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Playlist: Radio, Je T'aime

Compiled By: PRX Editors

 Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ainet">Ainet on Flickr</a>
Image by: Ainet on Flickr 
Curated Playlist

Show off your French-itude and celebrate Bastille Day, July 14.

Radio made for an evening under the Eiffel Tower or long walks down the Champs-Élysées.

These are picks chosen by PRX editorial staff. You can see all French radio on PRX by using our search.

Not Your Mother's French Music!

From Charles Spira | 53:11

We invite you to listen to 17 among the most exciting French Popular Music songs released since 2012. Open a bottle of your favorite wine, Sit back, relax and enjoy!

Joy_of_french_popular_music_small We have selected the most exciting and engaging recent French Language Songs and bring them to you with a short introduction in English.  The program has been split into three segments to allow for Station identification breaks and other announcements.  Here is the lineup:
Segment1
Stromae,(Belgium),Formidable
Amandine Bourgeois,(France),Envie d'Un Manque de Problemes
Daguerre,(France),Carmen
Celine Dion,(Canada),Moi Quand Je Pleure
IAM,(France),L'Amour Qu'on Me donne
La Grande Sophie,(France),Sucrer les Fraises
Segment2
David Parienti,(France),Rien Au-dessus de Nous
Juliette Noureddine,(France),La Petite Robe Noire
Tristan Nihouarn,(France),Des Merveilles
Anouk Aiata,(France),Errer
Detroit,(France), Droit dans le Soleil
Circus,(France),Amour Suicide
Segment3
Babx,(France),Suzanne aux Yeux Noirs
Barbara Carlotti,(France),J'ai Change
Ycare,(France),Avenue
Daphne,(France),Rocambolesque Morocco
Elephant,(France),Collective Mon Amour 

The Magic Tent. A Celebration of French Language Popular Music

From Charles Spira | 50:59

Prepare to be dazzled by the Music, Voices and Artists in this Whirlwind Tour of French Language Popular Music. This program was specially created for English Speaking Audiences. A great selection for Bastille Day, July 14.

France_departmental_map_small We like to think of French Popular Music as a colorful tent.  In the center stand srong pillars, representing the legendary artists from the 1950's.  A bit further from the center we find the pillars of the next generation of Artists. At the periphery there is constant movement.  Young artists are coming into the tent and immigrants are bringing their traditions, adapting them to the idiom of French Popular Music. You'll take a Grand Tour of this beautiful genre in less than an hour.  The commentary is in English, but you'll be surrounded by beautiful melodies and voices singing in French.  Prepare to be dazzled.  This program is perfect to mark Bastille Day.

If you enjoy this program, then you will  love the "Bonjour Chanson" Series which will bring you many hours of French Language Music.

In this program you'll hear extracts from:

Najoua Belyzel, (France), Au Feminin
Edith Piaf, (France), Cri du Coeur
Georges Brassens, (France), Les Passantes
Charles Aznavour, (France), Emmenez-moi
Jacques Brel, (Belgium), Amsterdam
Mouloudji, (France), Un Jour tu Verras
Barbara, (France), Du Bout des Levres
Charles Trenet, (France), Vous Qui Passez Sans Me Voir
Francis Cabrel, (France), La Robe et L'Echelle
Francoise Hardy, (France), Je Suis Moi
Alain Souchon, (France), Ecoutez d'Ou Ma Peine Vient
Jean-Jacques Goldman, (France), On Ira
Calogero, (France), En Apesanteur
La Grande Sophie, (France), Quelqu'un d'Autre
Renan Luce, (France), Nantes
Clarika, (France), La Venus en Caoutchouc
MC Solaar, (France), Caroline
Olivia Ruiz, (France), La Femme Chocolat
Isabelle Boulay, (Canada), Chanson Pour les Mois d'Hiver
Les Cowboys Fringants, (Canada), Les Etoiles Filantes
Lara Hurni, (Canada), Coeur Assassin
Claude Nougaro, (France), Le Coq et la Pendule

Young French gypsies keep Django flame alive

From John Laurenson | 06:00

Young French gypsy guitarists have created a tradition out of the music pioneered by the founding father of jazz guitar Django Reinhardt.

Default-piece-image-1 Hear gypsy kids who play like Django in bars around Paris. They describe how they take a guitar and Django records into their caravans to try, for hours and hours, to copy the way he played. They describe how Django stayed faithful to his gypsy roots: he lived in a caravan and always refused to compromise his freedom. Like when he blew out a sell-out concert at Carnaigie Hall because "he didn't feel like playing". The star gypsy guitarist Bireli Lagrene says why, after years playing contemporary jazz, he's returned to the music of his roots and how Django, the most famous 'Manouche' (i.e. French) gypsy ever, has become a figurehead for their community. This trip to Paris, full of music from the new players and their hero, provides a new take on this great jazz guitarist and his significance for gypsies today. Suggested introduction: There aren’t too many European jazz men that get called “the greatest” but the gypsy pioneer of jazz guitar Django Reinhardt is undoubtably one of them. Now, half a century after he died, French bars and cafés are bobbing along to a new generation of French gypsies or ‘Manouches’ inspired by Django, the violinist Stéphane Grappelli and the Hot Club of France. This report from John Laurenson begins in one of a number of Paris venues where Django’s music is still thriving... Take a listen!

Unquiet Graves

From Marjorie Van Halteren | 29:21

Special essay on living in Flanders.

Ugcroppedphotocopiewithtitlefinalsunforweb_small Marjorie Van Halteren moved to France in 1992 ? and now she reflects on the quiet life she sought in Northern France ? as she becomes more and more disturbed by the media reports from ?Over There? ? and her growing understanding of the ground beneath her own feet. Little by little, she discovers her adopted home ? first scratching the surface, then delving into the backstory of a region ravaged by two world wars and filled with the bodies of young men and many other citizens ? in fact, all the lives of those now living are touched by the unquiet graves. ? This is a quiet place where war is part of the fabric of daily life. This sonically-rich half-hour essay includes: a battlefield tour, memorials, dreams of the dead and voices of the living ? a view of our world as seen from over there . Written by Marjorie Van Halteren Produced in Flanders by Helen Engelhardt and Marjorie Van Halteren

Samuel L. Jackson en francais

From Sarah Elzas | 05:05

The French voice behind the image onscreen.

Dubber_small The capital of the movie industry is Hollywood. Its language is English. But the rest of the world doesn't necessarily understand the language of that capital, and they don't always want to read subtitles. Enter: voiceover actors. France has one of the most advanced voiceover dubbing industries in the world. And when a Hollywood actor gets famous enough, he or she begins to be dubbed by the same person each time. This piece is a portrait of Thierry Desroses, the French voice of Samuel L. Jackson (among others).

Love the French Way (Series)

Produced by Charles Spira

Brighten gaps in your programming with color and emotion. In each installment of 'Love The French Way' which runs from 4 to 7 minutes, we introduce your audience to a beautiful French Love Ballad which will brighten their day!

Most recent piece in this series:

Love the French Way 17 - Why Are You Looking at the Moon?

From Charles Spira | Part of the Love the French Way series | 05:55

Man_looking_at_moon_small Anouk Aiata's name means "the woman who eats the clouds in the sky"in the Maori language, but she was born, not in New Zealand but in Nogent sur Marne, in the Paris suburbs.  Let's enjoy her song "Why Are You Looking at the Moon?" about a woman  who catches her lover staring at the moon wistfully.  What is troubling him? Will he leave her?

For Whom the Bell Tolls

From Jackson Braider | 03:21

A meditation on global time, set to the sounds of church bells in rural France and downtown Boston.

Bell_small A church bell rings the hour in rural France. Then, two and a half minutes later, it rings it again. This sets Jackson Braider thinking about our modern obsession with synchronizing our clocks with those of the rest of the world. The piece is a mini-essay with sound.

How do you sabrage in France?

From Rachel Louise Snyder | Part of the Global Guru Radio series | 03:00

This week we sharpen our swords in the Champagne region of France to learn how the French sabrage!

Champagne-bottles-post-sabrage_small The Global Guru is a weekly public radio spot that celebrates the oddities, the curiosities, the unknowns of global culture, particularly in countries where Americans have either single narrative story lines, like Afghanistan (war), Thailand (sex tourism), Rwanda, (genocide), or perhaps no story lines at all, like East Timor, Moldova, Malta, Lesotho, etc. Engaging and rich in sound, the 3:00 interstitial helps us connect to the vastness of human experience. Presenting station is WAMU in Washington, DC and sponsored by American University in DC. Some of our favorite past shows include: How do Cambodians predict the harvest each year? What messages do cigarettes send in Chinese business dealings? How did Tanzania become the capitol of barbershops? How and why does Thailand categorize food? What is Iceland’s most feared culinary delight? How do you track a Tasmanian devil? What are the hidden messages in Zulu beadwork? 

Bonjour! I Love You

From One Hello World | Part of the One Hello World series | 01:14

Bonjour! I’m calling from France. I just wanted to tell you how much I’m in love. I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love. Je t’aime.

One-hello-world_small Bonjour! I’m calling from France. I just wanted to tell you how much I’m in love. I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love. Je t’aime.

// It’s a call half way across the world to tell your lover your love them. Greetings from the American Midwest, and thanks for calling.

Bonjour Chanson Series 15 (Series)

Produced by Charles Spira

In this, the 15th Series of 5 episodes, we introduce 30 more beautiful French Language Songs with an English commentary. The artists are introduced and you'll know what the songs are about. Sit back and enjoy!

Most recent piece in this series:

Bonjour Chanson Series 15, Episode 75

From Charles Spira | Part of the Bonjour Chanson Series 15 series | 29:06

Photo_se__bastien_perron_img_0034-2_small Emotions run high,  be it a young woman rejoicing over the unexpected return of her lover, or an older woman grieving about her loss of memory.  A man named John meets Peter after 2000 years and recalls how they both were poor fishermen on lake Tiberias 20 centuries ago.  And there is much more!  Here is the lineup:
Fredda,(France), Chant du Retour
Dick Annegarn,(France/Netherlands), Bonjour
Zaz,(France), Si Je Perds
Jean Ferrat,(France), Dans le Silence de la Ville
Amel Bent,(France), Les temps qui courent
Féloche,(France), A la Légère