Classic French Pop

What's luscious as a chocolate éclair, heady as a fine Bordeaux and smoky as the stub of a smoldering Gauloise? Mais oui, it's Classic French Pop, from Edith Piaf's signature standard "La vie en rose," to hedonist extraordinaire Serge Gainsbourg, breathing heavy with his jet-setting amour Jane Birkin on "Je t'aime moi non plus." It's the sound of the Gallic golden age, when yé-yé girl Françoise Hardy enchanted Europe with '60s sparklers like "Comment te dire adieu (It Hurts to Say Goodbye)," and Jacques Brel became the toast of tout le monde by way of swoon-bait stunners like the melancholy "Ne Me Quitte Pas."

Find more classic French pop in Next Steps.

Maybe nobody would accuse Brigitte Bardot of vocal excellence, but the world's favorite sex kitten boasts charm to spare on a sunny "Moi je joue." Teen dream France Gall became known as the "French Lolita" by (unwittingly, she insisted) packing a whole lot of double entendre into her scandalous ode to the joy of lollipops, "Les sucettes," while yé-yé girl Sheila sticks to bubblegum with a sweet and magical "Les rois mages." And far too suave for girlish things, Yves Montand — star of stage, screen, and wax — croons a debonair "Rue Saint Vincent" and evokes the soul of a boulevardier.

It's every French Pop star for himself, as Italian-born Belgian Salvatore Adamo aims for big drama on a strings-soaked "Inch allah," and Left Bank bohemian Juliette Gréco goes for folk on a sprightly "Un petit poisson un petit oisseau." Le Chaussettes Noires (that's the Black Socks here in the U.S. of A.) do their best to own a dance craze on a rockin' and rollin' "Le twist des Chaussettes Noires," while Clothilde hits the psychedelic discotheque on a feline "Fallait pas écraser la queue du chat."

C'est magnifique! C'est fantastique! C'est Classic French Pop, our Essentials playlist of francophone fabulosity from the folks who gave us everything from Burgandy and berets to baguettes and brie. This is the good stuff, the tunes from the time of music-hall king-turned-international superstar Charles Trenet — whose très charmante "La mer" inspired U.S. swinger Bobby Darin to go sailing "Beyond the Sea" — and on through tormented teen idol Michel Polnareff ("Love Me, Please Love Me") and rocker à la française Johnny Hallyday ("Souvenirs, souvenirs"). In between, Egyptian-born beauty Dalida actually manages to amplify the extreme cuteness of the novelty item "Itsi bitsi petit bikini," while French national hero Charles Aznavour celebrates "Les comédiens," and Serge Gainsbourg — the "dirty old man" of French music — enlists Brigitte Bardot as a sultry partner in crime for the wild pop spree "Bonnie and Clyde."