French Music – Katty Line Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 11, 2018 in Culture, Music, Vocabulary
December is here and the holidays are right around the corner! After the last few weeks looking back to World War I and the recent protests that have rocked France, I thought we could all use something a little lighter … something like this great groovy 1960’s hit from Katty Line.
Qui est Katty Line? / Who is Katty Line?
Even though she was one of the stars of the French 1960’s musical genre known as yé-yé, I had never heard of Katty Line before I stumbled upon this YouTube clip of her hit Ne fais pas la tête (Don’t make that face). That is likely due to both the fact that she had greater success across the border in Italy and that her career was sadly cut short by a serious car accident at the beginning of the 1970’s.
Les yé-yé
While the genre (which takes its name from the English expression ‘yeah, yeah‘) spread throughout Europe, France was the epicenter of the groove-inspired sound that featured singers like France Gall, Françoise Hardy, Sylvie Vartan, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacqueline Taïeb, Jacques Dutronc, and Sheila.
| Elle est là | There she is |
| Dans la foule | In the crowd |
| Je la voie | I see her |
| C’est Katty Line | It’s Katty Line |
| Tu n’as pas dit un seul mot | You haven’t said a (single) word |
| Depuis plus d’un quart d’heure | For more than 15 minutes (lit. a quarter hour) |
| Ce n’est pas très rigolo | It’s not very fun |
| Je suis là | I am here |
| Toi tu es ailleurs | You, you’re somewhere else |
| Ne fais pas la tête | Don’t make that face / don’t pout |
| Ça ne te va pas | It doesn’t suit you |
| Ne fais pas la tête | Don’t be grumpy |
| Allons viens danser avec moi | Come dance with me |
| Arrête-toi de fumer | Stop your smoking |
| Et de boire verre après verre | And drinking one drink after another (lit. glass after glass) |
| C’est idiot de s’énerver | It’s stupid to get worked up |
| Quand on peut rire et s’amuser | When you can smile and have fun / have a good time |
| Refrain | Chorus |
| Tu sais bien que dans une heure | You know very well that an hour from now |
| Tu auras tout oublié | You will have forgotten anyway |
| Alors sois de bonne humeur | So cheer up / be happy |
| Tout de suite et allons danser | Right now … and let’s dance |
| Refrain | Chorus |
Click here to see / listen to another fun example of a yé-yé song that showed up a few years ago in the oh-so-retro American t.v. show Mad Men.
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About the Author: Tim Hildreth
Since my first trip to France at 16, I have been a passionate francophile. I love the language, food, music, art, people, and more that make France and la Francophonie in general such an amazing part of our global community. Having lived in France and studied the language and culture for over 35 years, it is my great pleasure to be able to share a little bit of my deep love with you through this blog.