Pardon My French
by 
Norman Bates 
Favourite français artists et their meilleurs works à my avis.
100; c'est a bit short; désolé Julien Baer, Syd Matters, Monsieur Saï, Mathématiques modernes, Sapho, St Germain, Noir désir, Yeti Lane, Angil, Klub des loosers, De Crécy, et beaucoup more.
- Chart updated: 03/22/2016 11:45
- (Created: 11/03/2012 03:32).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 17 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Pardon My French has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 19 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Available from 
Bourvil is more famous today for his humorous parts in countless French comedys of the 50s and 60s, and for his part as a policemean in Melville's Le Cercle Rouge. He was, however, a good singer too, generally playing the part he had trained in cabaret, i.e. the village idiot. But he could also sing this ("C'était bien" - "It was good", a melanchory memory of when the narrator used to dance with his girl):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXV-1ZebdBs [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXV-1ZebdBs [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank in 2005:
None
Rank in 2000s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
Boris Vian was a poet, a novelist, a trumpet player, and a singer. He was an early influence on young Gainsbourg. He sang wrily humorous songs with incredible class, and no technique at all. Brilliant.
"Je bois" ("I drink"), where Boris enumerates the reasons why he drinks (including the wondrous "Pour oublier ma gueule / To forget my face")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhdgLe57F4Y [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
"Je bois" ("I drink"), where Boris enumerates the reasons why he drinks (including the wondrous "Pour oublier ma gueule / To forget my face")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhdgLe57F4Y [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Available from
Aznavour had an incredible span in the early sixties, with brilliantly orchestrated music hall chanson and wonderfully crafted simple cruel lyrics. Check also "Il Faut Savoir" (1961), or any good best-of compilation.
"Monsieur est mort" (Monsieur is dead), Monsieur being the rich gentleman who employed the narrator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0esjuxFTLM [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
"Monsieur est mort" (Monsieur is dead), Monsieur being the rich gentleman who employed the narrator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0esjuxFTLM [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Available from
A mathematician teacher, Lapointe was also a no-nonsense lyricist, spitting his hilarious plays on words and sounds at frightening speed and with his cruel, implacable absurdous logic.
"Saucisson de cheval" (Horse sausage) is utterly untranslatable, but it's great :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9HshYGmMCA [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
"Saucisson de cheval" (Horse sausage) is utterly untranslatable, but it's great :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9HshYGmMCA [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank in 1998:
None
Rank in 1990s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
He wrote the music to Godard's Le Mépris and countless other beautiful scores.
"Camille" (from Le Mépris, 1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ3yN0m5Gk0 [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
"Camille" (from Le Mépris, 1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ3yN0m5Gk0 [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank in 2000:
None
Rank in 2000s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
Jo Privat was a "musette" accordion musician, meaning he played dance songs for popular bars along the rivers of the Parisian countryside. He was also a close friend of the Reinhardt family (he covers "Minor Swing" and "Nuages" in this lovely LP), which is why you can see him and his band bringing a copy of the vinyl to Django's widow in her caravan on the cover of "Manouche Partie". There couldn't be a French music chart without "musette" and accordion.
"Java Manouche" ("java" was a very popular dance in "bals musette", "manouche" means "gipsy")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZp0TaO3YmU [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
"Java Manouche" ("java" was a very popular dance in "bals musette", "manouche" means "gipsy")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZp0TaO3YmU [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Available from
When he began singing, around 65-66, Dutronc sounded like the French version of a garage chanson singer. Check it out :
"Et moi et moi et moi" ("And me, me, me")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJm4Ul7hO68
[First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
"Et moi et moi et moi" ("And me, me, me")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJm4Ul7hO68
[First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Available from
"Psyché Rock" people ! Jerk by Colombier, weird electronic sounds by electro-acoustics pioneer Henry, choreography by Béjart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOqfWj0HqNE
[First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOqfWj0HqNE
[First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Available from
Countless bizarre avant-pop soundtracks. Here, a sample from La Scoumoune featuring Belmondo :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8RJ7xjigmo [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8RJ7xjigmo [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank in 1998:
None
Rank in 1990s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
This is from one of Brigitte's first LPs on Saravah, a collaboration with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Brigitte always remained impossible to categorize, all her 70s work, solo or with her companion Areski Belkacem, must be listened to. Adventurous and poetic.
"Comme à la radio" (Like on the radio)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVuCaVUda0s [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
"Comme à la radio" (Like on the radio)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVuCaVUda0s [First added to this chart: 11/03/2012]
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Pardon My French composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 1% | |
| 1960s | 5 | 5% | |
| 1970s | 20 | 20% | |
| 1980s | 15 | 15% | |
| 1990s | 32 | 32% | |
| 2000s | 27 | 27% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Pascal Comelade | 2 | 2% | |
| ZNR | 1 | 1% | |
| Albert Marcœur | 1 | 1% | |
| Stupeflip | 1 | 1% | |
| Bourvil | 1 | 1% | |
| Mathématiques Modernes | 1 | 1% | |
| Orly | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Pardon My French chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 11 from 58th to 47th |
Up 5 from 83rd to 78th |
Up 2 from 20th to 18th |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 10 from 66th to 76th |
Down 9 from 45th to 54th |
Down 8 from 31st to 39th |
| New entries |
|---|
| Leavers |
|---|
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Other custom charts by Norman Bates
Norman Bates has shared 7 more fun charts with the community. Browse them all here.| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favourite V/A compilation albums. | Norman Bates | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| Pardon My French | Norman Bates | Custom chart | 2016 | |
| Normtronics | Norman Bates | Custom chart | 2016 | |
Pardon My French ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 19 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 08/25/2025 13:18 | Johnnyo | 2,687 | 80/100 |
| ! | 07/14/2023 23:01 |  MadhattanJack | 363 | 86/100 |
| ! | 03/18/2018 17:47 |  jnfbn | 308 | 96/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 91.9/100, a mean average of 95.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 94.8/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.4.
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Pardon My French favourites
Showing latest 10 members who have added this chart as a favourite | Show all 14 members
Pardon My French forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 9 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
albummaster 01/17/2025 21:28 in Recommendations
albummaster 01/17/2025 21:28 in Recommendations“Check out my Pardon My French chart. Bienvenue ! can vouch amazing [url=”
View post →From 
Jimmy Dread 08/17/2017 07:41 in what are some good albums sung in French?
Jimmy Dread 08/17/2017 07:41 in what are some good albums sung in French?“il y a a whole bloomin' chart o' I' But le meilleur pour moi:”
View post →From Norman Bates 04/21/2015 06:20 in Albums From Your Home Country That Deserve More Recognition.
Norman Bates 04/21/2015 06:20 in Albums From Your Home Country That Deserve More Recognition.“For instance : The Mark Hollis enthusiast will love this.”
View post →View all forum mentions
Pardon My French comments
Showing latest 5 comments | Show all 17 comments |
Top Comments First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Showing comments with any number of votes. Manage Profile)
Top Comments First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Showing comments with any number of votes. Manage Profile)
From
bonafini 11/08/2013 00:34 | #91150
bonafini 11/08/2013 00:34 | #91150
My time to use this to discover French stuff.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 3
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From
CellarDoor TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/08/2014 13:26 | #114020
CellarDoor TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/08/2014 13:26 | #114020
Hier j'ai enfin écouté "Remué" de Dominique A. Sublime !
C'est uniquement grâce à toi que je suis allé dans la section Variété Française et je t'en remercie ;)
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From
Norman Bates 11/07/2012 17:05 | #54519
Norman Bates 11/07/2012 17:05 | #54519
She's somewhere in #17. But you'd have to read.
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From
Mother Nature's Son TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/13/2013 12:45 | #78753
Mother Nature's Son TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/13/2013 12:45 | #78753
Well, first of all, French is such a beautiful language so almost any album sung in french becomes great automatically. I read your notes about Françoise Hardy's "Soleil", sounded like the music would appeal to me and checked out the YouTube clip. C'est confirmé, la musique est fantastique! The most pleasant album I've heard in a long time. Will check out some more albums, from Françoise Hardy and this chart in genereal, at one point. Great job!
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From
Woozz 07/18/2013 13:04 | #81832
Woozz 07/18/2013 13:04 | #81832
Ah bah alors là pour le coup, jmen fous j'écris en français. Boby Lapointe et Bourvil dans le top 10 quoi ! \o/ Trop trop bien!
Je te met 90 parce qu'il manque à mon sens AU MOINS un des 3 suivants : Brassens, Brel ou Ferré. Mais bon sinon, au poil ce classement.
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