad on ha lorc'h ennon!

About all I can understand is something about stars and someone is dancing with the Devil (the Devil of Breton folklore is less "The Adversary, First of The Fallen, Prince of this World" and more "complete and utter failboat").

It sounds awesome! I hope this band keeps going because I love their sound and I want to listen to more people singing in Brezhoneg. Don't get me wrong, I love Gwennyn and Nolwenn Leroy, but sometimes (most pf the times) I'm in the mood for something closer to "shouting with electric guitar" than "whispering with acoustic guitar", if that makes sense.

Love how the singer's costumes recall traditional Bigouden embroidery.


No thoughts, head empty, only happy-making noises.

Comments

[yhlee]

Stupid question, is Brezhoneg related to Welsh? Welsh for "white and black" would be (IIRC) "gwyn a du" or possibly "gwyn a ddu," I always get the [Welsh] mutations mixed up.

[dhampyresa]

It is! They're each other's closest extant relatives, actually. Mutation mixups ;_____________;

[angelofthenorth]

Oh that is good. I have dreams of one day sending a Welsh song to eurovision

[yhlee]

:D Y ddraig goch? (Forgive me, I probably have the mutations wrong - it's been a while.)

[angelofthenorth]

Yn wir, y ddraig goch!

[dhampyresa]

That would be SO COOL!

[muccamukk]

I try never to listen to Eurovision songs in advance so I can Experience Them on the day of, but I'm very glad I checked out that link. What a fun band. I'm very glad there is a shouty electric Brezhoneg band.

[dhampyresa]

I try never to listen to Eurovision songs in advance so I can Experience Them on the day of
Oh same! I just saw a headline whuile looking at news and went "waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat" so i had to check it out

I'm very glad there is a shouty electric Brezhoneg band.
There's also Les Ramoneurs de Menhirs!

[dolorosa_12]

I love the French entry this year — my kind of music, and sung in Breton! To be honest, I wish there were more minority language songs in the competition overall — Basque, Irish, Welsh, Sámi, etc.

[dhampyresa]

my kind of music, and sung in Breton!
My thoughts exactly!

Sometimes I dream of an Eurovision where singing in majority languages is forbidden.

[sovay]

FRANCE IS SENDING A SONG IN BREZHONEG TO EUROVISION

THAT'S SO COOL.

I'm in the mood for something closer to "shouting with electric guitar" than "whispering with acoustic guitar", if that makes sense.

Absolutely. The language isn't a relic of folkways past; it's part of the living world and if people want to headbang to it in clubs, they should damn well get the chance to. Also it's nice to have variation.

I loved the Stromae.

[dhampyresa]

The language isn't a relic of folkways past; it's part of the living world and if people want to headbang to it in clubs, they should damn well get the chance to
It means a lot to hear you say that. Thank you.

[sovay]

It means a lot to hear you say that. Thank you.

You're welcome.

*hugs*

[bunn]

Yay! I thought of you when I saw this news. I hope it does really well!

[dhampyresa]

Aww, thank you! I am super cheered that it got so much support from the public (the selection process was half jury votes, half public votes). Even if they don't win it already means a lot.

[oracne]

Stromae is so very excellent. Also, thank you for the great Eurovision song.

[dhampyresa]

Stromae is consistently excellent. Love that for him.

Happy to introduce you to the song :D