Laisse Tomber Les Filles
Encyclopedia
"Laisse tomber les filles" (English: "Leave the girls alone" i.e., "stop messing around with the girls") is a French song composed by Serge Gainsbourg
and originally performed by France Gall
in 1964.
The message of the song can be summed up as "you'll get yours". A girl whose heart has been broken addresses the boy who has done the heart-breaking, warning him that if he doesn't "leave the girls alone", he'll end up heart-broken himself.
The contrast between the dark tone of this song and the more upbeat mood of its contemporaries - the yé-yé
pop style - is commented on by Gilles Verland:
France Gall's vindictive lyrics are supported by the well-known jazz band led by Gogo
(the same group with whom Gainsbourg was recording at the time). The song's emphasis on brass and percussion is regarded as being integral to its success. Fondness within the English-speaking world for the "French pop sound" makes the song continue to be popular to this day.
It was also recently covered by the French singer Mareva Galanter
in an explicit reference to the Yé-yé
style. The song is also covered by Fabienne Delsol
on her first solo album, No Time For Sorrows (2004).
recorded two covers of the song in 1995: one with the original French lyrics, and the other as "Chick Habit" with English lyrics written by March.
"Chick Habit" is played during the opening credits of the 1999 campy teen comedy But I'm a Cheerleader
by Jamie Babbit
. Both versions of the song, first English and then French, are played during the end credits of the movie Death Proof
(2007) by Quentin Tarantino
. It was also used as the backing music to television advertisements for the Renault Twingo
in the UK and in France in 2008.
American electronica
musician Benn Jordan
recorded a cover of the 1995 English version of the song for his album Flexing Habitual
under the name The Flashbulb in 2006.
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
and originally performed by France Gall
France Gall
France Gall is a popular French yé-yé singer.Gall was married to, and had a successful singing career in partnership with, French singer-songwriter Michel Berger....
in 1964.
The message of the song can be summed up as "you'll get yours". A girl whose heart has been broken addresses the boy who has done the heart-breaking, warning him that if he doesn't "leave the girls alone", he'll end up heart-broken himself.
The contrast between the dark tone of this song and the more upbeat mood of its contemporaries - the yé-yé
Yé-yé
Yé-yé was a style of pop music that emerged from France, Québec and Spain in the early 1960s. The term "yé-yé" derived from "yeah! yeah!" The style expanded worldwide, due to the success of figures such as the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg....
pop style - is commented on by Gilles Verland:
- Gainsbourg's lyrics obviously have nothing to do with the worldview expressed by other teenage vocalists of the time; of course their world has its charms, but it has not a single atom of depth. In the lyrics of Gainsbourg's songs in general, and Laisse tomber les filles in particular, there is a startling lucidity coupled with a refusal to be taken in by "the great farce of love", defined in terms of "never" and "always". But, with Laisse tomber les filles, we are not presented with a male narrator of thirty or thirty-five years, but rather a teenager.
France Gall's vindictive lyrics are supported by the well-known jazz band led by Gogo
Alain Goraguer
Alain Goraguer is a French jazz pianist, sideman of Boris Vian and Serge Gainsbourg, arranger and composer. He reached his creative peak in the 1960s and 1970s...
(the same group with whom Gainsbourg was recording at the time). The song's emphasis on brass and percussion is regarded as being integral to its success. Fondness within the English-speaking world for the "French pop sound" makes the song continue to be popular to this day.
It was also recently covered by the French singer Mareva Galanter
Mareva Galanter
Mareva Galanter is a French actress and former beauty queen.Galanter won the 1998 "Miss World of Islands" and then the 1998 "Miss Tahiti" beauty contest that allowed her to compete for the Miss France 1999 crown, which she won.Galanter expanded her work into music and singing, releasing Ukuyéyé,...
in an explicit reference to the Yé-yé
Yé-yé
Yé-yé was a style of pop music that emerged from France, Québec and Spain in the early 1960s. The term "yé-yé" derived from "yeah! yeah!" The style expanded worldwide, due to the success of figures such as the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg....
style. The song is also covered by Fabienne Delsol
Fabienne Delsol
Fabienne Delsol is a French singer, who performs primarily in English. Influenced by the 1960s, her music is a mix of UK garage, Pop, and Psychedelic.-Biography:...
on her first solo album, No Time For Sorrows (2004).
English language version
April MarchApril March
April March is an American indie pop singer/songwriter who sings in English and French...
recorded two covers of the song in 1995: one with the original French lyrics, and the other as "Chick Habit" with English lyrics written by March.
"Chick Habit" is played during the opening credits of the 1999 campy teen comedy But I'm a Cheerleader
But I'm a Cheerleader
But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 satirical romantic comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit and written by Brian Wayne Peterson. Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan Bloomfield, an apparently happy heterosexual high school cheerleader...
by Jamie Babbit
Jamie Babbit
Jamie Babbit is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. She directed the films But I'm a Cheerleader, The Quiet and Itty Bitty Titty Committee. She has also directed episodes of television programs including Gilmore Girls, Malcolm in the Middle, United States of Tara, Nip/Tuck and...
. Both versions of the song, first English and then French, are played during the end credits of the movie Death Proof
Death Proof
Death Proof is a 2007 American action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film centers on a psychopathic stunt man who stalks young women before murdering them in staged car accidents using his "death-proof" stunt car...
(2007) by Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
. It was also used as the backing music to television advertisements for the Renault Twingo
Renault Twingo
The Renault Twingo is a city car built by French automaker Renault, first presented at the Paris Motor Show in September 1992 and sold in continental European markets beginning in 1993...
in the UK and in France in 2008.
American electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
musician Benn Jordan
Benn Jordan
Benn Lee Jordan is an American modern jazz and electronica musician operating under many pseudonyms. Since 1999 his most widely distributed and eclectic music has been released under the name of The Flashbulb...
recorded a cover of the 1995 English version of the song for his album Flexing Habitual
Flexing Habitual
Flexing Habitual is the seventh studio album by The Flashbulb, released in 2006.The track "Ninedump" was originally intended to be submitted to the Nine Inch Nails "Only" online remix competition, thanks to the persuasion of a fan on his MySpace page...
under the name The Flashbulb in 2006.