Olympia 2014 [+ bonus cd's]

The French song, also called 'chanson'. Text is at least as important as music and reveals the French soul: romantic, impulsive and a touch of nostalgia. The current chanson originated at the beginning of the twentieth century from older song forms, some of which date back to the Middle Ages. Icons that give colour to the chanson are the fragile Edith Piaf, the mustachioed George Brassens, the Armenian immigrant son Charles Aznavour and the Belgian Jacques Brel. Johnny Hallyday mixes the chanson with rock-'n-roll while professional provocateur Serge Gainsbourg fills his chansons with spicy lyrics and influences from beat, rock and reggae. In the Netherlands, the chanson reaches its peak in the seventies when beautiful men like Julien Clerc, Joe Dassin and Dave score summer hits with smooth pop-chansons. more