Brigitte Fontaine

Guestpost! Natasha on Brigitte Fontaine:

The iconic Brigitte Fontaine – singer, songwriter, author, actress, playwright, novelist and poet, now 69 – has been a “sublime pain-in-the-ass” (the French name of her latest show) of the French, world, jazz, pop, electro, underground and God knows what else scene for some 30 odd years and is still going strong. Still going strong in Brigitte’s case doesn’t mean mellowing out and cutting lame, old lady tracks, either. It means appearing at the Barbican Centre in London in 2006 with English artists (Jarvis Cocker, Portishead, Beck, etc.) for the first public interpretation of the Serge Gainsbourg’s "Histoire de Melody Nelson". It also means working with Jacques Higelin (which has been doing for 30 years), The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Pierre Lapointe, Sonic Youth and more names that you can shake a stick at. Finally, it means constantly staying ahead of any critic telling her what her style is. Or her using dirty lyrics. Or criticizing the French government’s lack of legal abortion at the time. Or writing a novel. Or receiving the prestigious Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros.

Shopping in a minimalist vinyl store in Barcelona, there I saw it: her first ever CD entitled “Dévaste-moi” from 1966 (then titled “13 chansons décadentes et fantasmagoriques”). The title track, with its “Fever” like intro was apparently an instant hit in Japan. The rest is sung with the tone and cynicism of a younger Gainsbourg (more like the other way round, though), some snappy jazz and samba, and some great lyrics all written by her.

For some more recent party music dig into “Le Nougat”, an Arabic sounding number where an elephant ends up in her bathroom and fun stuff like “Je suis conne” and “Comme à la radio” (the remix) are good dance floor numbers as well. Just go out and discover more Brigitte Fontaine. Everyone should.

Brigitte Fontaine - Devaste-moi
Brigitte Fontaine - Le Nougat
Brigitte Fontaine - C'est Pas Ma Faute