Not every country is lucky enough to have a former model as their “first lady”, but France isn’t just any country! Carla Bruni Sarkozy, the wife of France’s former president, Nicolas Sarkozy (president from May 2007 – May 2012)* is not only a model, but also an accomplished singer.

Italian by birth, Carla Bruni grew up in France, and had a successful international modeling career in the 80’s and 90’s, but had already made the switch to singing when she married the French president in February of 2008. Her fourth album Little French Songs (2013) includes two songs I can always count on to put me in a French state of mind.

The title song Little French Song mixes French and English in a tribute to some of France’s greatest singer-songwriters, and to the power of song to evoke an emotion and take us outside of ourselves. You can watch and listen to the song here (annotated lyrics follow the embed below).

Et quand tout va mal, when life goes wrong
try for a little French song
French songs are maybe démodées mais si douces à fredonner [“outdated but so nice to hum”]
French songs are tender à l’envi, nostalgiques à l’infini [‘à l’envi’ is an expression that means “as much as you like” or “to your heart’s desire”; ‘nostalgique à l’infini’  means “very nostalgic”]

Quand on n’sait plus where to belong [“When you don’t know . . .” the ‘e’ in the negative particle ‘ne’ is omitted here as it often is in spoken or sung language]
try for a little French song
French songs will take you to Paris, to Pigalle ou l’Île Saint-Louis
French song are dancing sous la pluie, de Bastille aux Tuileries [in the rain, from Bastille to the Tuileries (park)]

Because we have de quoi frimer: we have Brassens, Brel and Ferré [‘frimer’ means to show off, or be proud of]
We have Boris Vian, Barbara, Gainsbourg, Trenet, Prévert, Kosma
Because we have de quoi choisir we have Aznavour, Reggiani, [‘de quoi choisir’ – enough to choose from, choices]
Bécaud, Nougaro, Moustaki, Edith Piaf, Cloclo and Johnny
Oui, oui, oui, oui

Bien sur c’n’est pas Duke Ellington [“Or course it’s not . . . “]
C’n’est pas Elvis ni Jackson
C’n’est pas Fitzgerald ou Armstrong
C’est just a little French song
Mais quand le chagrin reste too long [“But when regrets stay . . . ]
Moi je chante une little French song [“Me, I sing a . . . “]

Because we have de quoi frimer: we have Brassens, Brel and Ferré
We have Boris Vian, Barbara, Gainsbourg, Trenet, Prévert, Kosma
Because we have de quoi choisir we have Aznavour, Reggiani,
Bécaud, Nougaro, Moustaki, Edith Piaf, Cloclo and Johnny
Oui, oui, oui, oui

Et qu’on soit de Londres ou de Hong Kong, qu’on soit trois feuilles
ou shu-bang [“And if you happen to be from London or Hong Kong, translation omitted]
Qu’on soit djellaba ou sarong, try for a little French song [‘djellaba’ is a lose-fitting Moroccan outer garment]
Quand les méchants sonnent leur gong [When the mean ones ring their gong]
Moi je chante une little French song

All of the singers “name checked” by Carla in this song are wonderful. You can explore a bit more about each of them by clicking on their names in the first chorus above.

And if you liked that one, here’s another song you might enjoy. This one is all in French, but Carla is singing about what sounds like an amazing … and yet wholly imagined … visit to the vacation home of Keith Richards (of the Rolling Stones) and his companion Anita Pallenberg in the south of France.

* Until 2002 ‘le Président de la République française’ (or ‘le Président de la République’) served 7 year terms and could serve as many terms as re-elected for. After 2002, ‘le Président’ was limited to a five-year term and since 2008, French presidents are limited to two consecutive terms. Interesting fact: the president of France also holds the title of Co-Prince of Andorra, the land-locked principality of the Pyrenees.