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*Madame's Music*
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Famille by Jean-Jacques Goldman
"Famille" or "Family" by Jean-Jacques Goldman is the first French song I ever loved. Barbara, a European girl who had moved to my town and who had no French-speaking friends, made me a "mix tape" of her favorite songs. For all the children of the new millennium, "a mix tape" is a like a playlist put together with great time, effort, and thought. You had a limited amount of tape, and you had to really think about the perfect combination of songs for the occasion in question. Once you committed to your list of songs, you recorded them on a tape cassette that couldn't be altered without ruining it. You couldn't change the order of the songs, and you had to hand write the table of contents on the outside cover. If someone made you a mix tape, that person was probably a good friend, or someone who wanted to be friends with you.
"Famille" is about accepting others as they are. It is about the families we create as much as the families into which we are born. It is about the human family in all its diversity. I can't say how many times I have listened to this song. It's amazing. Sometimes it makes me cry. The second video comes from a tribute album called "Generation Goldman." On this album, French singers of today came together to cover the songs of Jean-Jacques Goldman, an incredible singer and songwriter who shaped my view of the world and that of an entire generation. |
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Des Hommes Pareils by Francis Cabrel
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"Des Hommes Pareils" by Francis Cabrel is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists. The title doesn't translate well. It roughly means, "Identical Men" with "men" being used in the universal sense. The song speaks of our common humanity, and how the vast range of outward physical characteristics and cultural differences that we can observe contribute to the beauty of the world. I wish that every school child could understand enough French to hear the message in this song.
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Dur Dur D’être Bébé by Jordy Lemoine
When I first started teaching middle school French in the 1990s, I heard about a toddler who was a star in France. He went by one name, "Jordy," kind of like "Cher" or "Madonna." My students loved him! This song, "Dur Dur D’être Bébé" or "It's hard to be a baby," kind of gets stuck in your head, so watch out! The video I found is from a World Music Award ceremony. He has another song where he sings about his "girlfriend," Alison, |
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