Bonjour!
A little fact about me: I just spent six weeks studying abroad in my favorite city in the world (Paris, France). Going into this trip, I had a few expectations and presumptions about what I would experience. I knew that I would get whistled at and cat called. I knew that some of the people would be rude and wouldn't give you the time of the day. I knew that the food would be delicious and the desserts would be irresistible. I knew the sights would amaze me and I would never want to leave. One of my assumptions was completely turned on its head, though. I thought that being in France, I would hear new and unique French music and that I would bear witness to that side of French culture. I was thoroughly disappointed.
In approximately 90% of all of the restaurants, stores, and sites that I went inside, English music played. I did not hear any unique sounding French songs. Instead, I heard songs that I would hear in America; I could sing along to the majority of the music in the majority of places I went. I honestly hated it. For me, the propagation of American and anglophone music into a country and city that is contrasted to America itself messed with my head. I know that myself and many of my classmates on my trip with me felt put off by the lack of French music. It wasn't just in touristy areas, either. We would walk into a family owned restaurant in a suburban residential part of the city and hear the sounds of American pop top 40 songs. Most of the people in the restaurant couldn't even understand the songs, either, as little spoke English. I couldn't (and still can't) understand why Americanized music remains so popular in a country who has a completely different national language. Because of this confusion on my part, I decided to do my final project on the reasonings and aspects of the spread and fame of Anglophone music in Paris.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
A Little History for You
American music wasn't always in Paris. Originally, up until the early 20th century, all music in Paris was in French and was largely centered around classical ideas and composers. Music was made for entertainment, whether through dance (especially ballet) or through performances by symphonies and orchestras. With the turn of the century into the turn of the first World War, though, the music scene in Paris began shifting. World War I brought American soldiers into Paris. The Germans were pushing through northern France towards the end of the war and the French forces feared they would soon come for Paris. When the Americans landed in Paris, they were accepted with glory and celebration. There was large fascination by these American soldiers and all that they brought along with them.
With these American soldiers came American military bands. Military bands, used since the Revolutionary and Civil wars, aim at boosting morale and encouraging soldiers to keep fighting. The popularity of these bands had died down until Congress authorized a new school for Army band men in New York in 1911. In America at the time, there were new sparks and rises of Jazz tunes and more upbeat music patterns. When the American bands arrived in Paris, they brought those sparks and new songs. They performed all around Paris for Americans and also for the French natives in attempts to better moods and lighten situations. These mini concerts were the start of the American musical invasion in Paris. The French fell under the spell of the newness of the melodies, especially those performed by the bands with more Black members as they had never heard the jazzy melodies that they performed. Even after the bands left following the end of the war, the infatuation with American music remained.
American music's popularity in France was proliferated by the simultaneously popular record player and radio. Parisians easily found ways to hear American songs and records thanks to these technologies. Eventually, Parisian love for jazz increased to the point that the French started opening their own jazz clubs in the heart of Paris and were visited by famous American jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Though little of the population could understand the language itself of the songs, the appreciation for the music talents was still present, continuing the popularity of these American tunes. Music halls and theaters began showing American shows and promoting American artists. American music was seen as cool and trendy, something that the elite had more access to and that the youth was more "in" if they listened to.
American music continued to charm the people of Paris, especially younger generations. A new wave of popularity for American music came again with the return of American troops with World War II. Americans distributed records of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and many other popular artists of the time. These records were some of the only ones given out during the War because of the strict restrictions provided by the German forces. French clung to these songs and albums because of their cravings for something new and upbeat and because of their hope for salvation by the American forces. Following the end of the war and the liberation of France, the Parisians continued to follow American music and opened more and more jazz cafés, especially along Rue Saint Germain des Prés. American artists continued to perform in Paris and eventually held an event called Paris Jazz Concert in 1958, featuring Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane.
Following the jazz craze, though, came the newfound interest in American rock and roll. The first juke box was installed in Paris as well as the first exports of American rock records into the city. French artists began styling their own music after these American styles and even changed their names at times to sound more American. Songs of Elvis Presley, the Stooges, and Jimi Hendrix became played around the city, especially by again younger generations and at younger clubs and bars.
This trend of music becoming popularized and then spreading to Paris continued throughout the mid to later end of the 20th century, eased by the inventions of television, walkman, better radios in automobiles, and other simpler ways to listen to music. Eventually, American music would find its way into Paris quicker than the earlier days of the 1900s, leading to its commonality in the city's population. Parisians continued and still continue to be fascinated by American music, especially those popular songs of the jazz and rock and roll days.
With these American soldiers came American military bands. Military bands, used since the Revolutionary and Civil wars, aim at boosting morale and encouraging soldiers to keep fighting. The popularity of these bands had died down until Congress authorized a new school for Army band men in New York in 1911. In America at the time, there were new sparks and rises of Jazz tunes and more upbeat music patterns. When the American bands arrived in Paris, they brought those sparks and new songs. They performed all around Paris for Americans and also for the French natives in attempts to better moods and lighten situations. These mini concerts were the start of the American musical invasion in Paris. The French fell under the spell of the newness of the melodies, especially those performed by the bands with more Black members as they had never heard the jazzy melodies that they performed. Even after the bands left following the end of the war, the infatuation with American music remained.
American music's popularity in France was proliferated by the simultaneously popular record player and radio. Parisians easily found ways to hear American songs and records thanks to these technologies. Eventually, Parisian love for jazz increased to the point that the French started opening their own jazz clubs in the heart of Paris and were visited by famous American jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Though little of the population could understand the language itself of the songs, the appreciation for the music talents was still present, continuing the popularity of these American tunes. Music halls and theaters began showing American shows and promoting American artists. American music was seen as cool and trendy, something that the elite had more access to and that the youth was more "in" if they listened to.
American music continued to charm the people of Paris, especially younger generations. A new wave of popularity for American music came again with the return of American troops with World War II. Americans distributed records of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and many other popular artists of the time. These records were some of the only ones given out during the War because of the strict restrictions provided by the German forces. French clung to these songs and albums because of their cravings for something new and upbeat and because of their hope for salvation by the American forces. Following the end of the war and the liberation of France, the Parisians continued to follow American music and opened more and more jazz cafés, especially along Rue Saint Germain des Prés. American artists continued to perform in Paris and eventually held an event called Paris Jazz Concert in 1958, featuring Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane.
Following the jazz craze, though, came the newfound interest in American rock and roll. The first juke box was installed in Paris as well as the first exports of American rock records into the city. French artists began styling their own music after these American styles and even changed their names at times to sound more American. Songs of Elvis Presley, the Stooges, and Jimi Hendrix became played around the city, especially by again younger generations and at younger clubs and bars.
This trend of music becoming popularized and then spreading to Paris continued throughout the mid to later end of the 20th century, eased by the inventions of television, walkman, better radios in automobiles, and other simpler ways to listen to music. Eventually, American music would find its way into Paris quicker than the earlier days of the 1900s, leading to its commonality in the city's population. Parisians continued and still continue to be fascinated by American music, especially those popular songs of the jazz and rock and roll days.
A French Perspective
While in France, a couple of us met up with a guy named (shortened for privacy/respectful reasons) H. H is from France and lives in Paris but studied abroad at the University of Georgia this past year. He had some mutual friends with some of the members of our group so we went out with H and his French friends. We continued to make friends with this Parisian group of girls and guys and earned the chance to ask them a ton of our unanswered questions about French life.
I asked one of the guys about his taste in music before I even chose to look into this subject. This guy is twenty years old and lived in France his whole life, though only been in Paris for the past two years because of school. He, who we will call M, started describing and listing off his favorite songs. Oddly enough, a wide majority of the songs were American or English songs. One of his all time favorite songs, he said, is a song by the Stooges. Now if you read my post called "A Little History for You," you'd know that music of the Stooges became popularized in Paris in the 1970s into 1980s with the spread of American rock and roll into Europe. M, a member of the millennial generation, chose one of the Stooges songs as his favorite, thirty to forty years after their peak popularity in France. He chose one of their songs over many other French songs and French artists. This shocked me. I expected his choice to be a stereotypically French song or at least a song that wasn't in English since his English itself was not fluent. I was wrong obviously.
M continued to list off some of his top song choices and continued to keep naming songs in English, like those by the Kooks and the Who and the Beatles (yes I know they're not American but their songs are still in English). Some of the songs he named I myself had never even heard of, though I consider myself a big fan of music from those decades. I then had him play me clips of those songs thinking maybe I just didn't know the names. For a couple, I was right and knew the song itself but not the title. For the majority, even after hearing the lyrics and tunes, I had no clue what the songs were. It amazes me to this day that a French twenty year old raised in a city two hours outside of Paris knew American songs that had yet to even reach me, a nineteen year old raised born and raised in Georgia. M's taste also extended to American techno music and EDM, but that didn't come as much of a shock to me; EDM and techno became popular in Europe before reaching the US. The shock for me came from the fact that American music from 40 years ago continues to resonate with the population of Paris.
I asked one of the guys about his taste in music before I even chose to look into this subject. This guy is twenty years old and lived in France his whole life, though only been in Paris for the past two years because of school. He, who we will call M, started describing and listing off his favorite songs. Oddly enough, a wide majority of the songs were American or English songs. One of his all time favorite songs, he said, is a song by the Stooges. Now if you read my post called "A Little History for You," you'd know that music of the Stooges became popularized in Paris in the 1970s into 1980s with the spread of American rock and roll into Europe. M, a member of the millennial generation, chose one of the Stooges songs as his favorite, thirty to forty years after their peak popularity in France. He chose one of their songs over many other French songs and French artists. This shocked me. I expected his choice to be a stereotypically French song or at least a song that wasn't in English since his English itself was not fluent. I was wrong obviously.
M continued to list off some of his top song choices and continued to keep naming songs in English, like those by the Kooks and the Who and the Beatles (yes I know they're not American but their songs are still in English). Some of the songs he named I myself had never even heard of, though I consider myself a big fan of music from those decades. I then had him play me clips of those songs thinking maybe I just didn't know the names. For a couple, I was right and knew the song itself but not the title. For the majority, even after hearing the lyrics and tunes, I had no clue what the songs were. It amazes me to this day that a French twenty year old raised in a city two hours outside of Paris knew American songs that had yet to even reach me, a nineteen year old raised born and raised in Georgia. M's taste also extended to American techno music and EDM, but that didn't come as much of a shock to me; EDM and techno became popular in Europe before reaching the US. The shock for me came from the fact that American music from 40 years ago continues to resonate with the population of Paris.
Blurred Lines of Identity
With my personal experience in Paris, I found a wide array of music in English playing all around. My first night of the trip a group of us went to a restaurant a block down from the dorm. The waitstaff spoke little French. The menu was in French with adjacent English translations that resembled those found off of GoogleTranslate. All the while sitting trying to decipher what we were told by our waiter and what we read on the menu, we were surrounded by the sounds of "Open Season" by Josef Salvat. Salvat, born in Australia, is not very well known or uber popular. His music falls under the categories of alternative or indie pop and he plays only in English. I only knew his song because a friend of mine back home showed me it a while back. No one else in my group had heard of him or his music. As it was my first night in France (and the sound quality was mediocre at best in the restaurant), I assumed we were hearing a French version of Salvat's song. I was wrong as I listened more and realized it was in fact playing in English. It shocked me as my first experience hearing English music playing in France.
This pattern of awe over the lack of French music in restaurants and bars and stores and anywhere else continued. The only French songs I heard stereotypically were either EDM songs playing in some of the clubs, "La Vie en Rose" playing in a very touristy restaurant, or a French translation of an originally English song (i.e. "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen). Globalization and the grandness of the American music industry hold great influence in Paris.
It's ironic to me as for most people I know (including myself) use music as a form of identifying with themselves and others. Letting someone else look through your music collection and taste allows them to look at a unique side of yourself. This idea reigns true today and reigned true for the people of my parents generation and generations back. We give music the power to connect us or distance us from others. If someone likes the same music as you, you form an instant link. If they don't, you start questioning their choices and that side of their personality. Music is something that everyone finds a way to relate. It says a lot about your identity.
So, I think my confusion over the popularity of American music in Paris is understandable. How can songs that only a fraction of the population comprehends hold so much power over this population? Why do these songs still remain popular? In one way, you can say that American spread of culture taints the originality of Parisian culture, that the American lifestyle and music and etc. are slowly ruining the uniqueness of what is Paris. I think that is a correct statement. Paris has always been known for its unparalleled way of life and structure of society. The French language has always reigned with all her might. Nowadays, though, you hear American songs playing in French restaurants. You see French parents wanting American au pairs so that their kids can learn proper English. You see this intrigue of the English language and American fashion and food and culture. So the question becomes is Parisian culture getting lost in this obsession of the unknown America and all that America represents?
In another way, though, you can say that this spread illustrates the way we are all alike and the power of music to epitomize identities. If we decide that taste in music represents a large side of who you are and then that same music is also globally popular, doesn't that connect every single person who likes that music? Doesn't that mean that a person from the boondocks of Louisiana shares parts of her identity with an older man in Marseille, France? Or Beijing, China? Or Harare, Zimbabwe? Music is known and has always been known as a way of telling stories and showing emotion. The thing is, emotion and archetypical stories aren't only true in one place for one person. They hold truth for millions if not billions of people. If American music is popular in France, doesn't that just show the interconnectivity of our cultures?
Salvat's "Open Season" goes as followed:
Head on down this very arbitrary road
Armor up, and say your prayers from underdogs and millionaires
I heard you're better off on your own
But I ain't gonna face this hunt alone
Every single person around the world, especially in the culturally diverse USA and the currently troubled France, understands the truth of these lyrics. Everyone has faced a struggle that they needed to overcome whether it be getting on the wrong metro or cheering for the losing football team. A struggle is a globally identifiable topic. Music brings countries and populations together. Its understandable that American music be played in Paris because the two cultures are not far from the same in many ways. Now the identities and uniqueness of these two cultures should be kept unique and individual, but who is to say that they can't relate to each other?
This pattern of awe over the lack of French music in restaurants and bars and stores and anywhere else continued. The only French songs I heard stereotypically were either EDM songs playing in some of the clubs, "La Vie en Rose" playing in a very touristy restaurant, or a French translation of an originally English song (i.e. "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen). Globalization and the grandness of the American music industry hold great influence in Paris.
It's ironic to me as for most people I know (including myself) use music as a form of identifying with themselves and others. Letting someone else look through your music collection and taste allows them to look at a unique side of yourself. This idea reigns true today and reigned true for the people of my parents generation and generations back. We give music the power to connect us or distance us from others. If someone likes the same music as you, you form an instant link. If they don't, you start questioning their choices and that side of their personality. Music is something that everyone finds a way to relate. It says a lot about your identity.
So, I think my confusion over the popularity of American music in Paris is understandable. How can songs that only a fraction of the population comprehends hold so much power over this population? Why do these songs still remain popular? In one way, you can say that American spread of culture taints the originality of Parisian culture, that the American lifestyle and music and etc. are slowly ruining the uniqueness of what is Paris. I think that is a correct statement. Paris has always been known for its unparalleled way of life and structure of society. The French language has always reigned with all her might. Nowadays, though, you hear American songs playing in French restaurants. You see French parents wanting American au pairs so that their kids can learn proper English. You see this intrigue of the English language and American fashion and food and culture. So the question becomes is Parisian culture getting lost in this obsession of the unknown America and all that America represents?
In another way, though, you can say that this spread illustrates the way we are all alike and the power of music to epitomize identities. If we decide that taste in music represents a large side of who you are and then that same music is also globally popular, doesn't that connect every single person who likes that music? Doesn't that mean that a person from the boondocks of Louisiana shares parts of her identity with an older man in Marseille, France? Or Beijing, China? Or Harare, Zimbabwe? Music is known and has always been known as a way of telling stories and showing emotion. The thing is, emotion and archetypical stories aren't only true in one place for one person. They hold truth for millions if not billions of people. If American music is popular in France, doesn't that just show the interconnectivity of our cultures?
Salvat's "Open Season" goes as followed:
And this is open season
Time is up, time to be leavingHead on down this very arbitrary road
Armor up, and say your prayers from underdogs and millionaires
I heard you're better off on your own
But I ain't gonna face this hunt alone
Every single person around the world, especially in the culturally diverse USA and the currently troubled France, understands the truth of these lyrics. Everyone has faced a struggle that they needed to overcome whether it be getting on the wrong metro or cheering for the losing football team. A struggle is a globally identifiable topic. Music brings countries and populations together. Its understandable that American music be played in Paris because the two cultures are not far from the same in many ways. Now the identities and uniqueness of these two cultures should be kept unique and individual, but who is to say that they can't relate to each other?
Songs Mentioned in this Project (and Sources)
"Open Season" by Josef Salvat
Music of Louis Armstrong
Parisian Jazz in 1958
"Down on the Street" by The Stooges
Salut C'est Cool (popular French EDM artist)
Sources Used:
Vila, Marie Christine (2007). Paris musique. Parigramme
Sarmant, Thierry (2012). Histoire de Paris: Politique, urbanisme, civilisation. Editions Jean-Paul Gisserot.
Haine, W.Scott (2013). The Thinking Space: The Café as a Cultural Institution in Paris, Italy and Vienna.
"The Roots of Rock & Roll." Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 July 2016.
Wright, Craig M. Music and Ceremony at Notre Dame of Paris, 500-1550. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1989. Print.
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