In 1964 at the tender age of 16, a Parisienne named Isabelle donned the moniker "France Gall" and used her family's music industry background to chart a hit single, "Ne sois pas si bête". The next year, she teamed up with the legendary Serge Gainsbourg and became a European sensation, especially after winning the 1965 Eurovision song contest with "Poupée de cire, poupée de son". Her partnership with Gainsbourg produced a number of hits, not the least of which was the double-entendre laden "Les Sucettes", a song with more than just a few references to oral sex. In fact, much of Gall's early career is filled with unintentionally controversial tracks. By the late 60's, she departed for a much more stable career in Germany with the likes of composer Werner Muller and performer Horst Buchholz.
After the fertile German period, France Gall had a shaky set of years back in her home country. She spent a lot of time hiding away in Senegal rather than pushing against the pop culture backlash of the music scene. By 1974, Gall bounced back with the help of songwriter Michel Berger. The two had more than just creative chemistry. They were romantically involved until Berger's death in 1992 and had two children together.
Aside from her up-and-down musical career, France Gall occasionally graced the screen and took part in humanitarian projects. These days she's a representative for Coeurs de Femmes, a charity for homeless women. She also occasionally releases a new recording, her latest being from 2004.
While France Gall has been fairly widely known throughout Europe for 40 years, she rarely ever sang in English so she never really charted for very long or very high in America. That doesn't mean Gall doesn't have a presence here. In fact, she made a pretty significant impact on one particular member of US pop culture.
A renaissance woman by the name of Elinor Blake took more than just a passing interest in France Gall and the entire yeye pop movement of the 1960's. After performing in a punk band and enjoying a stint as the chief animator for The Ren and Stimpy Show, Blake started recording independent music under the name April March. As April, she puts out a new album now and then with a mix of French and English songs.
One of April March's earliest and best-known songs is "Chick Habit", featured in two films. It first appeared in the opening sequence of the campy cult classic But I'm a Cheerleader starring Natasha Lyonne, then it was later used in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof. "Chick Habit" is actually a cover/translation of France Gall's "Laisse tomber les filles". The original song is full of French idiom and clever wordplay. April March translated it for "Chick Habit" in the same spirit, using a number of American expressions to convey the same concept.
In its own roundabout way, careful and loving translation of pop nuggets is often the best bridge between two different cultures. None of us are so worldly that a little push in the right direction by a more familiar performer isn't helpful. Without April March a lot of Americans (including myself) wouldn't know about France Gall and the fun, slinky pop music of Europe in the 1960's.