Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Genres
    Genres 3 Mins Read

    Yé-Yé

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    The expression “Yé-Yé” first appeared in France at the beginning of the 1960s and was derived from the “yeah! yeah!” that was often heard in English language rock songs of the time.

    As a genre of music, Yé-Yé derived most of its inspiration from British and American rock & roll with additional stylistic elements including baroque music, exotica, pop, jazz and the French chanson, all presented with swinging, catchy rhythms and carefree, escapist, and playfully risqué lyrics.

    The genre usually featured young female singers. France Gall, for example, was only 16 when she released her first album and 17 when she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg singing the prototype bubblegum song Poupée de cire, poupée de son.

    Yé-Yé songs had innocent themes such as that of Françoise Hardy‘s Tous les garçons et les filles.

    Early French artists such as Johnny Hallyday who dabbled in rock & roll admitted they were creating an imitation of English-language rock music and Yé-Yé helped assimilate that music in a unique, French way.

    The singers were sexy in a deliberately contrived naïve manner. Composer and singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg once called France Gall (pictured) “the French Lolita” and composed for her the song Les sucettes (“Lollipops”), full of double-entendres: “Annie loves lollipops, aniseed lollipops, when the sweet liquid runs down Annie’s throat, she is in paradise.”

    In 1967, teen Yé-Yé singer Jacqueline Taïeb won the “Best Newcomer” award in Cannes at the Midem awards for her hit single 7 heures du matin.

    Artists like Françoise Hardy, Jane Birkin and Sylvie Vartan were among the leading Yé-Yé stars, often referred to affectionately by their first names only. Other significant girl singers of the genre include teen TV star Christine Delaroche, Jocelyne, Zouzou, Evy, Cosette and Annie Philippe. Some Yé-Yé girl groups also emerged, such as Les Parisiennes, influenced by acts like The Shangri-Las.

    After originating in France, the Yé-Yé movement extended across Western Europe. Italian singer Mina became her country’s first female rock & roll singer in 1959, eventually moving to middle-of-the-road pop.

    Other significant Italian Yé-Yé girls include Mari Marabini, Carmen Villani, Anna Identici and the girl groups Le Amiche, Le Snobs and Sonia e le Sorelle.

    In Spain, Yé-Yé music took off later than in the rest of Europe (initially, it was considered to be incompatible with Catholicism).

    In 1968, Spanish Yé-Yé girl Massiel won the Eurovision Song Contest with La La La, while the sweet, naïve-looking singer Karina (pictured) enjoyed success as the Spanish Yé-Yé queen with her hits En un mundo nuevo and El baúl de los recuerdos.

    Yé-Yé also grew very popular in Japan and formed the origins of Shibuya-kei and Japanese idol music.

    While the movement was led by female singers, it was not an exclusively female movement. Among the more popular male Yé-Yé singers were Claude François and Eddie Hodges.

    Strictly speaking, Yé-Yé thrived between 1963 and 1966. Although it did continue beyond 1966, the term became increasingly overused.

    Interest in Yé-Yé remains high: The soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino’s Deathproof (2007) featured April March’s Chick Habit, an adaptation of France Gall’s Laisse tomber les filles. The TV show Mad Men (2007 – 2015) included the character Megan Draper performing a sultry rendition of Gillian Hill’s Zou Bisou, Bisou and many records from the era still fetch a high price among collectors.

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Goth
      Goth
      "Bela Lugosi's dead, undead, undead..." intoned Peter Murphy on the single that released a new genre - not to mention…
    • Girl Groups
      Girl Groups
      The story of the 'girl group' sound, which reached its commercial and artistic peak in the early and mid-60s, is…
    • Skiffle
      Skiffle
      Without skiffle there might have been no Quarrymen and hence no Beatles. Seen in retrospect on television, skiffle can seem entertaining…
    • Ska Revival
      Ska Revival
      September 1979. England. The Prince by Madness had entered the British charts on 1 September. The Specials (pictured above) were riding…
    • Britpop
      Britpop
      The mid-90s was a golden era for British music, with several fine bands all coming good at the same time.…
    • Punk
      Punk
      In 1977, merely suggesting that the Queen was a moron (or a potential H Bomb) would get you banned from…
    • Madchester
      Madchester
      Madchester (so named because it originated in Manchester in the north of England) was the dominant force in British rock…
    • Kraütrock
      Kraütrock
      For those who were there in 1971, the shock of seeing Faust's eponymous debut LP remains starkly etched in the mind's…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleBalloonfest ’86
    Next Article Monkees star Michael Nesmith dies at 78

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Jubbly
      Jubblies were incredibly unwieldy and unimaginative ice lollies. […]
    • Blow-Up (1966)
      Leading Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni attempted to […]
    • Sex Pistols, The
      God bless The Sex Pistols. During their chaotic two-year […]
    • I’m Not Bothered
      1 9 5 6 (UK) 7 x 30 minute episodes This short-lived comedy […]
    • Casualty
      1 9 8 6 – current (UK) Since it was launched on 6 […]
    • Patty Duke Show, The
      1 9 6 3 – 1 9 6 5 (USA) 104 x 30 minute episodes Being the […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.