My Life in Paris: Musical Memory Lane | EUROtoday

A record-shopping spree has Theadora singing alongside to some outdated favorites of French music.

Like all true amorous affairs, it began with a kiss. After discovering a Last Kisses file by Mike Shannon's Wild Cats on the Porte de Vanves flea market, I obtained hooked on classic 45s. It didn't take lengthy. Years in the past my mother had given me her outdated moveable hi-fi participant, so after a fast rummage by the closet and a much-needed dusting, I couldn’t solely admire the Wild Cats' cowl artwork, however spin my little rescued 45 time and again, a lot to my neighbors' annoyance, I'm certain. That evening with The cats turned me right into a full-blown fan of that complete yé-yé boy band: Mike, John, James, Jack and Willy. Yeah-yeah, I used to be hooked.

And the beat goes on

It wasn't simply the graceful voices, although Wild Cats frontman Mike Shannon's velvety vocals did do one thing to me. Listening to the arm drop gave me shivers each time I waited for the needle to seek out its groove. By the tip of the week there was just one route: again to Porte de Vanves to dig for extra retro-mod gold.

I used to be unstoppable. My nights with Wild Cats led me to their first frontman, Dick Rivers, and his irresistible soar'n'shout model of Do You Want To Dance?. Then Rivers led me to balladeer Adamo's easy, high-register The snow falls. In flip, Adamo led me to certainly one of his opening bands: Surfs. Performing principally English pop covers, this yé-yé band from Madagascar was a agency favourite in France all through the Nineteen Sixties. Cuteness personified, these fab 4 brothers and their two sisters might play and sing in Italian, German, Spanish and English, in addition to French. Footage of the band survives, too.

YouTube lists a number of romps, together with a 1964 British Pathé clip of E Adesso Te Ne Puoi Andaretheir model of Dusty Springfield's I Only Want to Be with You. Floating down the Seine outfitted in turtlenecks, skipper hats, skinny trousers and pea coats, the band seems each bit as radiant because the Paris landmarks they go to. I haven't been capable of take heed to their ticker-ticker beat with out feeling an urge to do it over again.

Supremely harmful

Still roaming YouTube, I got here throughout wonderful 1965 footage of The Supremes strutting their stuff amidst real-life Paris site visitors on the Champs-Elysées whereas singing Where Did Our Love Go?. Florence, Mary and Diana had come to Paris for Berry Gordy's Motortown Revue on the Olympia. Each body is stuffed with pleasure, blended with only a thrill of worry (they barely keep away from getting run over greater than as soon as). It's pure cinema verité since I’m certain they filmed with no permits and no safety, simply the three of them and a cameraperson. Despite the glares of passers-by and the cop exhibiting as much as give them a push, the trio stays on beat, by no means lacking a step.

Better than the Beatles

It seems that they had been strutting within the Beatle-booted footsteps of the Beatles, who'd prompted commotion on the Champs-Élysées the yr earlier than. In January 1964, the band was booked for 3 weeks on the Olympia earlier than touring to New York for his or her first American efficiency on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Headlines yelped: “The Fab Beatles in Paris! The Beatles stopped traffic on the Champs-Élysées today. French fans mobbed the Merseyside pop group on their first sightseeing stroll in Paris. Followed by crowds of admirers of all ages and press photographers, they walked down the middle of the road while drivers hooted as they tried to get through!”

Girls within the crowd screamed, “How beautiful they are! Aren’t they handsome?” Not everybody within the crowd agreed, the reporter shared. One native stated again, “They are not as good-looking as Johnny Hallyday!”
And identical to that, I had a brand new 45 to hunt for. Johnny Hallyday's 1960 debut Loving you madly. Hello, Johnny. After a number of spins, I'm already head over heels in love. Again! And to suppose it began with a kiss. Perhaps the Beatles obtained it unsuitable. Maybe cash can purchase me love.

Theadora Brack has lived in Paris since 2003 and is the writer of the peopleplacesandbling.com weblog.

From France Today Magazine