French Music: Colette Magny's "Melocoton" from 1963
The only hit of a definitive underground folk and blues singer
“Melocoton” was Colette Magny’s only hit, released in 1963, and is a classic French chanson.
Born in Paris in 1926, Magny was a French singer-songwriter known for her powerful voice, passionate activism, and for blending of French musical genres with American blues, jazz, and folk. She covered American songs in occasionally questionable English, but it’s well worth exploring her catalog.
She was censored by everybody for her very left-wing positions: the music industry, the government in France, businesses angered over her protests, whoever. She was uncompromising to the point of excess, tackling issues like imperialism and racism in France as the country was dealing with the aftermath of colonial conflicts, like Algeria, and the political unrest of the era. She fought with everyone, and was loved by many for it.
Like Johnny Cash’s Fulsom Prison concert, she performed in unconventional spaces, like factories and protests and had a hugely popular underground following.
There are a lot of protests in France.
Despite censorship, a lack of airplay and marginalization by the industry, she remained popular until her death in 1997 and performed non-stop until her health began to decline.
