Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Bonjour Chanson Series 34 Episode 166

Bonjour Chanson Series 34, Episode 166

Play Track 01 for 29 seconds “Cette Fenêtre”

Start Text segment 1 ? Welcome to « Bonjour Chanson » ! We’ll introduce you to the best of French Popular Music. No French language skills required to enjoy the show. My name is Charles Spira and I’ll be your host. We heard an excerpt from “That Window” by Julien Belliard. More about this artist at the end of the show when we’ll listen to the entire song.

It has been a life full of study for Marlène Rodriguez. The transverse flute, music theory, many tests at the Conservatory in Clamart, her home town near Paris, dance lessons and a lot of singing of all kinds. But also academics that culminated in a Master’s degree in Economy and Finance. In 2016, while occupying an important position in International finance, she felt compelled to write songs and two years later she decided to become a fulltime musician, leaving the world of finance behind. We listen to “How” with her words and music from her first album published in 2019. “I know many things, I speak a lot about nothing at all, which I repeat. It gets entangled, clashes and mixes together. I know a lot about you, of whom I speak well, all those things, all these words, which dress us and make us look good. ” ? End text segment 1

Play Track 02 ? Comment

Start Text segment 2 ?

“Comment” by Marlène Rodriguez.

Lili Cros and Thierry Chazelle had solo careers before they ascended the stage together for the first time in 2008 at a festival in Québec. It was a match made in heaven and since that day they have been criss-crossing France bringing great joy to audiences with their spirited stage performances. For them, no doubt, their most memorable concert was their 723rd in 2019 at the Olympia in Paris, the Mecca of French Chanson.
They interpret “the Port at Le Havre” from 2008, with music by Lili and Thierry and lyrics by Thierry. They recorded this version while sheltering in place, like everyone else, during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. “It’s the hour when the morning is full of oxygen, when footsteps still sound too loud, the scent of coffee takes hold of you, at the port in Le Havre. It’s the hour of the freight train, when the night reveals itself in colors. A few grey vapors will linger, at the port in Le Havre.” ? End Text segment 2.

Play Track 03 ? Le Havre sur le Port

Text segment 3 ?
“Le Havre Sur le Port” by Lili Cros & Thierry Chazelle
The singer/songwriter Francoeur, real name Vanessa Burel, was born near Paris but today she identifies closely with the Yonne region, whose principal city is Auxerre. She has been singing and playing music since she was very young.
She has played the piano, the drums, the bass, even the ukulele, but when she discovered the harp it was love at first sight. She’s an autodidact, and though she admits that her mastery of the harp is a work in progress, she and the instrument have become inseparable.
We listen to ”Draw Me” with her words and music, from her second album “Where Does the North Come From?” published in 2019. “Draw me, the monster that I am, the animal in your life that always runs away. Draw me, the monster that you see, the one you believe in, draw me. Draw me the color of the night, the sky that darkens over your best days.“ ? End of Text segment 3.

Play Track 04 ? Dessine-moi

Text segment 4 ?

« Dessine-Moi » by Francoeur

During the nineties three young men, Olivier Leite, Florent Vintrigner and Mourad Musset met at “The Theatre of the Wire” in Savigny-Sur-Orge near Paris. They toured with the theatre group for several years.

During a pause, Florent and Olivier took off for Bretagne where they took the stage at small venues with a guitar and their voices. On their return to Paris they added their friend Mourad. That’s how the group La Rue Ketanou was born.

The name sounds like but is not spelled like “The Street That Belongs to Us”. They seduced their audiences wherever they went and soon were invited to open concerts for well-known artists. Over the years they separated to pursue personal interests but reunited on several occasions to create a new album. In 2020 they added the accordionist Pierre Luquet to the trio for the album “2020”. They interpret “Day and Night” from that album. All four contributed to the words and music. “Do not fear, life is here, the flowers are not so fragile. The earth can support you, after your steps it springs back. Where are we at? We are here. Since life hangs only by a thread, you are not alone. Welcome me in your exile.” ? End of text segment 4.

Play Track 05 ? Le Jour et la Nuit

Text segment 5 ?

« Le Jour et la Nuit » par La Rue Ketanou

Ludivine Nebra who was born in the Département of Gironde in South Western France, has played the classical guitar since she was 8. She composed her first song when she was 16. The Youth Culturel Center “ABC de Blanquefort” gave her the first opportunity to perform in public.
Ludivine sings in French, Spanish and Portuguese. On her return from a trip to South America she created a musical spectacle “Daily Voyages” which is also the title of her first solo album published in 2019. She interprets “I Remember” with her words and music from that album.
“I remember, we left hand in hand without talking to each other for the school on the corner. I remember as if it were tomorrow, I remember it well. I remember we quarreled over nothing, like a marble lost to a neighbor. I remember as if it were tomorrow. I remember it well. Tomorrow I’ll be 8, tomorrow I’ll be 10.” ? End of text segment 5.

Play Track 06 ? Je Me Souviens

Text segment 6 ?

« Je Me Souviens » by Ludivine Nebra

The artist Julien Belliard, who lives in Argenteuil in Greater Paris, taught himself the guitar. He was still very young when he wanted to tell his own musical stories. Initially he performed under the name Zo. In 2020 he published the album “The Mirage of Zo” under his real name.

We listen to “That Window” with his words and music from that album. “Tell me, do you remember us over there? Did you keep the memory of our first nights? And under the roofs, there was only the sky and your presence in the night. Our window up high under the roof. It was winter in that city we did not know. We went from one day to the next, like snapping our fingers.” ? End of text segment 6

Play Track 01 ? Cette Fenêtre

Text segment 7 ? With “Cette Fenêtre” by Julien Belliard or program comes to an end. “Bonjour Chanson” is recorded in Baltimore, Maryland. My name is Charles Spira. All previous episodes are available at exchange.prx.org, the site of PRX, The Public Radio Exchange. Please, tune in to the next episode. We love your company.

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