Tuesday 14 July 2009

Coq Gaulois



As today is Le quatorze juillet, better known to non-Frenchies as Bastille Day, in addition to posting a photo of a proud French cock I decided to dig out some Gallic treats for our delectation.

A million years ago, I was in a relationship with a French boy (we're all still friends today). The very first contemporary French artiste he introduced me to was ex-soap actress turned singer Ysa Ferrer, and this brilliant song became something of an anthem at the time:


Next is one of those "must-haves" for anyone (like me) who delights in collecting bizarre and eclectic music - a dance remix of one Edith Piaf's hits La Foule (of course!):


And speaking of the divine Edith, here's the little sparrow herself:


Of course, any tribute to French music cannot be complete without that glittering gay icon Dalida - whose costume here (in her own tribute to an earlier Gallic legend Mistinguett) may well provide us with another option for next year's Pride outfits:


Nor should I neglect the wonderful Charles Trenet, whose iconic status in France was undented by a gay sex scandal (he was apparently briefly imprisoned for "corrupting minors") in the 1960s. Boum, indeed:


And to end this brief (and incomplete) trawl of music from the land of strong cigarettes, wine, smelly cheese, Napoleon, garlic and air traffic controller strikes, here's their national anthem, brilliantly sung here by opera diva Jessye Norman:


Bastille Day

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