A sure way to sing along with the fascinating new Piaf

A SURE WAY TO SING ALONG WITH THE FASCINATING NEW PIAF

So, I turn my head to see who’s singing.

The evening is young, a little chilly, not too late to take a stroll on the quai de la Seine, les bateaux-mouche moving slowly on the calm, cold water, the color of melted steel.

People gathered around in silence, not making a big fuss about it, but transported into a sweet surrender, because someone was leading the way into love and joy.

French music has a very specific effect on me – some songs define specific moments from my life, have that effect on me like a perfume, which makes you re-live experiences that you thought you already forgot. They became part of my soul. Other songs are so foreign, so empty, almost as if from another world.

What I was hearing was unexpectedly familiar…

Here she was.

Braided hair haphazardly falling on her tunique, simple clothes (made me think of Jeanne d’Arc), eyes on fire, smile of a 10 year old girl, singing her heart out in front of a small crowd: Zaz.

It made me understand why people would start learning French just to understand her music. Just to be closer to a big heart like hers. Just to immerse in her form of magic.

Isabelle Geffroy, brought her nickname Zaz in a few short years to be equivalent to “the new Piaf”.

With her gipsy look, simple words, accompanied by a cello and an acoustic guitar, made the song “Je veux” a national anthem that stayed on France’s lips for months on end and made people sing it in over and over again.

Addictive through its raw feelings, the song evokes in a rhythm of jazz manouche everything that we could give up in the name of « ma » liberté.

Go ahead, sing along, learn the lyrics, get transported.

Donnez-moi une suite au Ritz, je n’en veux pas!
Des bijoux de chez Chanel, je n’en veux pas!
Donnez-moi une limousine, j’en ferais quoi, papalapapapa
Offrez-moi du personnel, j’en ferais quoi?
Un manoir à Neufchatel, ce n’est pas pour moi
Offrez-moi la Tour Eiffel, j’en ferais quoi, papalapapapa

Je veux d’l’amour, d’la joie, de la bonne humeur
Ce n’est pas votre argent qui f’ra mon bonheur
Moi j’veux crever la main sur le cœur, papalapapapa
Allons ensemble, découvrir ma liberté
Oubliez donc tous vos clichés, bienvenue dans ma réalité!

J’en ai marre de vos bonnes manières, c’est trop pour moi!
Moi je mange avec les mains et j’suis comme ça!
J’parle fort et je suis franche, excusez-moi!
Finie l’hypocrisie moi j’me casse de là!
J’en ai marre des langues de bois!
Regardez-moi, toute manière j’vous en veux pas
Et j’suis comme ça (j’suis comme ça) papalapapapa

Je veux d’l’amour, d’la joie, de la bonne humeur
Ce n’est pas votre argent qui f’ra mon bonheur
Moi j’veux crever la main sur le cœur, papalapapapa
Allons ensemble, découvrir ma liberté
Oubliez donc tous vos clichés, bienvenue dans ma réalité!

And, if you want to genuinely immerse in her world, and Piaf’s world, or whoever your favorite French singer is, learn to speak Parisian French, so that you can sing along with Zaz when you will see her accidentally, singing in the streets of Paris.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN!
Comment below and let me know what is your favorite Zaz song?

Let me guess.