Jan 12, 2021
Songs when you want to give up on French
There are times when each one of us language learners wants to give up on learning the language. Language learning is a structured process of learning and remembering the vocabulary, grammar, and legit/most common expressions in the language. For some of us, this process turns into a tedious rather than joyful process.
My way of relaxing from this grammar frenzy is resorting to music and EASY lyrics of the language I am learning. So here goes the list of 9 songs in French that not only help me revive the love for the language, but also learn the accent and lyrics.
If you are looking for some classic French songs, please do not read further as I do not include any of the old, classics here.
1. Maître Gims — Est-ce que tu m’aimes
Check out the lyric video here.
2. Indila — Dernière Danse
Remember the famous viral tune used in The joker movie? Yes, it comes from Indilas’ Dernière danse. It was in 2019 when I watched the Joker and was rather impatient to identify where the movie’s most depressive tune came from. Voila!! Dernière danse. Check out the lyric video here.
3. Stromae — Tous les Mêmes
Who doesn’t love the songs from Stromae? Came across Papaoutai one evening and didn’t look back. Tous Les Mêmes is a satirical take on how women stereotype men as disloyal (smh). Check out the lyric video here.
4. Coeur de Pirate — Ne m’appelle pas
One of the first songs from Coeur de Pirate that I came across was Comme des enfants in 2015 when a Venezuelan friend of mine suggested it to me. That became one of my favorite songs in French but I never personally searched for French songs until after starting to live in a French-speaking region in Europe. It was in 2020 that I came across the video of this song and became the ultimate Coeur de Pirate fan. Check out the lyric video here.
5. Je veux — Zaz
Check out the lyric video here.
6. Mon Petit Pays — Frero Delavega
Check out the lyric video here.
7. Aya Nakamura — Djadja
Was on a trip to Paris when I heard this track at the metro station. Check out the lyric video here.
8. Stromae — Papaoutai
Another one from Stromae. Though this one is a tad bit sad video it offers quite amazing lyrics. The son in this video wants to do what the father is doing, but the father stays static. Eventually, the son grows up to mimic the father and becomes just like him. Check out the lyric video here.
9. Ça va, ça vient — Vitaa /Slimane
Check out the lyric video here.
Bonus: If you are fond of language fusion songs, here is a list of songs where French is mixed with German, English, Arabic, and Hindi.
Namika — je ne parle pas français
Namika is a German singer and usually sings in German, but this is her first German-French fusion song with Black M. I came across this song while reading Anna Karenina in a little cafe on Muensterplatz, Bonn, Germany. Check out the lyric video here.
Aicha — Cheb Khaled
Found this gem from Cheb Khaled in my dorm room in 2016. ;)
Je T’aime
Goes without saying that this song is from one of those cheesy Bollywood movies where Hindi songs just smoothly fuse with French. Check the lyric video here.
Dua Lipa, Angèle — Fever
Well, it is hot trending right now (right now = Nov 2020). I just join the Dua Lipa-Angèle bandwagon. Check out the lyric video here.
My Mind Is a Stranger Without You
Had I not watched The hundred-foot journey, I would not have come across this beautiful fusion song from A.R. Rahman and Solange Merdinian. Check out the video here. Unfortunately, I did not find any video with lyrics.
I hope you enjoyed the songs on the list. Please feel free to leave comments with your favorite French songs.
