In 1975, Jean Ferrat was the first to consider the importance of women in song, adopting the famous maxim of the poet Louis Aragon."The future of man is woman."From Brigitte Bardot to Clara Luciani, via Juliette Greco or Angèle… Each of these women has left its mark on their era with their songs and messages defending their freedom at all costs.
Long before #MeToo, numerous songs championed the feminist cause by denouncing assault, gender inequality, and the sexist system, while celebrating bodily freedom and the freedom to act. The history of feminism is punctuated by songs from female artists who used catchy and effective choruses to dream of a more egalitarian world.
On this March 8th, International Women's Day, Fabien Lecœuvre, a specialist in French song, tells us the story of six songs by feminist singers who have advanced gender equality, while changing society. Harley Davidson, Étienne, Déshabillez-moi, Ève lève-toi, La Grenade or, Balance ton quoi These are all titles whose scope extends far beyond music and which have contributed to the evolution of society…
The grenadeClara Luciani
The history of the song The grenadeReleased at the end of 2017, the album was born simply from a feeling of being fed up. It's not always easy for a young woman to navigate the often very masculine, and let's face it, somewhat macho, world of music. In her early days, Clara Luciani was so frequently confronted with sexist and chauvinistic remarks that she decided to respond through song by writing The grenadeShe therefore chose the pen over violence to assert her status as a free and independent woman. It was a way for her to break free from societal dictates. Clara wrote the song before the Weinstein affair. She felt the need to do so after a solo tour she had done with another female sound engineer, an experience that left her with some unpleasant memories. When they arrived at venues, men stared at them like they were aliens, making inappropriate jokes about their ability to plug in a device or write songs.
Thus, Clara wanted to prove with this song that women are not poor, vulnerable, mute little dolls, but that they have a strength and a violence equal to that of men.
Although released as a single on December 8, 2017, it wasn't until more than a year later, at the beginning of 2019, that the song topped the sales charts for several weeks, even reaching number one in downloads the week of June 21, 2019. Thanks to this immense success, Clara Luciani was named Female Artist of the Year at the 35th Annual French Music Awards.e Victoire de la Musique on February 14, 2020.
Balance ton quoiAngèle
The unstoppable hit of 2019, Balance Ton Quoi, by Belgian singer-songwriter Angèle, humorously denounces the everyday sexism of society and implicitly refers to the feminist movement Balance Ton Porc.
The idea for this song, which denounces sexism and references the famous #MeToo movement, was inspired by a trip on the Brussels metro. It was on line 6. One day, she was insulted by a young man because she was wearing a skirt. Deeply shocked by the inappropriate remarks of this passenger on line 6, upon returning home, Angèle wrote the lyrics in one go. Balance ton quoiToday, she enjoys giving interviews, thanking "That asshole"Because thanks to him, she had a hit song!
In this song, Angèle denounces everyday sexism, but also the sexist remarks of rappers. She considers herself a feminist, but not an activist. She is convinced that humor is a powerful weapon. For Angèle, you can't ask a rapper, who has his own codes, even if they are based on sexism, to change overnight and condemn him. However, she hopes that these things will change.
In the funny and quirky music video for "Balance ton quoi," directed by Angèle's friend, photographer and director Charlotte Abramow, we see actor Pierre Niney in an imaginary Anti-Sexism Academy, where Angèle lectures him, telling him, "No means no!" In the video, all the characters wear a sweater bearing the name of this school of consent. This uniform is part of a collection created in partnership with the feminist clothing brand Meuf Paris.
Balance ton quoi It achieved immense success, going Diamond in France and Triple Platinum in Belgium. The album Brol, which features the song, received the Victoire de la Musique award for Breakthrough Album of the Year on February 8, 2019. A true consecration for the young Angèle, who the following year, on February 14, 2020, won the Victoire de la Musique award for Concert of the Year.
Étienne, Gesh Patti
A legendary and controversial hit from 1988, the famous Étienne Guesh Patti's work remains unforgettable. After honing her skills with the dance companies of Roland Petit and Carolyn Carlson, Guesh Patti established herself as a talented choreographer. In the mid-80s, the dancer turned to singing. After a first album that wasn't a huge success, Guesh signed a contract with the Comotion label in 1986. Looking for powerful and catchy music, Guesh met composer Vincent Bruley, who offered her the melody for "Étienne." Using this tempo, Guesh Patti wrote, in less than three hours, lyrics full of innuendo with sensual, not to say sexual, undertones.
For the title of her song, Guesh simply drew inspiration from the first name of an assistant at her record label, whom she regularly encountered when calling her producer. Thus, young Étienne became an object of desire and found himself famous despite himself! This song, a symbol of female empowerment and domination over men, was released in 1987, but due to its slightly erotic nature, it struggled to gain airplay on French radio. German and Italian radio stations were the first to embrace this French hit, and it was only later that France succumbed to the charm of Étienne and the very sensual Guesh Patti, whose steamy music video, in which she was seen riding a wooden chair, remains unforgettable! Étienne It will sell two million copies and remain at the top of the Top 50 for several weeks.
Harley DavidsonBrigitte Bardot
Harley Davidson is a song that undeniably contributed to women's liberation, notably popularizing thigh-high boots, featured in the music video. Let's look back at the story behind its creation: in the autumn of 1967, while Brigitte Bardot was married to German businessman Gunther Sachs and preparing her return to singing in a television special scheduled for New Year's Eve, she received a phone call from Serge Gainsbourg. In a shy voice, he suggested they meet to hear the two songs he had composed for her. On the day of the meeting, at the actress's home on Avenue Paul Doumer in Paris, Gainsbourg sat down at the piano and played his compositions. The captivating actress was immediately smitten. Harley Davidson.
This song, which refers to a creature straight out of a comic strip and attracted to mechanical devices, was born a few months earlier in the mind of the singular singer-songwriter. Sitting in the back seat of a taxi and passing a motorcycle of the famous brand created in 1903 in Milwaukee, USA by William Harley and Arthur Davidson, in the streets of the capital, Gainsbourg decided to write a song in homage to this motorcycle brand.
With this sports car, a true symbol of masculine virility, Gainsbourg then conceived lyrics worthy of his sexual fantasy, which he intended for the world's most famous sex symbol: Brigitte Bardot. Some verses are borrowed from Guillaume Apollinaire's erotic novel *Les onze mille verges*, published in 1907. The song is also inspired by a track titled "Roller Girl," which Gainsbourg had adapted for Anna Karina in early 1967.
The meeting between Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg took place in an atmosphere of extreme shyness. Both intimidated by each other, Bardot and Gainsbourg were awkward. Brigitte, paralyzed by stage fright, even had difficulty articulating. Gainsbourg managed to ease the tension with a few glasses of Dom Pérignon. When he showed her the lyrics to "Harley Davidson," Brigitte Bardot was immediately captivated and wanted to record the song quickly. So, on Thursday, October 19, 1967, under the musical direction of Michel Colombier, the actress recorded her voice at the Studio on Avenue Hoche in Paris, under the watchful eye of Serge Gainsbourg, with whom she fell madly in love. It was a double moment of bliss, both romantic and professional, for Brigitte and Serge. Although their romance lasted only three months, Serge Gainsbourg never forgot Brigitte Bardot. Until his death in 1991, he kept a giant painting of Brigitte, nude, in his famous house on rue de Verneuil in Paris. The song Harley Davidson She will remain, however, as a symbol of freedom and women's emancipation…
Undress meJuliette Greco
It was in June 1967 that Juliette Greco, the first resolutely feminist artist, recorded Undress me, a cheeky song that would become a classic in her repertoire. It must be said that in the second half of the 60s, Juliette Greco became a grande dame of French song whose repertoire often highlighted women in their modernity and independence.
A look back at the birth of Undress me At the beginning of 1967, the singer, looking for songs for a new album, approached Gaby Verlor, a renowned composer from Roubaix, who had worked with artists such as Patachou, Bourvil, and Nino Ferrer. During their first meeting at Juliette Gréco's home on Rue de Verneuil in Paris, Gaby Verlor played her several of her compositions, but none seemed to appeal to the singer. "muse of Saint-Germain-des-Prés".
On her way home, on the subway, Gaby Verlor thought back to a song she had written some time earlier, at the request of a lyricist friend, Robert Nyel. The song's title is Undress meRobert Nyel had written it for a stripper friend he was very much in love with. The young woman was supposed to perform it on stage during her striptease act, but their breakup put an end to the project, and Gaby Verlor was left with the music. Reflecting on all this, Gaby decided to go back to Juliette Gréco to offer her the song. And when she sat down at the piano and played it, Juliette Gréco was captivated by the bold and sensual theme. She immediately agreed to perform it.
At the beginning, Undress me It was boycotted by radio stations because of its overly provocative and domineering lyrics. Furthermore, the record company didn't believe in the song at all and did nothing to support it. Ultimately, it was the public that made it a success and enshrined it among the great classics of our musical heritage. As a side note, it was Juliette Gréco herself who, during the recording, had the idea of adding the following to the end of the song: "And you, take your clothes off!"thus giving his song an imperative and ironic ending…
Eve, get up!Julie Pietri
By the mid-80s, singer Julie Pietri already had a successful artistic career with several hits in her repertoire. However, Julie wasn't satisfied. She felt that her producer, Claude Carrère, didn't allow her enough involvement in artistic decisions. Julie longed to make her own mark by writing her own songs. That's why, in 1985, she decided to break her contract. Julie then began searching for a new musical team. She met a talented young composer, Vincent-Marie Bouvot.
The singer and the composer then got to work. And it was in a cellar transformed into a recording studio in Enghien-les-Bains that, day after day, note after note, the melody of Eve, get up.
For the lyrics of Eve, get up!Julie wanted a text that was both feminist and connected to her Eastern roots. That's why, with her co-author Jean-Michel Bériat, she imagined the story of a woman who gets up and names her Eve, as a nod to the first woman in the world.
The single was released in March 1986. For the occasion, Julie reverted to her family name, another symbol of her rebirth. The industry as a whole didn't have much faith in this change of direction. A famous radio programmer even refused to play the track, so little did she believe in it. Thus, for six months, Eve, get up! fails to gain traction. And it is ultimately Max Guazzini, from NRJ, who will relentlessly play the song on his airwaves from the summer of 1986.
From then on, its success was meteoric, and the 45 rpm record sold over one and a half million copies. Over time, Eve, get up! has established itself as one of the first feminist songs in history and in the emancipation of women, making Julie Pietri a worthy ambassador for this noble cause.
