Arras France Tourism Guide

If the links don’t work anymore, just copy-paste the name of the artist and the title of his song on YouTube, the video clip should come.

• Renaud Séchan (born on 11th May 1952 in Paris)

Commonly known as “Renaud“, he is a popular French singer and songwriter.

With more than 15 million albums sold, Renaud is one of the most famous singers in France and in the French-speaking world.

Raised in an educated milieu, and son of an intellectual, Renaud adopted the looks and attitude of working-class youth in the 1970s, and reflected this in his lyrics. A recurrent theme is his disgust for the average French people with petit-bourgeois preoccupations and right-wing leanings. His music focuses on the disparity between classes, the abuse of political power, overbearing authority and disgust for the military, with rare glimpses of tenderness for his fellow humans, the planet earth, and art. His song “Miss Maggie” praised the kindness of women with the markedly ironic exception of Margaret Thatcher.

He also tackled current issues by drawing a parallel between a victim of the 9-11 attacks in New York and an Afghan girl, both victims of a war they don’t understand in “Manhattan-Kaboul” (a duet with Axelle Red).

Several of his songs can be classified as long-lasting hits in France, including the sea tale “Dès que le vent soufflera”, the irreverent “Laisse béton”, the ballad “Morgane de toi” and the nostalgic “Mistral gagnant”. With the possible exception of franglais recording of “It is not because you are”, his work is almost unknown outside the French-speaking world.

Discography:

Studio albums:

* 1975: Amoureux de Paname (Polydor)
* 1977: Laisse béton (Polydor)
* 1979: Ma gonzesse (Polydor)
* 1980: Marche à l’ombre (Polydor)
* 1981: Le retour de Gérard Lambert (Polydor)
* 1983: Morgane de toi (Polydor)
* 1985: Mistral gagnant (Virgin)
* 1988: Putain de camion (Virgin)
* 1991: Marchand de cailloux (Virgin)
* 1992: Renaud cante el’ nord (Virgin) (Traditional folk songs)
* 1994: A la belle de mai (Virgin)
* 1996: Renaud chante Brassens (Virgin)
* 2002: Boucan d’enfer (Virgin)
* 2006: Rouge sang (EMI France)

Live albums:

* 1980: Bobino (Polydor)
* 1981: Le p’tit bal du samedi soir et autres chansons réalistes (Polydor)
* 1982: Un Olympia pour moi tout seul (Polydor)
* 1989: Visage pâle rencontrer public (Virgin)
* 1996: Paris-Province (Virgin)
* 2003: Tournée d’enfer (Virgin)

Awards:

* 1993: Traditional music album of the year award for “Renaud cante el’ nord”
* 2001: Lifetime achievement award
* 2003: Three awards given for: Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year (for Manhattan-Kaboul with Axelle Red)

Mistral gagnant : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYb_aYgmGP4

Laisse béton : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC5eMh1FuaU

Les bobos : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omx94meg8cg

Dès que le vent soufflera : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQS0vk8nQUM

Miss Maggie : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5DVuITUt6I

Manhattan Kaboul (duet with Axelle Red): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEcCs-So2IA

• Hugues Aufray (born on 18th August 1929 in Neuilly-sur-Seine)

Hugues Aufray is a famous French singer and guitarist. He began his career singing in Spanish. His songs are often poetic and talk about friendhip, fraternity and respect.

Aufray represented Luxembourg in the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest, performing “Dès que le printemps revient” and finishing fourth. His most famous songs are “Santiano”, “Hasta luego”, “Céline”, “Stewball” and in Spanish, “Barco de Papel”.

Aufray is well known for his French adaptations of Bob Dylan’s songs.

Discography:

LPs

1964 : Olympia 64 Hugues Aufray et son Skiffle Group
1965 : Hugues Aufray chante Bob Dylan
1966 : En direct de l’olympia
1966 : Céline/Dès que le printemps revient
1969 : Récital musicorama à l’olympia
1970 : Avec Amour
1971 : H.A & his folks
1972 : Garlick
1972 : Vous ma lady/Adieu
1973 : Nicole – chez Atlantic n° 50.018 (Nom d’un petit village du Lot et Garonne)
1976 : Aquarium
1978 : Transatlantic
1980 : Hugues
1981 : Caravane
1982 : Route 82
1985 : Petit homme
1987 : tu t’en iras
Dou Wakadou/On est les rois/Les remords et les regrets/Bambou
L’homme orchestre/Je croyais/Laisse-moi petite fille/Les yeux fermés

CDs

Concert intégral
A l’Olympia 1964
1991 : La Terre est si belle, Carabas Production : reprise de 16 de ses succès avec des arrangements plus électriques.
1993 : Little Troubadour
1993 : Santiano, Barclay
1993 : Integrale Barclay
1994 : Best of
1995 : Aufray trans dylan
1999 : Le meilleur d’Hugues Aufray
2000 : Chacun sa mer
2000 : Best of
2001 : Aux vents solitaires
2005 : Hugues Aufray chante Félix Leclerc
2005 : Hugues Aufray, plus live que jamais
2007 : Hugh !
2009 : New Yorker

Santiano: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZiLKwTuvks

• Patrick Bruel (born as Maurice Benguigui, on 14th May 1959 in Tlemcen, Algeria)

He is a Jewish French singer, actor, and professional poker player.

Although Bruel aspired to be a football (soccer) star as a youth, he decided to pursue singing after seeing Michel Sardou in 1975. However, his first success came as an actor, in 1979’s Le Coup de sirocco. He continued acting in films, on television and in the theater while pursuing his singing career. His first single, “Vide” (“Empty”), released in 1982, was not a success, but the follow up , “Marre de cette nana-là” (“Fed up with that chick”), was a hit.

As of 2004, Bruel has acted in more than 40 different television and film productions and made five studio albums and several live albums. His last album to date is Entre Deux (2002), a double CD of classic chanson that features duets with Charles Aznavour, Jean-Louis Aubert, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Alain Souchon and Renaud, among others. It sold two million copies and made Bruel France’s best paid singer of the year. At the beginning of 2005, in response to the South Asian tsunami of December 26th, 2004, Bruel wrote the song “Et puis la terre” to benefit the Red Cross.

In addition to acting and singing, Bruel is a world class professional poker player. He won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1998 for the $5,000 Limit Hold’em event. As of 2008 he has earned more than $900,000 in live tournament play. He also comments the World Poker Tour in his home country.

Discography:

Studio albums:

1982 Vide
1984 De face
1989 Alors, regarde
1994 Bruel
1995 Plaza de los héroes
1999 Juste avant
2002 Entre deux
2006 Des Souvenirs devant

Live albums:

1987 À tout à l’heure
1991 Si ce soir…
1995 On s’était dit…
2001 Rien ne s’efface…
2003 Entre deux à l’Olympia
2007 Des Souvenirs… ensemble

Singles:

1984 “Marre de cette nana-là !”
1985 “Comment ça va pour vous ?”
1986 “Non, j’veux pas”
“J’roule vers toi”
1987 “Tout l’monde peut s’tromper”
1989 “Casser la voix”
1990 “J’te l’dis quand même”
“Alors regarde”
1991 “Place des grands hommes”
“Décalé”
“Qui a le droit…”
1994 “Bouge !”
“Combien de murs…”
1995 “J’suis quand même là”
1999 “J’te mentirais”
2000 “Pour la vie”
“Au Café des délices”
“Tout s’efface”
2002 “Mon Amant de Saint Jean”
“La Complainte de la butte”
“Ménilmontant”
2006 “J’m’attendais pas à toi”

Place des grands hommes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PImVZvDr0ik

Au café des délices: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQTmN53grC8

Alors regarde: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5U2xndUDYY

• Julien Clerc (born on 4th October, 1947 in Paris)

Paul-Alain Leclerc, popularly known as Julien Clerc is a French singer, songwriter and pianist.

His father was a UNESCO employee and his mother is from Guadeloupe. Most of his songs were written by Étienne Roda-Gil, a long time collaborator. His brother, Gérard Leclerc, is a political commentator on France 3.

Julien Clerc owes his fame in France to his leading role in the 1969 French language adaptation of the musical Hair. Since then, he has sung many popular songs and is generally considered as one of the greatest francophone musicians of his generation. In 2003, he was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees after transferring the rights to his hugely popular song, Partir, to the UN.

Awards:

1974 : Five golden records

Discography:

* 1968, Yann et les dauphins.
* 1970, Des jours entiers à t’aimer
* 1971, Julien Clerc
* 1972, Liberté égalité ou la mort
* 1973, Julien
* 1974, Terre de France
* 1975, N°7
* 1976, A mon âge et a l’heure qu’il est
* 1978, Jaloux
* 1979, 36 Front populaire (comédie musicale)
* 1980, Clerc Julien
* 1980, Sans entracte
* 1981, Vendredi 13 (live à Lyon mars 1981)
* 1982, Femmes indiscrétion et blasphème
* 1983, Pantin 1983 (live)
* 1984, Aime-moi
* 1987, Les aventures à l’eau
* 1990, Fais-moi une place
* 1990, Pierre et le Loup de Prokofiev (voix off)
* 1991, Amours secretes…passions publiques
* 1992, Utile
* 1994, Olympia integral 94 (live)
* 1996, Julien
* 1997, Si on chantait (compilation)
* 1997, Le 4 octobre (live 4 octobre 1997) Concert to celebrate his 30-year music career in the Palais des Sports.
* 1998, Integrale 68-98
* 1999, Aimer (ses plus belles chanson d’amour) + Danser + Partir (compilations)
* 2000, Si j’étais elle
* 2002, Julien déménage électrique-acoustique (live 2cds)
* 2003, Studio
* 2005, Double Enfance
* 2006, 100 Chansons (compilation 5 CD)
* 2008, Où s’en vont les avions

Cooperation in:

* 1979, Emilie Jolie by Philippe Chatel

Femmes je vous aime : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz_fK97ggwc

Fais moi une place : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DB97l_V96U

Ma préférence : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbtt-HS2VjI

• Francis Cabrel (born on 23rd November 1953 in Agen, France)

Cabrel is a French singer, songwriter and guitarist. Inspired heavily by Bob Dylan, he has released a number of albums falling mostly within the realm of folk, with occasional forays into blues or country. Several of his songs, such as “L’encre de tes yeux” and “Petite Marie” have become enduring favourites in French music. Others, such as “C’était l’hiver”, about the suicide of a young girl, have since been covered by other artists such as Canadian Isabelle Boulay.

While Cabrel is best known for his French songs, he has also recorded powerful original songs and moving translations of some of his French songs into Spanish.

Discography:

Studio albums:

* Francis Cabrel (also known as Les Murs De Poussière) (1977, CBS)
* Les chemins de traverse (1979, CBS)
* Fragile (1980, CBS)
* Carte Postale (1981, CBS)
* Quelqu’un de l’intérieur (1983, CBS)
* Photos de voyages (1985, CBS)
* Sarbacane (1989, CBS)
* Samedi soir sur la terre (1994, Columbia)
* Hors-saison (1999, Columbia)
* Les beaux dégâts (2004, Columbia)
* Des roses et des orties (2008/03/31, Columbia)

Live albums:

* Cabrel Public (1984, CBS)
* D’une ombre à l’Autre (1991, Columbia)
* Double tour (Électrique & acoustique) (2000, Columbia, 3 CDs)
* La tournée des bodegas (2005, Columbia)

Compilations:

* Cabrel 77-87 (1987, CBS)
* L’Essentiel 1977-2007 (2007, Chandelle Production)
* Lo Mejor de los Mejores (1994, Sony Music, Special Marketing)

Petite Marie : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKzNdJAuBzI

Je l’aime à mourir : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHVqKqmbhFA&feature=related

L’encre de tes yeux : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW7VqGn_Nhg

I want to emphasize that I have only mentioned the most popular French singers these days. I haven’t mentioned those who have had a very long career in France and abroad. This is the case of Mireille Mathieu who has achieved great success in France, as well as becoming an international superstar (she was extremely popular in the Soviet Union). She has performed and recorded songs in at least nine languages.

Jacques Brel, Claude François, Georges Brassens, Edith Piaf, Michel Polnareff, Michel Berger, Charles Aznavour, and Michel Sardou have all had a very long and successful career in music.