Very few people know that the the famous Christmas carol, O Holy Night, was originally French! The French name of the song in French is Minuit Chrétien (Pronunciation: mee-nwee kray-tee-un; Meaning: Christian midnight). Another name for the carol is Cantique de Noël (meaning Christmas Hyme). This post provides an in-depth explanation of the vocabulary and …
French Songs
Song overview “Amsterdam” (Also called “The Port of Amsterdam) is one of Belgian singer Jacques Brel’s (1929 – 1978) most famous songs after “Ne Me Quitte Pas”. Brel never recorded the song for an album but performed it on live album Enregistrement Public à l’Olympia (1964). The song’s lyrics recount the exploits or sailors on …
“La Bohème” (pronounced lah boh-ehm or la bɔɛm) is the most famous song of French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour. Recorded in 1965, the song was written by both Aznavour and French lyricist Jacques Plante. The meaning of “La Bohème” is “The Bohemian”. La Bohème is of the Chanson genre, which means it is a French lyrics-driven song. …
In this post we’ll take a close look at the classic French song Les Feuilles Mortes (1945) by Yves Montand. This is the original French vergion of the popular jazz song Autumn Leaves. This post offers line-by-line explanations of the French lyrics’ vocabulary and grammar as well as an original English translation of the French …
The song “La Mer” (meaning: the sea) is the most successful song of French singer Charles Trenet (1913 – 2001). Recorded in 1946 just after World War II, it is the most famous French songs of all time after Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose”. The song appeared on Trenet’s album, “La Mer / Seul …
