Which are the five most iconic French songs? I recently pitched the question to a group of friends and provoked a long discussion about how such a selection could be made. What about this, I suggested: you are in a salle des fêtes celebrating something or other and the band strikes up. Which five tunes are instantly recognizable to at least three quarters of the people and will get them singing along?
There were lots of runners up to our eventual shortlist. It was hard to leave out La Vie en Rose,Les copains d’abord, Dans les yeux d'Émilie (a sports stadium favourite), L’Amérique, Paris se lève, Ne me quitte pas, Je l’aime à mourir and Une belle histoire but something had to give. After more than an hour of deliberation, my impromptu focus group came up with the following ‘best of’.
Charles Aznavour's album Entre deux rêves featured Emmenez-moiCapitol
1. Emmenez-moi by Charles Aznavour. It tells the story of a man weary of his mundane existence, who dreams of sailing away to distant, sunlit lands. ‘Emmenez-moi au bout de la terre, emmenez-moi au pays des merveilles, il me semble que la misère serait moins pénible au soleil‘ (Take me to the ends of the earth, take me to Wonderland, it seems to me that misery would be less painful in the sunshine). It brings a tear to the eye.
2. Hymne à l’amour by Edith Piaf. The whole country must have had goose pimples as Céline Dion sang this poignant song from the Tour Eiffel during the ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. It is a tribute to boxer Marcel Cerdan, Piaf’s lover, who died in a plane crash.
Joe Dassin's Les Champs-Elysées has a great singalong chorusMSI
3. Les Champs-Elysées by Joe Dassin. It may now be an iconic song about an iconic street but it was originally a eulogy to Waterloo Road in London written by Jason Crest. The chorus couldn’t be easier to join in with: ‘Aux Champs-Elysées, au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit, il y a tout ce que vous voulez, Aux Champs-Elysées’ (At the Champs-Elysées, in the sun, in the rain, at noon or at midnight, there's whatever you want, at the Champs-Elysées).
4. Mon amant de Saint-Jean (covered by Patrick Bruel). This classic waltz musette, recorded in 1942 by Lucienne Delyle and much covered since, is often heard in village fêtes. It evokes wartime longing and nostalgia. It tells the story of a woman who falls for a charming dancer, despite knowing he’s not sincere.
Polnareff's single has an uplifting messageBASF
5. On ira tous au paradis by Michel Polnareff. Another great singalong with a catchy melody and an uplifting message that challenges moral judgment and promotes universal acceptance. ‘We’re all going to paradise, even me; whether we are blessed or cursed, we’re all going.’
