France | Listening In

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Kiran (class of 2024) and features musical discoveries from her study abroad experience in La Rochelle, France.

La Rochelle, je t’aime

This summer I had the opportunity to study abroad on the coast of France with other UR students. I spent a month travelling, learning, and eating a ton of croissants. Every year, Dr. Olivier Delers takes students to La Rochelle, a beautiful city just north of Bordeaux. Our trip also happened to coincide with two major festivals that happen in the downtown area: Francofolies and FERMA La Rochelle. Francofolies is a four-day music festival showcasing some of the most popular French artists, while FERMA is international film festival that takes place the week before.

Prior to my trip, I had listened to mostly Indian and American music. I enjoy listening to music in different languages, so I had high hopes for Francofolies. This playlist is inspired by my favorite French and Belgian artists, some of who I had the chance to see live in La Rochelle. This trip gave me some of the best memories, and I am so grateful to have experienced everything that this city had to offer.

Photo by Kiran Saini

1. “Elle m’a dit” by MIKA

2. “Bruxelles je t’aime” by Angèle

3. “Fever” by Dua Lipa (feat. Angèle)

4. “Papaoutai” by Stormae

5. “Dernière danse” by Indila

6. “Amour censure” by Hoshi

7. “Tu me Play” by Juliette Armanet

8. “Grace Kelly” by MIKA

9. “Et même après je t’aimerai” by Hoshi

10. “A la Folie” by Juliette Armanet

11. “Démons” by Angèle (feat. Damso)

12. “Le Dernier Jour du Disco” by Juliette Armanet

Here is the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZewLM26S9ojkqrc28RWQwdMO

In light of the terrible events in Paris, France this past Friday, we at the Parsons Music Library have decided to share some music selections in solidarity with the people of France (and the victims of violence all over the world).

Many people have found ways to pay musical tribute to Paris, here are just a couple of lovely examples:

A man traveled to the Bataclan to play John Lennon’s “Imagine” near the site of one of the attacks. Read more from a Rolling Stone article here: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-pianist-perform-john-lennons-imagine-outside-paris-bataclan-20151114

The Metropolitan Opera in New York City paid tribute on Saturday with a rendition of the French National Anthem “La Marseilles”. Here’s a New York Times blog post with more info: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/at-metropolitan-opera-support-for-paris-sounds-out-with-singing-of-frances-national-anthem/?_r=0