La chanson de la De Dion-Bouton: a motoring anthem for Bastille Day

• 
• 
• 

Yesterday, our French readers will have been reminded of the events of 235 years ago, when the pretty boulevards of Paris turned foul with the smell of smoke, violent musket shot and an insatiable revolutionary fervour. The Seine frothed with the drops of sang pur et impur which were shed that day and on many occasions thereafter, as a series of events was triggered which would result in one of the darkest chapters of European history. Nevertheless, the Storming of the Bastille can be credited with bringing about the creation of the Republic of France and, for all its significance, it is as well that it is commemorated.

France did eventually recover her senses and her health, and by the late 19th century was leading the way in the development of the automobile. At the same time, Paris had very much established its reputation as a centre for fashion and the arts. Its popular image as a place where laughing coquettes in satin and lace strolled carelessly through the Bois de Boulogne, and met with prospective suitors for a splash about in a skiff, was by then well-established. Just a few miles from the river, in Puteaux, the De Dion-Bouton factory was producing smart and capable cars by the thousand, promoting French manufacturing to motorists at all four corners of the globe.

Now we fast-forward again to the 1960s. Much has changed, but Paris remains as chic as it was at the turn of century. There's a nouvelle vague in film-making, and everyone's in love with with the image of a moody Jean Paul Belmondo scowling and smoking from the wheel of a Buick, and with the soft, imploring eyes of Anna Karina. The soundtrack is jazz and yé-yé, to be heard drifting on the breeze from each riverfront café. Tous les garçons et les filles promenent dans la rue deux par deux.

It all seemed to point toward such a bright future, but it is only a fool who forgets to keep in touch with the past. That is why, today, we mean to highlight one overlooked band of chanteuses: Les Parisiennes. The group of singing and dancing girls was, we gather, active between 1964 and 1971, but with multiple changes to the line-up. We don't know too much about them, but they're overdue some appreciation because, while Françoise Hardy sang of love and loneliness and Sylvie Vartan stomped away to imported American R&B, Les Parisiennes became the pop world's champions of France's motoring heritage when they recorded La De Dion-Bouton. But perhaps we are celebrating their work a little too soon... After all, did anyone ever see a De Dion-Bouton with radiators to the side of the engine?

Words: Zack Stiling
 

Aggiunga un commento...