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Yé-Yé Girls of '60s French Pop
Yé-Yé is a delightful style of pop music featuring young female singers that influenced France and many other countries, as says Susan Sontag, with its particular “camp” style throughout the 1960s.
Yé-Yé pop had secondary explosions in the 1970s and 1990s in Japan and Europe through the likes of Lio (who provides this book’s foreword), and in the United States through singers like April March, whose Yé-Yé number “Chick Habit” was heard in the Quentin Tarantino film Death Proof.
Interest in Yé-Yé revived again recently during the fifth season of the mega-popular television series Mad Men, when Don Draper’s young, sexy wife sang the Yé-Yé number “Zou Bisou Bisou,” originally made famous in the 1960s by blonde actress Gillian Hills.
The most famous Yé-Yé practitioners include the glamorous Sylvie Vartan (married to rock star Johnny Hallyday), French lolita France Gall, beautiful actresses Brigitte Bardot and Chantal Goya, and the statuesque Françoise Hardy.
This collection by French pop music expert Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe includes many interviews with the original singers and producers, visual excerpts of record covers, both 45s and LPs, and remarkable excerpts from a children’s fan diary of the period.
Yé-Yé means “Yeah Yeah” and many music lovers are ready for an immersion in this beloved but little-known genre.
“This lavishly illustrated compendium is like a passport to another time and place…a window into an era in which one could switch on the TV & see Bridget Bardot singing about Harley Davidson motorcycles while wearing thigh-high boots and a black leather mini-skirt. This book may well be the Bible of Yé-Yé .”
—Boyd Rice
Yé-Yé pop had secondary explosions in the 1970s and 1990s in Japan and Europe through the likes of Lio (who provides this book’s foreword), and in the United States through singers like April March, whose Yé-Yé number “Chick Habit” was heard in the Quentin Tarantino film Death Proof.
Interest in Yé-Yé revived again recently during the fifth season of the mega-popular television series Mad Men, when Don Draper’s young, sexy wife sang the Yé-Yé number “Zou Bisou Bisou,” originally made famous in the 1960s by blonde actress Gillian Hills.
The most famous Yé-Yé practitioners include the glamorous Sylvie Vartan (married to rock star Johnny Hallyday), French lolita France Gall, beautiful actresses Brigitte Bardot and Chantal Goya, and the statuesque Françoise Hardy.
This collection by French pop music expert Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe includes many interviews with the original singers and producers, visual excerpts of record covers, both 45s and LPs, and remarkable excerpts from a children’s fan diary of the period.
Yé-Yé means “Yeah Yeah” and many music lovers are ready for an immersion in this beloved but little-known genre.
“This lavishly illustrated compendium is like a passport to another time and place…a window into an era in which one could switch on the TV & see Bridget Bardot singing about Harley Davidson motorcycles while wearing thigh-high boots and a black leather mini-skirt. This book may well be the Bible of Yé-Yé .”
—Boyd Rice
- GenresMusicNonfictionArt
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 18, 2015
First time I'd read a colour ebook (on a recently-acquired second hand tablet). The reading process itself, complete with expandable pictures, had its own futuristic, impossibly shiny pop novelty to match the era. Also, this has probably the most pink text I've read in a book since my age hit double figures, used here for lyrics and headings. Yé-Yé Girls must be a coffee-table book in paper form: "lavishly illustrated", as they say, with countless record sleeves, features from teenage magazines, and, most poignantly, pages from the early-70s scrapbook of a French girl fan that the author found in a box of records at a car boot sale.
I'm not sure if the text is translated (no translator is credited), or if the French author was himself writing in English. Evidently one or the other, as there are a few odd word choices, sudden changes of tone and level of formality, as you might find in a blog - and things that don't make sense, but could conceivably do so rephrased, and in a different culture: e.g. 'Languages, when one stops studying them, decidedly lead to pop music.' Feral House - which I gather is cult-famous in the US; I'd not heard of it before Goodreads - mostly publishes on metal and the occult, so perhaps this shiny pop book didn't get much attention on the editing side. Most of the book is phrased just fine though, and given the subject, there's an eccentric charm to its moments of broken English, as if one were listening to an interview with a French pop star. On the plus side, it's rather well organised, with plenty of headings within chapters, and it manages that tricky balance between the chronological and the thematic effectively, covering artists mostly in the 60s and early 70s, and also newer acts identifying themselves as yé-yé from the 1980s to the early 2010s. It's also better than I expected, for such a pretty, glossy publication, on wider historical context: the social, economic and cultural currents that created yé-yé, and to which it contributed, and its relationship to feminism. French culture has a more solid division between the Swinging Sixties and the late 60s than we do: 1968 is like a fault-line wherever it's mentioned.
For the Goodreads friend who first made me aware of the book, whom I gather is a serious aficionado, most of the content was already familiar. Whereas, if you, like me, didn't know a whole lot of yé-yé beyond a few compilations, some major artist albums and the Gainsbourg biopic, there's masses of info here, and lots of new-to-you tracks and singers you might want to check out: this could be the only book on the subject you'd need. With the proviso that it must have the odd inconsistency with other books, as is customary with rock biographies. There's a long discography of albums in the back, but specific songs are singled out in the text. A book you'd likely want to refer back to if you were interested enough to read it in the first place. I'd never have bought this on spec, and am very glad and surprised to have found it on Scribd.
M. Deluxe concentrates on the female singers themselves. All the obvious names: Gall, Hardy, Vartan (though not much on Sheila for some reason). Numerous lesser lights and one-hit wonders get their turn too, including Gillian Hills, whom I was interested to hear about because a friend is a fan and recommended her film Beat Girl, a wonderful bit of vintage trash, a few years ago. Her name could hardly be more prosaic, however, like many of the French girl singers, she had a glamorous family background with art and showbiz connections. Wasn't too fond of the interview with nouveau-yé-yé girl April March, who came across as unthinking and dismissive - a shame after she'd been praised so many times in the narrative - but that doesn't have to reflect on her music.
Jacques Dutronc and Jean-Claude Vannier are frequently mentioned in passing, yet there's a lot more material on Gainsbourg than on the other male songwriters and impresarios involved in yé-yé. Perhaps unfairly as info about him is so easily found elsewhere. Obviously his talent is acknowledged, whilst his unsavoury side is more in evidence here than in the biopic, e.g. his violence to Jane Birkin, and he is referred to as misogynist more than once. People who've read many of my posts will know that I'm rarely taken aback by sleaze in art, and tend to judge changing social mores by their own time, but I was actually slightly shocked by two SG items. The sleeve art of Lemon Incest (Charlotte looks so young and small), and the lyrics to Une Petite Tasse d'Anxieté, an early 60s duet with Gillian Hills set in a car, in which the teenage girl sounds so very reluctant that the man seems as if he might abduct her - not just the customarily gendered flirting dance of forthright man vs. coy woman conditioned not to sound too forward even if she likes him, over an age gap that was more acceptable at the time.
The odd sleazy sleeve aside, this book is a feast as far as record covers, magazine photos and fashion are concerned. Fascinating to see how some images from the same time age much better than others, which aesthetic influences we've taken up and which discarded. Some photos still look the epitome of cool, Françoise Hardy's pictures unsurprisingly having a high success rate that way. Other sleeves, often of little-known singers, also many of France Gall's surprisingly - look dated, kitschy and square in a way that was, when I was growing up, more associated with 70s than 60s stuff. All those shots of people in their latest gear leaning on trees, oh dear. And I'm not sure toner for blonde hair had been invented then, so brassy.
Pondered why I found the consumerist, future-minded 1930s oppressive in Virginia Woolf's essays The London Scene recently, yet the 1960s aesthetic and outlook always seems so lovely and charming. An interview here with pop star Stella says "one word sums up the whole era: carefreeness". Yes. Much novelty, of things now jaded. A playfulness now absent, as cultural discussion seems to constantly try and avoid walking on eggshells. And then there's the political egalitarianism, the post-war consensus in Britain. None characteristic of the 30s, a time of imminent war, growing fascism and associated strictness and formality in philosophy and art.
An excellent, if sometimes eccentric, book - very much worth a look if you think you might be interested in it.
I'm not sure if the text is translated (no translator is credited), or if the French author was himself writing in English. Evidently one or the other, as there are a few odd word choices, sudden changes of tone and level of formality, as you might find in a blog - and things that don't make sense, but could conceivably do so rephrased, and in a different culture: e.g. 'Languages, when one stops studying them, decidedly lead to pop music.' Feral House - which I gather is cult-famous in the US; I'd not heard of it before Goodreads - mostly publishes on metal and the occult, so perhaps this shiny pop book didn't get much attention on the editing side. Most of the book is phrased just fine though, and given the subject, there's an eccentric charm to its moments of broken English, as if one were listening to an interview with a French pop star. On the plus side, it's rather well organised, with plenty of headings within chapters, and it manages that tricky balance between the chronological and the thematic effectively, covering artists mostly in the 60s and early 70s, and also newer acts identifying themselves as yé-yé from the 1980s to the early 2010s. It's also better than I expected, for such a pretty, glossy publication, on wider historical context: the social, economic and cultural currents that created yé-yé, and to which it contributed, and its relationship to feminism. French culture has a more solid division between the Swinging Sixties and the late 60s than we do: 1968 is like a fault-line wherever it's mentioned.
For the Goodreads friend who first made me aware of the book, whom I gather is a serious aficionado, most of the content was already familiar. Whereas, if you, like me, didn't know a whole lot of yé-yé beyond a few compilations, some major artist albums and the Gainsbourg biopic, there's masses of info here, and lots of new-to-you tracks and singers you might want to check out: this could be the only book on the subject you'd need. With the proviso that it must have the odd inconsistency with other books, as is customary with rock biographies. There's a long discography of albums in the back, but specific songs are singled out in the text. A book you'd likely want to refer back to if you were interested enough to read it in the first place. I'd never have bought this on spec, and am very glad and surprised to have found it on Scribd.
M. Deluxe concentrates on the female singers themselves. All the obvious names: Gall, Hardy, Vartan (though not much on Sheila for some reason). Numerous lesser lights and one-hit wonders get their turn too, including Gillian Hills, whom I was interested to hear about because a friend is a fan and recommended her film Beat Girl, a wonderful bit of vintage trash, a few years ago. Her name could hardly be more prosaic, however, like many of the French girl singers, she had a glamorous family background with art and showbiz connections. Wasn't too fond of the interview with nouveau-yé-yé girl April March, who came across as unthinking and dismissive - a shame after she'd been praised so many times in the narrative - but that doesn't have to reflect on her music.
Jacques Dutronc and Jean-Claude Vannier are frequently mentioned in passing, yet there's a lot more material on Gainsbourg than on the other male songwriters and impresarios involved in yé-yé. Perhaps unfairly as info about him is so easily found elsewhere. Obviously his talent is acknowledged, whilst his unsavoury side is more in evidence here than in the biopic, e.g. his violence to Jane Birkin, and he is referred to as misogynist more than once. People who've read many of my posts will know that I'm rarely taken aback by sleaze in art, and tend to judge changing social mores by their own time, but I was actually slightly shocked by two SG items. The sleeve art of Lemon Incest (Charlotte looks so young and small), and the lyrics to Une Petite Tasse d'Anxieté, an early 60s duet with Gillian Hills set in a car, in which the teenage girl sounds so very reluctant that the man seems as if he might abduct her - not just the customarily gendered flirting dance of forthright man vs. coy woman conditioned not to sound too forward even if she likes him, over an age gap that was more acceptable at the time.
The odd sleazy sleeve aside, this book is a feast as far as record covers, magazine photos and fashion are concerned. Fascinating to see how some images from the same time age much better than others, which aesthetic influences we've taken up and which discarded. Some photos still look the epitome of cool, Françoise Hardy's pictures unsurprisingly having a high success rate that way. Other sleeves, often of little-known singers, also many of France Gall's surprisingly - look dated, kitschy and square in a way that was, when I was growing up, more associated with 70s than 60s stuff. All those shots of people in their latest gear leaning on trees, oh dear. And I'm not sure toner for blonde hair had been invented then, so brassy.
Pondered why I found the consumerist, future-minded 1930s oppressive in Virginia Woolf's essays The London Scene recently, yet the 1960s aesthetic and outlook always seems so lovely and charming. An interview here with pop star Stella says "one word sums up the whole era: carefreeness". Yes. Much novelty, of things now jaded. A playfulness now absent, as cultural discussion seems to constantly try and avoid walking on eggshells. And then there's the political egalitarianism, the post-war consensus in Britain. None characteristic of the 30s, a time of imminent war, growing fascism and associated strictness and formality in philosophy and art.
An excellent, if sometimes eccentric, book - very much worth a look if you think you might be interested in it.
November 27, 2013
The mysterious and always foreign world of the French Yé-Yé music scene. Without a doubt the book I published "Gainsbourg the Biography" by Gilles Verlant is the best book in English regarding not only the Yé-Yé movement, but also the entire French music world. The second book (in English) is Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe's "Yé-Yé Girls Of 60's French Pop." This is a very good guide to the singers, the record labels, and the artists/songwriters that wrote the songs for this particular market. It is basically teenage music, but mostly written by older men, for instance Serge Gainsbourg. But beyond that it is a fascinating sub-culture to fish in, because the music, overall, is a the very least super interesting, and at its best- excellent records.
There are those who are the queens of their field - France Gall, Françoise Hardy, and Sylvie Vartan and then there are various (actually many many ) one-hit wonders, who also made great records as well. In France, the arranger as well as the songwriter are part of the magic that makes a great record. Usually I check out who the arranger is, and then my money quickly goes to that relasase, especially if it is someone like Jean-Claude Vannier, who did a lot of classic recordings with Gainsbourg. His touch of genius always shows up no matter who the artist or singer is - so it is very much like following your favorite record producer - or am I the only one who buys records due to the production credits?
Deluxe's book, which is also well-illustrated with both ads from that time as well as record covers, pretty much covers the basics as well as the odd releases that came out of this scene. So for sure its a good guide to have on your side of the table as one explores YouTube footage or online shops. He also covers current music figures like April March, who is fantastic by the way, and others who were influenced by the 60's scene. I think he could avoid a lot of the bands/artists, and just focus on the 60's artists, but that is a very small criticism. This book is designed for the beginner who is looking for hardcore information or names to get their listening habits in order. So yeah I highly recommend this book as a beginner's guide and if you want to get deeper into the subject do get the Verlant Gainsbourg biography.
There are those who are the queens of their field - France Gall, Françoise Hardy, and Sylvie Vartan and then there are various (actually many many ) one-hit wonders, who also made great records as well. In France, the arranger as well as the songwriter are part of the magic that makes a great record. Usually I check out who the arranger is, and then my money quickly goes to that relasase, especially if it is someone like Jean-Claude Vannier, who did a lot of classic recordings with Gainsbourg. His touch of genius always shows up no matter who the artist or singer is - so it is very much like following your favorite record producer - or am I the only one who buys records due to the production credits?
Deluxe's book, which is also well-illustrated with both ads from that time as well as record covers, pretty much covers the basics as well as the odd releases that came out of this scene. So for sure its a good guide to have on your side of the table as one explores YouTube footage or online shops. He also covers current music figures like April March, who is fantastic by the way, and others who were influenced by the 60's scene. I think he could avoid a lot of the bands/artists, and just focus on the 60's artists, but that is a very small criticism. This book is designed for the beginner who is looking for hardcore information or names to get their listening habits in order. So yeah I highly recommend this book as a beginner's guide and if you want to get deeper into the subject do get the Verlant Gainsbourg biography.
November 9, 2017
If you like French filles, this is the book for you!
I think it is a good book, do like a lot of the French female singers from the 60's, and was curious about them, so I bought this book. I did learn a lot and learned about some that I did not know. It also covers the 70's & 80's too. It also has a listing of the album's\Ps\singles that each artist put out, not sure if it is exhaustive list. Over all a good read, I recommend it.
I think it is a good book, do like a lot of the French female singers from the 60's, and was curious about them, so I bought this book. I did learn a lot and learned about some that I did not know. It also covers the 70's & 80's too. It also has a listing of the album's\Ps\singles that each artist put out, not sure if it is exhaustive list. Over all a good read, I recommend it.
December 25, 2023
I discovered so many new artists through this book. I kept going back and forth between reading and finding the songs discussed on Spotify.
April 7, 2014
THE BUBBLE-GUM SWEET YET PROVOCATIVE FRENCH GIRLS OF THE 1960S
Yé-yé girls broke the conservative, culturally censored atmosphere of France in the 1960s with their light and seductive pop music. Their sound and style were bubble-gum sweet yet provocative, naïve yet sexy, girl-next-door meets edgy beauty. Meaning “yeah yeah,” the yé-yé movement started in Paris but spread to Spain, Italy, and the rest of the world with talent such as singer Jane Birkin (who played the mod mystery girl in Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Blow-Up), Marianne Faithfull, Brigitte Bardot, and singer-songwriter Françoise Hardy. Mad Men played tribute to this genre when Megan Draper sang her sexy birthday song, “Zou Bisou Bisou,” to her husband, Don. Yé-Yé Girls is a much-needed compilation of the girls who constituted this pop genre, and includes bios, lyrics, anecdotes, and tons of photos. – Carla Sinclair
Yé-Yé Girls of ’60s French Pop
by Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe
Feral House
2013, 256 pages, 7.9 x 8 x 0.7
$19 Buy a copy on Amazon
Yé-yé girls broke the conservative, culturally censored atmosphere of France in the 1960s with their light and seductive pop music. Their sound and style were bubble-gum sweet yet provocative, naïve yet sexy, girl-next-door meets edgy beauty. Meaning “yeah yeah,” the yé-yé movement started in Paris but spread to Spain, Italy, and the rest of the world with talent such as singer Jane Birkin (who played the mod mystery girl in Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Blow-Up), Marianne Faithfull, Brigitte Bardot, and singer-songwriter Françoise Hardy. Mad Men played tribute to this genre when Megan Draper sang her sexy birthday song, “Zou Bisou Bisou,” to her husband, Don. Yé-Yé Girls is a much-needed compilation of the girls who constituted this pop genre, and includes bios, lyrics, anecdotes, and tons of photos. – Carla Sinclair
Yé-Yé Girls of ’60s French Pop
by Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe
Feral House
2013, 256 pages, 7.9 x 8 x 0.7
$19 Buy a copy on Amazon
March 11, 2016
So very much promise, such mixed delivery. Great subject that as far as I know has not had a lot of books written about it, but this will not be the go to tome on it. Great photographs & many singers I hadn't heard of, but the writing & editing is slapdash. Deluxe seems to know of what he speaks, but maybe he's too close to the subject, so he can't present it in a clear, in depth manner. He writes as if he's assuming the reader already knows everything that he does. Still a decent book for reference & eye candy.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews