A sincere, belated “requiescat in pace” goes out to beloved French chanteuse, and O.G. yé-yé girl extraordinaire, Isabelle “France” Gall. A natural-born singer from a musical family, Gall sold a whopping 200,000 copies of one single at the age of 16. She went on to win the Eurovision contest with a song penned by Serge Gainsbourg and soon her status as an ultra-chic Sixties French pop singer was cemented. Gall was of course known for her beautiful looks and a little “sass” (a bit of it intentional, some of if not). Naturally it didn’t hurt that she managed to work with several worthy songsmiths and musicians over the years, one of whom, Michel Berger, she married. But it was Gall’s golden voice and general goodnatured demure that propelled her career, until her retirement in the mid-1990s.
Though admittedly I haven’t explored all of the France Gall back catalog yet, my personal favorite song of hers is 1968’s “Rue de l’abricot,” which may well be the most “French sounding” post-war composition one is likely to come across. And in the right context who could resist dancing to her 1964 club classic “Laisse tomber les filles,” which reached Number 4 on the Billboard chart and still sounds like sheer seduction? Hell, I’m even fond of Gall’s “Sacré Charlemagne,” which some qualify as children’s music.
Though all of these songs may be attached to an era or series of “moments” in the progression of pop music, they make for very timeless art to me. I hope this music lasts forever.
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