Substack Soundtrack IX: Gettin' Ye-Ye With It

Tracklist

* France Gall - Laisser Tomber Les Filles - Leave the Girls Alone

* Annie Philippe - On M'a Toujours Dit - I Was Always Told

* Françoise Hardy - Comment Te Dire Adieu - How to Say Goodbye

* Inga - Dein Spiel Ist Endlich Aus - Your Game Is Finally Over

* Noelle Cordier - Cheese - Fromage

* Brigitte Bardot - Ne Me Laisse Pas L'aimer - Do Not Allow Me To Get Any Lamer

* Cecile Grandin - Le Scaphandre Blanc - The White Diving Suit

* Delphine - La Fermeture-éclair - The Zipper

* Zouzou - Demain - Tomorrow

* Christie Laume - Rouge-Rouge - Red-Red

* Gillian Hills - Tut, Tut, Tut, Tut - [Busy signal sound]

* Danielle Denin - Quand Tu M'embrasses - When You Kiss Me

* Milva - Tamburino, Ciao... - Tambourine, Goodbye...

* Pussy Cat - Cette Nuit - Tonight

* France Gall - L'amérique - America

* Katy Line - Les Mots Croisés - The Crosswords

* Ann Sorel - Attention - Attention

* Carmen - Les Pantalons - Pants

* France Gall - C'est Pas Facile D'être Une Fille - It’s Not Easy Being a Girl

* Pat Harris - Hippy Hippy Shake - Hippy Hippy Shaque

* Anne Kern - Tant Pis, Tant Pis, Entre Donc (Come On In) - Too Bad, Too Bad, Come On In

* Charlotte Leslie - Les Filles C'est Fait Pour Faire L'amour - Girls Are Made to Make Love

* France Gall - Ne Sois Pas Si Bete - Don’t Be So Dumb

* Jacqueline Taïeb - Le Coeur Au Bout Des Doigts - The Heart at the Tip of Your Fingers

* France Gall - Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son - Doll of Wax, Doll of Song

* Brigitte Bardot - Je Danse Donc Je Suis - I Dance, Therefore I Am

* Françoise Hardy - Voilà - Here It Is

* Marie LaForet - Mon Amour, Mon Ami - My Love, My Friend

* France Gall - Ella Elle L'a (Folamour Edit) - Ella, She’s Got It (Folamour Edit)

In France as much as in the US, the ‘60s brought unrest, cultural upheaval, and fast changes to traditional norms. The music we’re subjecting ourselves to today, known as “ye-ye” in France and other countries on the continent, emerged as a blending of chanson and early rock. It’s generally poppy and light music, but it served as a serious vehicle for personal expression and social critique for the then-teenage baby boomers.

Like comparable rock and pop material in Britain and the US, catchy melodies and exuberance were mashed up with subtext, political nuance, double entendres and commentary on sociosexual dynamics.

The genre became a defining voice for the youth of post-war France, capturing both the optimism and the rebellion that came with the baby boomer generation. It was a sound that both reflected and rejected the societal norms of a country that had just emerged from the shadow of World War II, and was now struggling with its post-colonial identity, the rise of consumer culture, and the looming student revolts of May 1968.

Laisser Tomber Les Filles – France Gall

France Gall’s debut hit, written by Serge Gainsbourg, is one of the defining tracks of the ye-ye genre. Gall, just 16, became the face of the genre with this flippant yet subtly critical anthem, which can be interpreted as a rejection of traditional female passivity suspended in a ruse love song. Someone should play this one for DJT. (Oh yeah, never mind, he definitely doesn’t speak any French.)

Gall’s early career, while predictably fraught with icky Sergegainsbourgian shenanigans, laid groundwork for the genre’s connection to subversive politics.

On M'a Toujours Dit – Annie Philippe

Annie Philippe’s song exemplifies naïve-sounding pop embedded with serious questions about tradition. "I Was Always Told" reveals a youth culture torn between the expectations of society and the search for personal identity.

Annie Philippe was known for her charming yet self-aware performances, and this track reflects the generational tension that would later be expressed in more overtly political and activist modalities in Paris and elsewhere.

Comment Te Dire Adieu – Françoise Hardy

Françoise Hardy is one of the most celebrated figures of ye-ye, and her work consistently carried an element of melancholic introspection that set her apart from the genre's bubbly median. "Comment Te Dire Adieu," another collaboration with Gainsbourg, is a heart-wrenching meditation.

Hardy's music reflected postwar alienation, making her not just a pop star but an influencer that showed real emotional complexity. While rooted in pop, this song carries an introspective tone which can be seen as an early reflection of the cultural shift that would eventually give rise to the student movements of the late 1960s.

Dein Spiel Ist Endlich Aus – Inga

Inga’s husky delivery is really something else.

"Dein Spiel Ist Endlich Aus" ("Your Game Is Finally Over") straddles the line between French pop and Schlager, blending a cheerful pop sensibility of ye-ye with the melancholic introspection found in German pop of the era.

I know of artists in Italy, Germany, and Austria that could have been classed as ye-ye; presumably all of Western Europe had echoes of the French scene.

Cheese – Noelle Cordier

“Cheese” is one of the more experimental entries in this selection. Cordier, known for her avant-garde approach to ye-ye, takes a more playful, even absurdist approach to the genre. The track’s unexpected title and quirky instrumentation make it a stand-out piece, offering a departure from the conventional themes of love and heartache. In a broader cultural context, it mirrors the youth culture’s embrace of the absurd and the unpredictable—a reflection of the 1960s countercultural movements that were gaining momentum.

Ne Me Laisse Pas L'aimer – Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot was not just a film icon but a cultural symbol of 1960s France. Her involvement in the ye-ye scene, particularly with "Ne Me Laisse Pas L'aimer," merges her iconic sensuality with the innocence and rebellion of ye-ye. Bardot’s image as a liberated woman made her both a feminist figure and a reflection of the sexual revolution in France, even though she never explicitly aligned herself with the feminist movement. This song, like much of her oeuvre, uses sexuality as both a personal expression and a political statement, underlining the changing gender dynamics of the time.

Le Scaphandre Blanc – Cecile Grandin

Cecile Grandin’s “Le Scaphandre Blanc” is one of the more obscure tracks in this collection but offers a fascinating glimpse into the avant-garde side of ye-ye. The track’s haunting atmosphere and ethereal quality evoke themes of alienation, a theme that would later be explored more explicitly in the student protests and the cultural revolution of 1968. Grandin’s music, while remaining in the ye-ye mold, brings a more introspective and intellectual approach to the genre.

La Fermeture-éclair – Delphine

Delphine’s "La Fermeture-éclair" (The Zipper) is a playful yet pointed track that reflects the innocence of ye-ye while also hinting at the sexuality that the genre often flirted with. The metaphor of the zipper can be seen as a symbol for the increasing visibility of sexual liberation in France, a theme that became central during the May 1968 protests, when the personal became increasingly political.

Demain – Zouzou

Zouzou’s “Demain” (“Tomorrow”) evokes a sense of both hope and uncertainty, typical of the 1960s generation. As the title suggests, it looks ahead to a future that is full of possibility, yet remains shrouded in political and social ambiguity. This sense of duality—hope tempered by uncertainty—was a defining theme for France’s youth in the years following the war. Zouzou, known for her charming and playful persona, also captured the rising discontent that was brewing beneath the surface of the French youth movement. As the country stood on the edge of the May 1968 protests, the theme of looking toward a different future resonated deeply with the socio-political realities of the time, where the old order was being questioned, and new ideals were being forged by the younger generation.

Rouge-Rouge – Christie Laume

Christie Laume’s “Rouge-Rouge” is a vibrant, energetic track that reflects the optimism and romanticism of ye-ye. The song’s title, “Red-Red,” evokes a sense of color and vividness, but could also be seen as a nod to the rising leftist political movements in France during the period. The 1960s saw an increased awareness of class struggles, and the growing political left in France was drawing connections between social justice and cultural production. Laume, like many of her contemporaries, embraced the freedom of expression that characterized the ye-ye movement while also positioning herself within a social context that was increasingly concerned with both personal freedom and political autonomy. “Rouge-Rouge” can thus be interpreted as a playful yet subtly political exploration of youthful rebellion.

Tut, Tut, Tut, Tut – Gillian Hills

Gillian Hills’ “Tut, Tut, Tut, Tut” plays with the repetition and rhythmic intensity that defined much of the ye-ye sound. While the track is more in line with pop playfulness than overtly political themes, its innocent flirtation with rhythm and sound betrays a deeper cultural subtext. The repetitive nature of the song, combined with Hills’ cheerful delivery, reflects the mass consumer culture of the 1960s, where advertising and mainstream entertainment were becoming more ubiquitous and saturating the lives of young people. Hills’ inclusion in the ye-ye genre underscores the genre’s capacity for both lighthearted pop entertainment and its ability to be a mirror of the larger cultural forces at play during the 1960s.

Quand Tu M'embrasses – Danielle Denin

Danielle Denin’s “Quand Tu M'embrasses” (“When You Kiss Me”) combines the quintessential ye-ye sensibility with a sense of romantic longing that was often present in the genre’s exploration of love and relationships. Denin’s sweet yet assertive voice embodies the tension between traditional female roles and the modern liberation that ye-ye sought to express. The lyrics, though rooted in romanticism, can also be interpreted as a quiet rebellion against the expected passivity of women in 1960s French society. The song’s sweetness serves as both a commentary on youth’s desires and a symbol of the changing expectations for women in France, a period when the gender roles were starting to shift in the face of the feminist movements and student protests that would soon take shape.

Tamburino, Ciao... – Milva

Milva’s “Tamburino, Ciao...” (“Tambourine, Goodbye...”) is a reflective, somewhat somber track that captures the emotional depth of ye-ye. Milva, known for her dramatic vocal delivery and operatic range, brings a certain intensity to the genre that contrasts with the more light-hearted songs typically associated with ye-ye. The track, with its melancholic undertones, hints at the turbulent times in which it was created, as France faced political uncertainty and a growing divide between generations. Milva’s involvement in the ye-ye movement is a reminder that the genre was never monolithic; it spanned a wide range of emotional expressions, from the playful to the existential, capturing the complexities of a country on the brink of major social change.

Cultural and Political Context: Ye-Ye and 1960s France

As youth movements began to challenge the conservative structures of society, ye-ye served as a sonic backdrop to at least part of the cultural revolution. While one couldn’t call them protest songs, because they were in the cultural context of demands for social justice, academic reform, ye-ye was inevitably connected to the political shifts, the contemporaneous strength of the Left, and the drive reform in Paris at the time.

The Sorbonne became the site of radical student activism during these protests, and much like the students who rejected the status quo, ye-ye artists rejected the conventional roles expected of them by the patriarchal French society. They embraced individualism, sexual liberation, and cultural autonomy, themes that paralleled the demands made in "On the Poverty of Student Life", a manifesto published by students of the Sorbonne in 1966, critiquing the lack of meaningful intellectual engagement in higher education.

The ye-ye sound reflected France’s postcolonial identity crisis, its drive toward modernity, and the increasing left-leaning political consciousness of its younger generation.

In a time of economic prosperity and social revolution, ye-ye shared tension between tradition and progress, offering part of the soundtrack to the complex political landscape of the 1960s.

These songs form a narrative of a specific part French youth culture in the 1960, one that intertwines personal expression and political awakening. As ye-ye was shaped by the political climate of post-colonial France and the student revolts of 1968, these tracks offer a window into the tensions between liberation, romance, and political critique. Through playful melodies and poignant lyrics, ye-ye artists constructed an audacious, if subtly subversive, commentary on the evolving roles of women, the rise of youth autonomy, and the larger political changes that were unfolding in France.