I won’t lie, it was definitely difficult when I first started listening to French music to comprehend what was being said and what the theme of the song was. However, as I got older and was exposed to more and more French music by my French teachers in middle and high school, my ideas and thoughts of and about French music had evolved a lot. It’s definitely difficult to understand music that’s in a different language if you are learning it or don’t even know. Listening to French music has helped me improve my French and had other impacts on me.

When I was first introduced to French music, our teacher played Frère Jacques or Brother John in English. This song was made for kids and it didn’t have a deep meaning behind it although it got me into other types of French music as I matured. In 5^th grade, our French teacher took us to see Etienne, a French musician. We listened to some of his songs in class. At the “concert”, we were the only elementary school students. Etienne’s music helps you to learn verb conjugations, French expressions and other important aspects a beginner needs to know. One song by Etienne is Dansez which helps you learn body parts in French.

As middle and high school came, our teachers introduced us to artists such as Stromae, Maître Gims, Indila, Jordy and Mika. However, it was listening to songs that were supposed to help enhance our French that I gained interest. By high school, I started exploring for French music on my own.

From listening to French music, I have gained more vocabulary. Sometimes, the videos for songs are entertaining. With Jordy’s song, Dur Dur d’être un bébé, I realized that not all French music has to be entertaining or educational. Indila’s Derniere Danse evoked sad emotions in me when I listened to it for the first time.

One other thing French music has helped me do really well is practicing pronouncing words in French. Since French words are said differently from English words, this has helped me a lot. Also, my roommate from New Student Orientation, my summer roommates and my current roommate would all agree that I sound like I’m French. I think that French music has allowed my skills to be enhanced even more than they can be just by participating in class.

The connections I made with my current roommate because of French music is great. One time, we were singing Stromae songs and Indila’s Derniere Danse. I feel that these connections allow me to better understand and get to know someone I don’t know very well.

Also, since I’m a French major, French music has definitely allowed me to learn some of the slang used in French. I think this is important because I hope to work in France in the future. I also think being able to make connections with French citizens through French music will be useful when I visit, work or live in France.

People who listen to French music are often people who know French, taking French in school as a second language or people who live in Europe and understand French well. However, this is not to say that there aren’t people who listen to French music who don’t understand the language. As a whole, people who listen to French music get a different reaction or vibe to it depending on who you are and how well you know the language among other things such as socioeconomic conditions.

In high school, those of us who took French had to translate some French songs our teacher would choose and then we would get a deeper meaning of the song and it’s message. Often times, we would be confused by the literal translations and then our teacher told us it’s not always a literal translation that the singer is going for. In this case, we came together as a class and tried to make sense of the lyrics. As students, we were also learning new words in the language and making sense of it put together.

In a similar way, I think that listeners of French music come to appreciate the message as a whole, not necessarily the literal translation. As a whole, people who listen to French music might get several messages from a song. Je pense que la musique est original et exceptionnel. I think that people who listen to French music also get a different view on things.

When listening to French music, I imagine that a lot of people think about the context of the lyrics and video. I don’t think people necessarily think about the time of when the song came out or the culture at that time.

As a community spread across the world, I think that people who listen to French music form values in a few ways. I think that people who listen to French music put into their minds the concept of the song and the meaning. I also think that the community uses what they may know about the artist/ how well known the artist is to form values on the music.

French music as a whole has different aspects. The way that people decide to put value to the music is up to them but a lot of people use similar ways to come up with those values. People in the same community will most likely use similar methods to determine values. As a whole, people who listen to French music use a lot of methods to determine the values but use the same few base methods.

The song I will insert today is J’ai cherché by Amir. I will link both the official video and the lyrics video below.

Official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQysGibXphE

Lyric video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBq5A4CAl7k

French music is interesting for several reasons. La musique français est une étape importante pour comprendre société. French music plays with your emotions and the songs can reflect your exact emotions at times. French music can help you understand society better.

Dans cette post, je parle un artist populaire dans France: Stromae. Stromae sings about social problems in society. I think it’s important to note that Stromae is not from France but his music is in French. Pour moi, listening to Stromae’s music plays with my emotions. His music uses pathos to address problems.

In Stromae’s song Tous les mêmes, All the same, he addresses relationships from both sides, from the male and female perspective. In my opinion, this pulls people in to the song to show that relationships aren’t perfect and it doesn’t matter what side of the relationship you look at it from.

In high school, I evaluated this song in my French class as an assignment so I’m very familiar with it as a whole. One way it gets at emotions is by showing how females are treated in a relationship compared to how men are treated in a relationship. I think it’s very interesting that in the video Stromae plays both a female and male while each of his “characters” have different partners. I think this can appeal to the ethos and pathos of Stromae.

Je pense que le video pour Tous les mêmes est intéressant pour un raison en particulier. Since Stromae acts as two different people, we get this sense that he is perhaps more involved in the situation and has done his research about the problems. I also think it’s interesting how each of the relationships are portrayed. The language used in the song helps others relate to what is going on in the video.

Stromae has a way of portraying what his point is in all of his songs. In this song, Stromae uses repetition of phrases to get the point across. He repeats “Tous les mêmes” or “all the same” a good bit to emphasize the fact that in a relationship, both partners have the same rights. I think this is ironic in a way, because when you think about it, a lot of times people are controlling or won’t let their partner do things like go out with friends.

This is just one way that French music plays with your emotions. When I first heard “Tous les mêmes”, I was very drawn towards the message of the song. French music, like most music, has an important meaning behind it that may be difficult to understand at first. When you evaluate a song, a good place to start is the lyrics and video.

I think that French music has a way of getting social issues known in a very unique way. It’s important to note that not all French music is about social issues. One other note is that people won’t get the same meaning of the song.

Above is Stromae. Below, I will link a video to the official video of Tous les mêmes and a video with the lyrics translated to English. The first link goes to the lyrics video. The second link goes to the actual video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhwCX065Fvs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAMWdvo71ls

This last link is a link to an interview with Stromae if you want to read it and get to know him better after reading this post.

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/music/meet-stromae-the-most-famous-pop-star-youve-never-heard-of

The first time I listened to French music was in 9^thgrade. I think the first song I heard was Alors on Danse by Stromae. I thought it was ironic that Stromae is a French musician because he’s Belgian. Then, it got me thinking to what French music is. I came to the decision that French music is music that is in the French language and has nothing to do with where the singer or group is from. But that’s such a broad term, you might be thinking. Let’s be real… there’s all types of French music and genres. There is no one set type of French music and if you think that, I am aiming to change your mind.

French music is in the French language. I have come to notice that there are a number of people who sing French music and aren’t from France. There are singers from Canada, Belgium and countries surrounding France and other countries. Some artists who are French, either singing French music or not, include David Guetta, Celine Dion, Stromae, Indila and Maître Gims.

One interesting fact about French music is that it was influenced by music styles from other parts of the world. French musicians have created their own identity in their music. From my experience with French music, French music addresses issues in the song and video. In Tous Les Memes by Stromae, he addresses the differences of being a man in a relationship to being the woman in a relationship.

French music has a style that’s unique yet combines styles as well. Maître Gims sings his song Bella and includes some Spanish language in the song, so it’s a multi-language song. When I first heard Bella, I thought it had a different effect than some of the other French music I have heard.

There are also artists who sing in several languages. Mika sings songs in one language but he has songs in both French and English. One of his songs in French is Elle me dit while one of his song in English is Grace Kelly.

Here is the link to Elle me dit by Mika, which has both French and English subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFVDv_Jhf2w

French music has the capacity to appeal to anyone. Lots of people would disregard it because they don’t know the language that well. I suggest that if you want to listen to French music, go on YouTube and search for a song you know is in French with English subtitles. I still do this to this day and it helps me improve my French vocabulary. The diversity and complexity of French music is one of the reasons that I still listen to it. Overall, French music has the capability of becoming something you could find interest in.