Much of her more jazz-oriented material was written and produced by the legendary Serge Gainsbourg, who was responsible for France Gall’s most notorious song. France Gall was about 19 when she recorded “Les Sucettes” in 1966 and claims to this day that she did not understand the subtext of Gainsbourg’s tune about a little girl and her lollipop. How anyone could spend time in the presence of the supremely creepy Serge Gainsbourg and not twig that he might have written a song about blowjobs is rather beyond me, so I’m assuming Gall was merely proclaiming innocence in the media. Regardless, the song was an enormous hit for all its controversy.
Gall went on to have a few more years of hits as a pop ingénue through the end of the decade, some of them weird Francophone psych-pop mash-ups by Gainsbourg along the lines of his contemporaneous hit “Contact” for Brigitte Bardot:
“Teenie Weenie Boppie,” a weird-ass evocation of a bad acid trip that somehow involves Mick Jagger, is the most notorious of these. I’m also a fan of “Nefertiti.” Like just about every other French pop singer of her generation bar Brigitte Fontaine, France Gall lost her way in the ’70s, going all middle of the road soft rock, and personal tragedy (both her husband, well-known songwriter and producer Michel Berger, and her teenage daughter died of chronic diseases in the ’90s) led to her semi-retirement while she was still in her 40s. Still, her first wave of hit singles is basically essential for fans of Francophone pop.
Also: pretty.
So how about it? Which musician that you first discovered via Look turned out to be right up your alley musically as well?
Great question and write up, Great One. The first artist that comes to mind for me is The Undertones. NOT because I have a thing for scrawny Irish teens in floods, mind you, and not that there’s anything wrong with that…
When I saw their first album in a used bin in South Street’s old Book Trader, I was drawn into their fun, goofy Look. I’d read just enough about them to know they were a punk band I should check out, but I’m pretty sure I’d never heard a lick of their music. I simply loved what the cover shot promised. They looked a lot like how I felt when hanging with my high school friends/bandmates. To this day, when hanging with almost that exact lot, I still feel like a scrawny, goofy Irish teen wearing floods. It’s a good feeling, and the music lived up to the promise of the Look.
http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/U/undertonesf.jpg
Joy Division’s Closer. First spied the LP at Inner Sanctum Records in Austin in 1980. The cover haunted me, and as a moody 17-year old, I wanted to be haunted. Luckily, the music also rocked (which is what ultimately made them so great.) From the first few notes of “Atrocity Exhibition,” I knew I’d made the right purchase.
Still felt that way a couple of months ago when I put it on again after going to see Control. The working-class angst beneath it all served them well.
France Gall. Nice choice. I fell hard for Juliette Greco. http://eliptikon.blogspot.com/2007/02/juliette-greco-il-n-plus-d.html
Oh, speaking of Gainsbourg, have you head Benjamin Biolay? Definitely influenced by Serge. Among other things. the one below sounds a bit like The Church as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23eLeo2ArOs
Ah, Undertones. Absolutely. I was in Rocky Mountain Records in early 1983 and I saw the UK version of the first album in the remainder bin for 49 cents. One look and I just thought “Yes. I must have this.” Still one of my favorite albums of all time.
They didn’t have a lot of true staying power with me, but I would have to say “The Milkshakes”. I loved their look on “14 Rhythm and Beat Greats” and I really dug that album for many years.
Boney M without a doubt.
kidding.
The Nick Cave poster that hung in the stairway of 3rd st jazz called to me for a few years before i picked up the disc.
Tender Prey was the album.
so good.
I think the last album I bought for purely Look reasons was “Rules” by Supagroup. It’s not often a Look-inspired blind purchase pays off, but for me, this one did!
http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca/~gauntlet/eg/eg2/20050811/Supagroup-web.jpg
Townsman Chickenfrank… can you appreciate the appeal of this album cover?
I’m pretty sure I started buying Neko Case CDs based purely on some magazine photos.