I’m starting this series today because I heard some learners of French were sharing poetry, and I keep a playlist of songs from mostly 50 years ago that I listened to back then, when I was young!

1- Les Feuilles Mortes

This is a well-known song and poem by Jacques Prévert that you’ll hear translated as Autumn Leaves, however the translation leaves a whole lot of it out. So get the one sung by Yves Montand (French actor whom I remember from movies like César et Rosalie and Z).

I don’t know if this link will work for Apple Music:

https://music.apple.com/us/song/les-feuilles-mortes/1444874656

It was also sung by Juliette Greco, Edith Piaf, and many others.

It’s a song about remembering happy days spent together on the sea shore (“et la mer efface sur le sable, les pas des amants désunis”), the fallen leaves an image for thoughts, feelings and remembrances that have since died out and that the cool wind from the north blows away. Or something like that…

2- Je t’aime, moi non plus

This one I laugh about because it was played on the radio and I and our very Catholic parents didn’t realize what it was talking about! I was reminded because Jane Birkin died recently, and she was singing this song with Serge Gainsbourg (they are Charlotte Gainsbourg’s parents). Warning: it’s like they’re having sex live.

https://music.apple.com/us/song/je-taime-moi-non-plus/1443220646

3- Avec le temps

I recently heard this song in a play after Annie Ernaux, and retrieved its original by Léo Ferré, another poet producing sad material, but so beautiful.

https://music.apple.com/us/song/avec-le-temps/1444026132

There’s a great interpretation by Anne Sofie von Otter with Brad Mehldau on piano which earns my personal first prize for revival of an old song:

https://music.apple.com/us/song/avec-le-temps/1295103344

… more to come, when I get another hour of nostalgic listening …

In case you have access to Apple Music, here’s a link to my playlist (I’m not sure it works if you’re not me): https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/old-songs-from-my-young-years/pl.u-PDb40YptkJzKK6