L'amour à la française
Encyclopedia
"L'amour à la française" is a song by French band/group Les Fatals Picards
. It was the French
entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
.
It is a love song, using Franglais
, a mixture of French
and English
, and according to the songwriters meant to combine French romance and punk for beginners. The lyric is a lighthearted dig at the most common stereotypes and misconceptions of France, the French people, the French language, French culture and in general all things French, with references to "the Eiffel Tower
", "Chanel
handbags", "the Seine
", "Les Champs-Elysées
", "Le Moulin Rouge
" - but in equal measures an ironic dig at the Anglosphere
's general inability to pronounce French properly, hence the thick Franglais accent.
The song was performed 13th on the night, following Sweden
's The Ark
with "The Worrying Kind
" and preceding Latvia
's Bonaparti.lv
with "Questa Notte
". Out of 24 entries, the song finished in 22nd place in the final, gathering 19 points.
It was succeeded as French representative
at the 2008 Contest
by Sébastien Tellier
with "Divine
".
Les Fatals Picards
Les Fatals Picards is a French rock/punk band, founded in 1996.The Fatals Picards are best known to general audiences because they represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song L'amour à la française , after winning the national selection.Their name means "the fatal [men]...
. It was the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
.
It is a love song, using Franglais
Franglais
Franglais , a portmanteau combining the French words "français" and "anglais" , is a slang term for an interlanguage, although the word has different overtones in French and English....
, a mixture of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and according to the songwriters meant to combine French romance and punk for beginners. The lyric is a lighthearted dig at the most common stereotypes and misconceptions of France, the French people, the French language, French culture and in general all things French, with references to "the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
", "Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
handbags", "the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
", "Les Champs-Elysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
", "Le Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
" - but in equal measures an ironic dig at the Anglosphere
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
's general inability to pronounce French properly, hence the thick Franglais accent.
The song was performed 13th on the night, following Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's The Ark
The Ark (band)
The Ark was a Swedish glam rock band formed in 1991 by Jepsson Mikael , and Lasse Ljungberg, when Ola Salo and Leari were only fourteen years old. Martin Axén officially joined the band in 1997, and Sylvester Schlegel in 1999. In late 2005, Jens Andersson joined The Ark as an official member...
with "The Worrying Kind
The Worrying Kind
"The Worrying Kind" is a rock song performed by The Ark, written and composed by Ola Salo. It was released as the second single of their fourth album, Prayer for the Weekend. On March 10, 2007 the song won Melodifestivalen 2007 and therefore became Sweden's Eurovision Song Contest 2007 entry...
" and preceding Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
's Bonaparti.lv
Bonaparti.lv
Bonaparti.lv is a sextet consisting of Latvian tenors, that participated in Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with their song "Questa Notte".In 2006 Swedish composer Kjell Jennstig composed a song named "Tonight", which he handed in to Eirodziesma 2007 - the Latvian national qualification for the...
with "Questa Notte
Questa Notte
"Questa Notte" was the Latvian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, sung in Italian by Bonaparti.lv.Bonaparti.lv, a sextet of classically-trained tenors, performed in Italian, the first time the language was performed by Latvia...
". Out of 24 entries, the song finished in 22nd place in the final, gathering 19 points.
It was succeeded as French representative
France in the Eurovision Song Contest
France is one of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest and has entered the competition fifty-four times since their debut at the very first contest in 1956. France is one of only seven countries to be present at the very first contest, and has only been absent from two...
at the 2008 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
by Sébastien Tellier
Sébastien Tellier
Sébastien Tellier is a French singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is currently signed to Record Makers, a French independent record label. He sings in English, French and Italian.-Biography:...
with "Divine
Divine (Sébastien Tellier song)
"Divine" is a song by Sébastien Tellier from his 2008 album Sexuality. The song represented France at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The song is in English, with a few verses in French...
".