Les Fatals Picards
Encyclopedia
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
(Eng: "Love, French Style"), after winning the national selection.
Their name means "the fatal [men] from Picardy".
or humoristic character, though some songs, more particularly in the recent years, are more of a militant left-wing kind.
Some of their songs are satiric
:
Musical influences range from straight rock to punk, chanson
, etc.
Former member:
The Fatals Picards are best known to general audiences because they represented France
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...
in 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...
with the song L'amour à la française
L'amour à la française
"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...
(Eng: "Love, French Style"), after winning the national selection.
Their name means "the fatal [men] from Picardy".
Characteristics
The lyrics of the Fatals Picards are often of a parodicParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
or humoristic character, though some songs, more particularly in the recent years, are more of a militant left-wing kind.
Some of their songs are satiric
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
:
- L'enterrement de Derrick ("the burial of Derrick"), about the namesake character of the German police TV series DerrickDerrick (TV series)Derrick is a German TV series produced by Telenova Film und Fernsehproduktion in association with ZDF, ORF and SRG between 1974 and 1998 about Detective Chief Inspector Stephan Derrick and his loyal assistant Inspector Harry Klein , who solve murder cases in Munich and surroundings Derrick is a...
. - Le jour de la mort de Johnny ("the day of the death of Johnny"), about French rock singer Johnny Halliday. The Fatals Picards and Johnny Halliday were both at the same record company, Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, who decided not to include the song on the album - Les Bourgeois — fake left-wing militant song, probably satirizing militant bands such as Têtes Raides; the title is reminiscent of a famous song by Jacques BrelJacques BrelJacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
. - Cure Toujours, about GothGoth subcultureThe goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
youth imitating the looks and appreciating the music of The CureThe CureThe Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
. The guitar and vocals are reminiscent of IndochineIndochine (band)Indochine is a French new wave/rock band, formed in 1981. The band was very successful in France in the 1980s, as well as other parts of continental Europe and Latin America, with songs like L'Aventurier and Canary Bay...
. - Sauvons Vivendi, parody of songs from e.g. Band AidBand Aid (band)Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
that attempt raising awareness about humanitarian causes... but in this case, calling for help for the industrial and financial group VivendiVivendiVivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
and stockStockThe capital stock of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors...
traders. - Commandante, parody of songs by e.g. Noir DésirNoir DésirNoir Désir was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on numerous French musicians including Cali, Louise Attaque and Miossec...
, mixing somewhat confused but strongly expressed left-wing political messages and somewhat meaningless Spanish lyrics meant to give a South American feel (in the Fatals song, the Spanish backing vocals are actually road directions). - Monter le Pantalon, parody of Tomber la chemise by ZebdaZebdaZebda is a French music group from Toulouse known for its political activism and its wide variety of musical styles. The group, which was formed in 1985, consisted of seven musicians of diverse nationalities, and the themes of much of their music involved political and social justice, the status...
. - Bernard Lavilliers, satirizing the image of French singer Bernard LavilliersBernard LavilliersBernard Lavilliers is a French singer.He was born Bernard Oulion in Saint-Étienne, Loire.The band Fatals Picards wrote a song Bernard Lavilliers, satirizing Lavilliers' image as a former adventurer.-Discography:...
as a former adventurer active in South America, who has "seen it all". - C'est l'histoire d'une meuf, parody of the video for a song by humanitarian band les EnfoirésLes EnfoirésLes Enfoirés , is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur .-History:...
. The Fatals Picards accuse some of the singers in that band of being in there only to restart a flagging career. - Chasse, pêche et biture, a jab at hunters, accused of being drunk too often. The title is also a jab at the fringe political party Hunting, Fishing, Nature, Tradition.
- Boum parodies the songs from French rock band SuperbusSuperbus (band)Superbus is a five-piece French pop/rock band formed in 1999.-History:After a trip to the United States to perfect her English in 1999, Jennifer Ayache went looking for musicians to make a group. She met Michel Giovannetti, a guitarist, and François Even, a bassist, who already knew each other from...
(accused of having lousy lyrics centering on teenage loves and parties). - Je viens d'ici, satire of alleged bigotry in CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. - Et puis merde, je vote à droite ("and fuck all that, I vote right-wing"): a man discovers that he prefers voting right-wing, and all of a sudden appreciates right-wing artists and professes conservative social views.
Musical influences range from straight rock to punk, chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
, etc.
Band members
- Laurent Honel : guitar/singing/bass (2000-)
- Jean-Marc Sauvagnargues : Drums(2002-)
- Paul Léger : Lead Singer (2004-)
- Yves Giraud : bass (2005-)
Former member:
- Ivan Callot : Lead Singer (-December 2007)
Discography
- Amiens c'est aussi le tien - D.I.Y. (2000) (the title is a pun)
- Navet Maria - Next Music - (2001) (the title is a pun on Ave MariaAve MariaAve Maria may refer to:*Ave Maria , the "Hail Mary", a traditional Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus-Music:...
and "turnip", which is also slang for "bad film" in French) - Droit de véto - Next Music - (2003)
- Picardia Independenza (2005) (the title and sleeve cover are faux CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
n independentist, except that Corsica is replaced by Picardy and the emblem of Corsica is replaced by a beet, one of the major crops of Picardy) - Pamplemousse mécanique (2007) (the title is an allusion to A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
, with the orange being replaced by a grapefruitGrapefruitThe grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
) - Public (Live, 2008)
- Le sens de la gravité (2009)
- Coming out (2011)