4Iggy Pop, “La Javanaise”
Who could have imagined this cover? Iggy Pop, who was the vocalist of the punk group The Stooges, decided to release a studio album full of French covers in 2012. On this album, he revisits tubes from Serge Gainsbourg, Joe Dassin, Édith Piaf and even Georges Brassens. If you only know the punk songs of Iggy Pop, you should definitely listen to him sing in French for “La Javanaise”.
5Worlds Apart, “Je Te Donne”
Sometimes, a cover song is so popular that most people forget about the original song. It might be what happened with “Je Te Donne”, released by the Backstreet Boys in 1996. This song was very popular in France and even reached the 3rd place of the single chart. Yet, the original song was recorded in English and French by Jean-Jacques Goldman and Michael Jones in 1985. It stayed for eight weeks as number one on the French singles chart, becoming one of the best-selling singles of the 1980s in the country. What is your favorite version?
6Jo Hye-ryun, “Nuit de folie”
French songs travel further than we think… Jo Hye-ryun, a Korean singer and comedian, released a new album in 2010, including the cover of the song “Nuit de Folie”. Originally, this song was first released by the band Début de Soirée in 1984, but didn’t meet success. Fortunately, they convinced a record company to re-release a new version in 1988, which became the classic dance music song we know. More than 30 years later, Jo Hye-ryun offers a new and unexpected version.
