I chose to devote a page to this topic, because America is probably the biggest “dream machine” in the whole world, and French music has been very inspired, throughout the decades, by this American model. It is at the heart of many songs.
This song, to me, pretty much sums up the vision of America in most French songs. These songs express a real fascination, not really for America as a whole, but for its cultural image (New York, Hollywood, American music…). This side of America attracts nearly every kind of French singers. It doesn’t prevent some French musicians to be a little less dithyrambic when it comes to describe the American society or American politics.
- Joséphine Baker : J’ai deux amours
- Johnny Halliday : Jésus Christ
- Maxime Le Forestier : San Francisco
- Nicolas Peyrac : So far away from L.A.
- Eddy Mitchell : Sur la route de Memphis
- Eddy Mitchell : Couleur menthe à l’eau
- Eddy Mitchell : La dernière séance
- Yves Simon : J’ai Rêvé New York
- Gilbert Bécaud : L’indien
- Joe Dassin : L’Amérique
- Alain Souchon : Bidon
- Téléphone : New York avec toi
- Claude Nougaro : Nougayork
- Bernard Lavilliers : Pas qu’à New York
- Akhenaton : L’Americano
- Yannick Noah : Angela
French Music into English 