Franco chart-toppers August 2005

The Gipsy Kings still rule!

Paris 

18/08/2005 - 

During the holiday period, sunny, exotic sounds are what people want to hear. This August, Amadou & Mariam and the Gipsy Kings have headed to the top of the world's hit parades – with Tragédie, Jane Birkin and Adamo not far behind.

The Gipsy Kings have been pretty quiet for quite some time. Of course, the most famous gypsy group in the world never really retired and have continued to put out albums and tour the world. But over the last few weeks, Gipsy Kings have once again been getting Europe on its feet with yet another compilation album. The Very Best Of The Gipsy Kings (Columbia) has climbed up to no. 2 in Ireland, no. 21 in Wallonia, no. 28 in Flanders, no. 32 in the UK, no. 42 in Spain and no. 64 in the Netherlands.

Sunny music goes down a treat over the summer season, and the Gipsy Kings aren't the only ones to benefit. The Malian couple Amadou and Mariam continue their global success with Dimanche à Bamako (Because): the album has already hit the top of the charts in a number of countries since its release in November 2004 (including the Netherlands, the UK and Sweden). It is currently riding high in France (no. 3), Greece (no. 42), Switzerland (no. 54), Wallonia (no. 19), Flanders (no. 94) and Italy (no. 85), and has just entered Billboard's Top World Music charts at no. 5 in the U.S. Meanwhile, with their album Hang On Little Tomato (Naïve), multi-ethnic group Pink Martini are hanging on in Canada (no. 22) and Greece (no. 14).

The sun is also warming up relations between Paris and Madrid. Francophone singers often record in Spanish, and this year they are having hits, too. Arielle Dombasle's collection of South American standards (Amor, Amor, Columbia) has climbed to no. 37 in Greece, although it has fallen to no. 98 in Canada. And in Spain, a double CD compilation of Spanish-language songs by Salvatore Adamo (Mis manos en tu cintura, EMI) made it to no. 26 in the charts. But the reverse can happen, too: Spanish superstar Julio Iglesias has recorded an album of French songs (L’Homme que je suis, Columbia), which has hit no. 7 in Wallonia, no. 16 in Greece, no. 24 in Spain and no. 41 in Estonia.

French rap and R&B are also doing well. Over the past six months, K-Maro has been taking Europe by storm, in the wake of the mega-hit Femme Like U. Today, the album La Good Life (Up Music) has mainly had its day in the hit parades but is still charting in Finland (no. 19). But the real surprise of the month is the success of Tragédie. The R&B duo, who had a series of hits in France in 2003 and 2004, have found new fans in Brazil. In early August, their eponymous album, released by Up Music (a Warner label), entered the Brazilian charts at no. 36.

French chanson is struggling a little in these balmy days of August. Former tennis champion Yannick Noah sets the pace with Métisse(s) (Columbia), which is no. 6 in France , no. 4 in Wallonia and no. 48 in Switzerland. "Métisse" means "mixed race", which French chanson surely is these days – the Indonesian singer Anggun mixes English and French lyrics on her latest album Luminescence (Heben Music), which is no. 80 in Italy and no. 71 in Wallonia. As for rock, the young Raphaël has clocked up record sales for a Francophone singer in 2005 with his album Caravane (Capitol), which has stayed at no. 1 in France and Wallonia over the past few weeks, and is no. 12 in Switzerland. Rock group Mickey 3D has also been doing well with Matador (Virgin), which is no. 7 in France, no. 34 in Wallonia and no. 35 in Switzerland.

More traditional chanson is mostly represented by the female of the species this month. Mylène Farmer remains in the top 10 in Belgium (no. 7) with her latest album Avant que l’ombre (Polydor); while two and a half years after its release, Carla Bruni's Quelqu’un m’a dit (Naïve), is now making inroads in the United States (no. 13 on Billboard's Top World Music chart). Jane Birkin is a success in Eastern Europe with a compilation of her and Serge Gainsbourg's songs (no. 53 in Estonia), and also with her album Rendez-vous (Capitol) which is no. 10 in Latvia. Still in Eastern Europe, the soundtrack to the musical Roméo et Juliette (Mercury) is charting in Hungary (no. 21).

Last but not least, things are not so healthy on the electronica front. The only French electronic outfit currently charting abroad is Daft Punk, despite the fact that their album Human After All has been something of a commercial flop. Three months after its release, it has long since disappeared from the world's hit parades apart from in the United States, where it is no. 21 on Billboard's Top Electronic charts.

Gilles  Rio

Translation : Hugo  Wilcken