From 1962 to 1968, some of the most vibrant popular music in the Western world stemmed not from the US or the UK, but France.  Dubbed the yé-yé movement, in part after the syllables “yeah yeah yeah” in the then-current Beatles’ hit “She Loves You,” this music combined French chansonwith British and American rock and occasionally charted in non-French speaking nations.  Roughly analogous to girl-group pop in the US, yé-yé was primarily performed by women, whose employment opportunities were somewhat limited at that time.  Although the student riots of 1968 mostly tamped enthusiasm for yé-yé in France, the music continues to influence both musicians and filmmakers to the present day. 

Of all the yé-yé performers, it is likely that the most famous was Paris native Françoise Hardy.  She was born in 1944 and grew up with a younger sister.  Raised by a single mother, she was frequently mocked by her grandmother for her height and appearance and turned to music for solace in her teens.  Unlike most yé-yé performers, Hardy wrote a significant amount of her own material and, starting in 1965, worked with producers and arrangers such as Charles Blackwell and Mickey Baker (of Mickey and Sylvia fame.).  As her popularity increased throughout the 1960s, she also influenced musicians such as Bob Dylan, whose poem about her was printed on the back of his 1964 album “Another Side of Bob Dylan.”  She continued to record and release music well into her 70s, with a hit record as recently as 2018. 

France Gall was in many ways the antithesis of Hardy, girlish and pop-oriented in contrast with Hardy’s brooding maturity.  Born Isabelle Gall in 1947, she rocketed to international fame when her song “Poupée de cire, poupée de son” won the Eurovision contest in 1965.  She was 17 years old and had already charted with a string of hits, including “Sacre Charlemagne” (1963,  a children’s song about the French ruler) and “Laisser tomber les filles” (1964).  But she also encountered scandal when her single “Les Sucettes,” a song ostensibly celebrating lollipops, was misinterpreted by both the press and listeners.  While her chart-making days slowed after 1968, she continued to record with musicians such as Elton John and her husband, producer Michel Berger, into the 1990s.

While Gall and Hardy were the most popular of the yé-yé performers, there were many women who released records in the genre.  Actresses such as Brigitte Bardot and Anna Karina recorded hit singles, while songs performed by artists such as Liz Brady, Stone and Annie Philippe are highly sought after today.  In addition to being entertaining, the music served as a cultural touchstone for a growing feminist movement.  A handful of titles, such as Pussy Cat’s “Les temps ont change” contain feminist lyrics which were politically explosive at the time. 

It should be noted, however, that although a significant portion of yé-yé music was performed by women, almost all of the producers, engineers, record executives and songwriters were male.  Chief among these movers and shakers was Serge Gainsbourg. A professional pianist and songwriter, he began releasing singles in 1959.  It was not until the mid-1960s, however, after he had written songs for virtually every prominent female singer of his era, that he earned continuing success as a performer.  His relationship with British actress Jane Birkin led to his most successful (and most notorious) single, “Je taime… moi non plus.”  It was banned in the UK for its overly sexual content, yet made the top 10 in France, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany.  Gainsbourg remained a cultural force well into the 1980s, and his daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg is an actress.

Outside of the 1960s, numerous artists across genres have found inspiration in this music.  Director Wes Anderson has featured the work of both Chantal Goya (The French Dispatch) and Françoise Hardy (Moonrise Kingdom) in his films, while Quentin Tarantino included an English-language cover of a France Gall song In his film Death Proof.  Musicians who have claimed influence from this era include Jarvis Cocker, Nancy Holloway and Japanese artist Lucy Citrus. 

Interested in French music of the 1960s?  Want to learn more about French culture?  Curious about the political uses of music?  Ask us!  iueref@iu.edu.