If I had the energy to be fanatical, I would probably be a Francophile.

The French seem very interested in our country/Western songs.
Achy Breaky Heart
Boots Are For Walking
Blueberry Hill
La Fille Du Cowboy
I'm Sorry
Your Cheatin' Heart
On The Road Again
Always On My Mind
Dalida -V- Ce Coin De Terre (This Land Is My Land)
Dick Rivers -V- Faire Un Pont(Country Roads)
Eddy Mitchell -V- Seul Est L'indompté(Wichita Lineman)
Eddy Mitchell -V- Sur La Route De Memphis(ThatÂs How I Got To Memphis)

Another interesting area, A few performers have recorded songs in French.
Striesand have sung her songs in French (Evergreen, etc)
Joan Baez sings very well in French.
Connie Francis is a well known French singer (beautiful song, Where The Boys Are in French)
Both Natalie Cole and Liza Minnelli have performed in French.

dcarch

"It is well known that we are a very ethnocentric country. We are not that interested in other peopleÂs languages and cultures." Well known by whom?

D, you should come to Chicago. Your statement is so far from the truth. In my neighborhood we have churches, stores, cultural centers for many ethnicities. In cooking alone, I can shop Asian, Polish, German, Russian, Kosher/Jewish, French (new French Market just opened last week), Assyrian, Halal, Hispanic and Spanish etc.

Theaters and newspapers in many languages, houses of worship from WASPy to Behai.

Schools teach second languages as mandatory for graduation. Field trips are done to explore other cultures, including the Holucost Museum.

And don't ask me to list the restaurants we can explore. Far too many to list.

And many popular American songs are translated into Spanish and Japanese...now there's a trip!
That gone with the wind clip was not a French translation of our movie...but rather a whole different production, a stage show....and you all know how different a stage show is from a movie musical. It's a French adaptation of the story line but as I recall GWTW was not a movie musical.
It's rather like La Boheme was an Italian Opera about French people after a story written by a Frenchman and then adapted and made into a Broadway musical by an American....and likely produced with subtitles for the French.
Something I have never again found is the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco written by an Italian, Verdi, also the national anthem of some small country but sung in French chanteuse style. It is haunting and a friend gave me the tape which was part of another tape....and I have never managed to trace it nor find it again.....and I didn't dream it!!
Linda C

Hmmmm....Va pensiero (sp?) is a waltz? Sung chanteuse? That I gotta hear.

"Posted by lindac (My Page) --------------- from Nabucco written by an Italian, Verdi, also the national anthem of some small country but sung in French chanteuse style. It is haunting and a friend gave me the tape which was part of another tape....and I have never managed to trace it nor find it again.....and I didn't dream it!! --------Linda C"

Posted by jessyf (My Page) Hmmmm....Va pensiero (sp?) is a waltz? Sung chanteuse? That I gotta hear."

Yes. I think that song is performed by Nana Mouskouri, "Je chante avec toi liberté" I like that song.
She also performed these:
Nana Mouskouri -v- Aimer Quand Meme (Amazing Grace)
Nana Mouskouri -V- Comme Un Pont Sur L'eau Trouble(Bridge Over Troubled Water)
and many more I have in my library.

dcarch

"Posted by pkramer --D, you should come to Chicago. Your statement is so far from the truth. In my neighborhood we have churches, stores, cultural centers for many ethnicities. In cooking alone, I can shop Asian, Polish, German, Russian, Kosher/Jewish, French (new French Market just opened last week), Assyrian, Halal, Hispanic and Spanish etc. "

I know what you are talking about. I am from NYC. We are the greatest melting pot of the world.

Still we are way behind in our schools in teaching other cultures.

Until recently, very few schools were teaching Chinese when Chinese is the most spoken language in the world.

We are fighting wars all over the Arab world, yet we hardly have anyone who can speak the language.

All my friends, business associates, and their families, unless they are foriegn born, very few of them can handle a second language fluently.

dcarch

don't know Nana....but perhaps "chanteuse"was not the technically proper term...but it was dreamy...solo and a capella.
Linda C

"We are the greatest melting pot of the world."

Yeah, and there-in lies the problem. Maybe if we didn't try to melt so much we could all celebrate our differences in peace. Whether ethnic, religous, political...

Nope....if we really REALLY are a melting pot, we will as a people become an amalgam....and there will be no differences to celebrate...
But that's waaaaay in the future.

La Mer...I thought that was DeBussy.

Yeah...Le Mer...DeBussy
French for sure.
Also thinking of that song...
"Dominique, nique nique...s'en allait tout simplement..."
And another very poorly pronounced by Nat King Cole....can't dredge it out of the back of my head...
I don't think the French have a franchise on adapting American songs..... or even other American pop icons.
When I find a huge line just about 1/2 a block off the Piazza San Marco...people sitting on the cobblestones, waiting their turn....at MacDonalds....then I am not surprised at the amazing reach of our icons...even in Verdi and Vivaldi's city.
Linda c

No, it's a different one. The one I am refering to is by Charles Trenet, adapted by Bobby Darin, "Somewhere Beyond The Sea."

Kevin Kline also sang it in French in the movie "French Kiss"

Speaking of Darin, I have his song "Mack The Knife" in French.

"Dominique, nique nique...s'en allait tout simplement..."
By the Singing Nun (actually "Smiling Sister" in French) recorded very few songs. Tow others I have in my library:
Soeur Sourire - Mets ton Joli Jupon
Soeur Sourire - Complainte de Marie-Jacques

Nate King Cole sang "Autumn Leaves" and "Love" in French. Couple more I donÂt recall.

dcarch

Well, the only French I know is "merci". LOL.

Sherry, I took one year of high school French because a foreign language was required for graduation. I don't remember a darned thing, not even enough to read a menu in French.

I don't even watch movies in English, so I'll never watch them in any foreign language, I can't sit still more than 15 minutes at a time, so I seldom enjoy movies in any language and it has nothing to do with ethnicity.

Annie

The Cat Empire's version of "Hotel California" in French is interesting!

"Posted by colleenoz -----The Cat Empire's version of "Hotel California" in French is interesting! "

Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u-43LN-7Cg&feature=related

but why would the French be interested in this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isCstyUp7Jo

dcarch

Mitch can correct me if I'm wrong, but in Canada French Canadian's have a very rich French language arts industry including movies, plays, books and songs and are not particularly interested in translating English into French.

Well, here are some French Canadian singers who have sung our songs in French:

- Stef Carse - Achy Breaky Heart (In French)
- Stef Carse - Boot Scootin' Boogie (In French)

- Johnny Farago - (She Believes in Me) Parce Que Elle Est La.
- Johnny Farago - Il Ferait Si Bon( I Can't See Clearly).
- Johnny Farago - T'ai-Je Dit(Have I Told You Lately) .
I have many more.

- Fernand Gignac - Au Jardin De Mes Souvenirs(Moon River) .
- Fernand Gignac - L'amour Viendra(If I Loved You) .
- Fernand Gignac - Ne Pleure Pas ( Spanish Eyes) .
- Fernand Gignac - Fum_E Aux Yeux(Smoke Gets In Your Eye).
I have many more.

- Gilles Brown - Ce Soir Je Vais Te Faire Pleurer (This Time -Troy Shondell) .
- Gilles Brown - Silhouettes (In French).
- Renee Martel - Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher (Boots Are For Walking).
- Renee Martel - Quand Un Bateau Passe(Boats Trian) .
- Renee Martel - Valse Au Clair De Lune(Tenesse Waltz) .

- Julie Daraiche - Bobby Mcgee (In French)
- Chantal Pary - C'est Fini(I'm Sorry) .

Still more who have sung USA songs in French:

Claude valade
César et les Romains
Les Classels
Patrick Norman
Jean Nichol
André Sylvain

dcarch

Ok, not following this thread too closesly because I'm just an ignorant American and all... but I did go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isCstyUp7Jo and got a good laugh! As you said, dcarch, "but why would the French be interested in this?" Too funny!

Tell me what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OADtUxd0njs&feature=related

dcarch

And this one too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA_cTrEcBZM

dcarch