Search - Petula Clark :: C,Est MA Chanson

Great All-French CD

Jenna A. Aubert | Gaithersburg, MD | 12/08/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fantastic CD. Even if you don't speak French, this CD contains French versions of some of Petula's best English hits such as 'Downtown', 'I Will Follow Him' and 'This Is My Song'. This is truly a must-have for Petula Clark fans!"

Excellent French budget compilation

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 10/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most of the tunes here will be familiar to British and American listeners, the only difference being the French lyrics. As I indicated in my review of Ses plus belles chansons, this contains many of Petula's big sixties French hits not included there, while eight tracks appear on both. Since I wrote that review, different double CD's have been released in France and Canada so there are plenty of ways to collect Petula's French hits.



The songs on this collection include Downtown, This is my song, Romeo, Needles and pins, Anyone who had a heart, Sailor, Romeo, Song of my life, The last waltz and Hello Dolly along with some French songs.



Three French songs worth a special mention are Coeur Blesse, Chariot and O O Sheriff.



Coeur Blesse (Broken heart) is a translation of a John D Loudermilk song titled Torture, so obscure that I've not heard a version in English.



Chariot began life as an instrumental written by Paul Mauriat. With lyrics added, it became a million-selling French number one single for the young and beautiful Petula. Versions in German and Italian were big hits in those countries. I do not know if they were translated from the French or not. English lyrics were written, but they were definitely not translated from the French. A completely different song set to the same tune resulted, called I will follow him. It was a number one hit for Petula in Singapore, but failed to chart for her in Britain and America. Remember, this was a year or two before Downtown. Little Peggy March covered the song and had an American number one.



O O Sheriff is a salacious song, the like of which Petula has never recorded in English. A translation of this and some other French songs can be found on Petula's official website, but briefly the song is about a sheriff who doesn't seem sure what to do with a woman but by the end of the song he's obviously learned what is required.



To sum up, this collection contains a few obvious translations and some interesting French songs, but it is also contains some songs of British or American origin recorded by Petula only in French. This is a truly brilliant compilation, which you can use to convince your friends that songs don't have to be sung in English to be enjoyed."