First of all, let me tell you that, in this column, we will not hear many songs in the French language, but everything will be in the language of France, since we are in the West Indies and we speak and sing in Creole. Here, one of the greatest classics of Martinique heritage, The Grev baré mwen, sung in 1931 by Leona Gabriel, with the orchestra of the great clarinetist Alexandre Stellio.
In the first episode of These songs that make the news this weekend, you hear excerpts from:
Léona Gabriel and Alexandre Stellio, Wé, wé, wé, wé – La Grèv baré mwen, 1931
Micheline Mona in the soundtrack of the film Biguine by Guy Deslauriers, Eti Tintin, 2004
Micheline Mona, La Defense ka vini fol, 2004
Léona Gabriel and Alexandre Stellio, Wé, wé, wé, wé – La Grèv baré mwen, 1931
Augustin Gourpil, Wé, wé, wé, wé – La Grèv baré mwen, 1962
Moune de Rivel, Wé, wé, wé, wé – La Grèv baré mwen, 2000
Léona Gabriel and Alexandre Stellio, Wé, wé, wé, wé – La Grèv baré mwen, 1931
You can also follow the news of this column on Twitter.
Remember: during the summer of 2019, La Playlist de Françoise Hardy was a journey through the musical baggage of an author, composer and performer considered to be the arbiter of the elegance of pop in France.
In July and August 2017, we spent Un été en Souchon, during which Alain Souchon guided us on a tasty walk through a lifetime of love for song.
All summer 2016, in the company of Vincent Delerm, we wandered around in La Playlist amoureuse de la chanson, truant exploration of popular heritage. You can also extend the delicacies of this summer column with the French song lover dictionary, co-published by Plon and franceinfo.