Weekend French Playlist #4
With songs from Thomas Bangalter (of Daft Punk), Louis Bertignac, Louane, and French79.
Welcome to the weekend!
Here’s a Spotify playlist of French music that includes some recent top hits, new releases, and a few favorites thrown in for fun, along with a couple of videos.
The big news this week in French music is the return of Thomas Bangalter, better known as one half of the electro-pop duo Daft Punk, who officially broke up 2 years ago. He is back (and without the robot helmets the pair typically wore) with a solo album: Mythologies. The music couldn’t get any further from Daft Punk’s vibe. It’s orchestral music composed for a ballet that debuted last summer at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux and performed by the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, conducted by Romain Dumas.
“I've felt like an amateur in every record I've ever been a part of, not someone relying on experience,” Bangalter said in an interview with Le Monde. (read it in English here) “I like the idea of being a beginner, with both unfortunate and lucky accidents. I knew I would inevitably make mistakes, but I was willing to accept the bad surprises to get the good ones.”
Also this week: There was news this week that the popular French TV series Le Bureau des légendes is going to be remade as an American series by George Clooney. That prompted a discussion about how few American remakes of French TV shows and films had succeeded. Of course, the most recent remake success was Coda, the Oscar-winning Apple TV movie about the daughter of deaf parents who pursues her dream of becoming a singer. Coda is a remake of a 2014 French film, La Famille Bélier, which featured teenage star Louane who has since become one of France’s top pop stars. This week’s playlist includes her song Je vole from that film’s soundtrack.
Here’s a clip from the Mythologies ballet:
And a clip of the scene where Louane’s character is auditioning for a prestigious music school as her parents look on.
Enjoy!
Chris O’Brien
Le Pecq
Wonderful post (looking forward to listening to the playlist later)! I didn't realize Coda was based on a French film. It's been on my list to see, but I'm prioritizing the original - that clip was so moving! Merci!