Artists are like the French in general, who hate tourists… Except when they go sightseeing.
It dates from 1961, this song, The tourists, by Claude Nougaro, recorded by Philippe Clay. And it was last week, in October 2023, that residents of Douarnenez refused to pose in front of tourists, and booed the passengers of a cruise ship disembarking to visit a picturesque Breton port.
Moreover, the demonstrators wore masks of polar animals or characters from the Venice carnival – that is to say the fauna, photographed by the passengers of the liners most criticized for their excessive pollution, in environments that it should be protected.
And, whether we are in Brittany or in the Third World, tourists’ taste for photos gives rise to many songs. Here is Francis Cabrel in 1985, and the singer Montparnasse in 2021.
In the second episode of These songs that make the news, broadcast this weekend, you hear excerpts from:
Philip Clay, The tourists, 1961
Francis Cabrel, Travel photos, 1985
Montparnasse, Tourist, 2021
Bill Baxter & Tippa Irie, Welcome to Paris, 1987
Merlot, Hello, 2012
Jeanne Moreau, Travel, 1970
Hocus Pocus, Tourist, 2007
Jean Ferrat, The tourists left, 1971
Jean Ferrat, In Santiago, 1967
Chichi & Banana, The tourist, 2021
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And you can also find the podcast on this link Behind our voices, with the writing and composition secrets of eight major artists of the French scene, Laurent Voulzy, Julien Clerc, Bénabar, Dominique A, Carla Bruni, Emily Loizeau, Juliette and Gaëtan Roussel.