Day 53 - SkyLines from the French Lock-down: Music in the Air

Salut, les amis! (Hi Friends!)  It's May the 8th. I saw a Tricolore (French) flag hanging from a neighbor's window to celebrate the day Germany capitulated in 1945. Is it my imagination, or is there more hustle in the bustle of the village as we count down the last three days?

A flower festival at Valmy.
 I'm sure there was romantic music in the air
when we went there - or was it just my imagination?

Day 53 - Today, the first post I saw online said, "Soon there will be singing until the sun sets." Well, it was written in Catalan and read, "Pronto sera el canto hasta la noche," which many of you will agree is the same in Spanish. With the the whole of France waiting for Monday's de-confinement there really isn't much to report as far as the virus goes. The numbers fell again

Today it feels like happy times in my garden.

yesterday with recorded deaths being 178. The mood in the streets is good. But the reference to music made a lot of sense.

Once again, there is happy music drifting in from the neighbor's windows. I decided to leave our windows open and enjoy theirs. After all, I often sit in the stairwell to play my guitar and sing. (The acoustics there are great!) No one complains about me which is kind. Sometimes I recognize a song. But mostly, I have no idea what it is. I ask when I get the chance. As a result, I've added albums by Florent Pagny and Julien Doré. More will follow, I predict. Speaking of French music...

When I began dating the charming Frenchman I now live with, I was just putting the finishing touches on a romance novel that starred... yes, a Frenchman. I was searching for a romantic song to use as "our song" for the couple in the book. Until I met Y, I tended to listen to music known as "Classic French" - you know, Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Charles Trenet, and Charles

May is when the artichokes arrive - I grew these!
The variety is called "Purple of Perpignan."

Aznevour. This is not unlike listening to Doris Day, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, or Perry Como. (Yeah, I can enjoy that too, in moderation.) Of course I'd seen and heard a lot of Johnny Halliday on TV and radio. I have a feeling it is not permitted to live in France for years and not be aware of the late, great "French Elvis."  

Then I met this guy. We were nearly the same age and both listed music as something we loved. I made the mistake of letting him see my French Music Playlist. He said with a twisted smile of amused amazement, "C'est vraiment les années cinquante." (Literally "It's really the 50's" but I can see that he meant "It's a bit old-school").  I knew he was worried about my tastes as he added, "I really cannot stand the timbre of Edith Piaf's voice." 

As a person addicted to music from my past, I was ignorant of any French rock or pop music. I'd heard a bit of rap but it was a turn off. I didn't want to tell him that I only had heard a

In May the bougainvilleas bloom.

couple of 80's songs by French singer Jean-Jacques Goldman (who has recently retired and is darn good too). My slight acquaintance with that was because he wrote a song and worked hard to support the "restos du cœur" a charity that provides meals for those in need. It's not meals on wheels - it's an incredible project that collects the leftover goods after the street markets close and donations made to food banks. This is coordinated with restaurants and brasseries that volunteer to make the meals. Pretty cool.

Anyway, I didn't want him to realize how little I knew. I hurriedly tapped my "Daytime Rock" music and he listened to my English language playlist - having quickly scrolled past my Andy William playlist!  His expression showed relief that it did not sound like Edith & co. We both liked the Beatles, Bowie, The Stones, and Queen. I was surprised that he'd never heard of the Eagles, Ed Sheeran, or even James Blunt. 

It just shows you how language-centric each of us tends to be. We think of the big rock stars as "international" because they play concerts everywhere.  (or did before this year!) and although they get air-time on the streams and radio, the person who speaks another language really only hears the sound. At least now, the internet translates the meanings for us all. I can tell you it is hard to understand all the words being sung in my second language. 

Next, my new boyfriend shared his playlists.  His music sounded a lot like my own favorites from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I like his lists, but I just hear the music and not much of the words. I

An early date, I wrote, he read,
and there was music.

look up the lyrics for the ones I really like. Sometimes I leave the words on the screen and try to sing along. Yeah - not making a video of that! The first one he played for me was "La Vie est Belle" - Life is beautiful by Indochine. The first line sold me on them and the song. It is in French, bien sûr but what it says is, "I was born here to be only with you." I could understand it and it was extremely romantic. Yes, I used it in the book! 

We continue to listen to music together. We trade off each other's playlists so we have both languages in our ears. The confinement has meant we play a lot more every day, though now as I write to you and he does his accounts, it is only the music of others we can hear drifting in. 

It's Day 53 and VE day -Victory in Europe. This national holiday is usually just called,"le 8

Flags on the Mairie's in Perpignan

mai, 1945,  le Jour de la Libération, or le Jour du Victoire." It was strange to see Macron lay the wreath under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris without the crowds. The usual choir was reduced to four to sing the national anthem but not the traditional Chant des Partisans (Here is very moving video of it. Has cute guys and a nice bit of background as well.) Rather than line the streets, it was suggested that people hang flags from their windows. The French president maintained the correct distances from the few soldiers and they nodded instead of the warm handshakes I watched them exchange last year. He used anti-bacterial gel after writing in the official book. It is a very different world. 

Normally Sunday would be a day of celebration but the country will still be on lock-down. I suspect the day we will all celebrate here will be Monday, the 11th, the day of de-confinement - our modern day of liberation. 

And so, Day 53 is nearly done. We have two days to go. I know everyone feels a bit nervous about the idea of being in public again. It won't be perfect but we'll do our best. I believe that everyone I know

For now the beach is off-limits -
but Y is hoping that wind-surfing will be allowed!

and love is going to be careful. That's all we can do but with enough of us doing the right thing, we're going to get there. I believe in that and I believe in you. Stay safe!
A demain, les amis! (Until tomorrow, friends!)

Link to Day 54