Archive for 'Music'
La Bannière Étoilée – Celebrating The Fourth Of July In French Posted by John Bauer on Jul 4, 2018
Today is le 4 juillet, je Jour de l’Independance, la fête nationale des État-Unis (the fourth of July, Independence Day, the National Day of the United States). We – and by that I mean les Américains – may not be able to cheer for notre équipe de foot (our soccer team) at la Coupe du…
French Music: Guy Béart’s “L’Eau vive” Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jul 2, 2018
Recently, my house has been afflicted by un ver d’oreille. The literally definition of this term is an “earworm.” But, don’t worry—this post isn’t about those nasty little insects. Rather, in French, un ver d’oreille is a catchy tune that you just can’t get out of your head. It began with my mother-in-law (ma belle mère) singing a song…
Bleu, Blanc, Rouge – Let’s Go France! Posted by John Bauer on Jun 27, 2018
With la Coupe du monde (the World Cup) well underway, now is a good time to learn about le foot and how to support les bleus (the French national team). En 2010, when la Coupe du monde was en Afrique du sud (in South Africa), a couple of French comedians came out with a fun…
Time to wake up Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 26, 2018
Summer has arrived and for most kids getting up early, getting ready for school, and homework are all in the past (for now at least until that oh-so-distant mythical future that is la rentrée de septembre / September’s return to school!) As a result, this week’s song might seem a bit better suited to the fall, but I’ve…
French Lyrics: Le poinçonneur des Lilas Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jun 5, 2018
Last week, we went over Serge Gainsbourg’s beloved song “Le poinçonneur des Lilas.” Now, let’s take a look at the lyrics and the word play the famous chanteur/compositeur wrote. The catchy réfrain of this song begins: “J’fais des trous, des p’tits trous, encore des p’tits trous.” (“I make holes, little holes, and more little holes.”) This refers…
French Music: “Le poinçonneur des Lilas” Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jun 1, 2018
One of the most famous musicians of all time is, of course, Serge Gainsbourg. But for non-native French listeners, it may be difficult to fully appreciate his music. Over the course of his career, Gainsbourg wrote some 550 songs…the lyrics of which often delve into puns and other forms of word play. Indeed, upon his…
A visit to Monaco Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 22, 2018
The Grand Prix de Monaco is this weekend (le 24 – 27 mai/May). It seemed like the occasion idéale (perfect opportunity) to talk about that tiny country nestled between France and Italy along la mer méditerranée (the Mediterranean Sea). Monaco or Monte-Carlo At just 2 square kilometers (or 485 acres), Monaco is the second-smallest country in the world (only…