Alizée in French and English
All of my K3 posts combined haven’t equaled the online hits to my single mention of Alizée three months ago. Five years ago, Alizée had a mega hit with “J’en ai Marre!” or, in English, “I’m Fed Up!” Is it French vs. Flemish that makes Alizée so popular compared to K3, or is it the way she dishes up sex so shamelessly, yet sweetly? And what is the significance of the cute sailor’s collar and the fanny fish?
I haven’t done a lot of background reading about Alizée, and I’ve watched only a few videos of her doing other songs, but I have to say that Alizée in “J’en ai Marre!” is unforgettable if not sensational, and the song itself is an excellent piece of pop penmanship and production. This performance in French is from Top of the Pops.
K3 found success in going for the kid’s market, and Alizée also took a crack at it, albeit in a more modest costume.
And if you’re thinking the song would be better in English, here’s another appearance from Top of the Pops.
I think it loses a lot in English, so it’s just as well that’s an abbreviated take of the song. The charm just isn’t the same, leading me to wonder if K3’s appeal for me as an American would suffer if their songs were in English?
Finally, let’s take Alizée out of the picture and listen to the introduction to “J’en ai Marre!” from a live performance. This is a marvelous build-up to Alizée’s entrance, and it demonstrates how effectively a simple, well-constructed song can pull in an audience.
And if you’d like to hear the original studio recording in high quality stereo, well here you go…
2 comments November 28th, 2008
