As I’ve mentioned before, I love French music. So, in this article I will present another of my favorite French singers – Francis Cabrel. This singer/songwriter was born on November 23, 1953 in Agen, France and grew up in a small village near Toulouse. He started learning guitar as a shy teenager and later said that he thought his guitar helped him appear more interesting to others. He is known to have been inspired by Bob Dylan and is said to know all of Dylan’s work by heart. He learned English by translating the lyrics to these and other songs. His music has a folk and sometimes country or blues feel. I particularly like him because he has written about Spanish-related topics like bullfighting and has written and sung some very beautiful songs in Spanish like La corrida and La quiero a morir.
Some of his most famous songs among French-speaking people are Petite Marie, which was dedicated to his wife Mariette, and L’encre de tes yeux.
The song he wrote about a young girl’s suicide called C’était l’hiver has been widely successful and also recorded by other singers such as Canada’s Isabelle Boulay.
Cabrel’s first album Les murs de poussière was recorded in 1977. He is currently on tour as he released his most recent album Des roses et des orties this year. I find that it fits right in with his repertoire as all of his songs in general are really in touch with nature and humanity and his native Southwest France.
You can read more about him in French and listen to clips of all of his songs at his official website by clicking here.
Finally, here is my very favorite by Cabrel:
Un samedi soir sur la terre
The sound quality of this video isn’t particularly great, but you can read the lyrics in the video.
