Vanessa Paradis: Finally, A Serious Songstress Emerges

By Admin, Published on January 4th, 2014, Updated on August 16th, 2020

Vanessa Paradis has certainly defied the odds. When an unlikely hit song catapulted her into the international spotlight at age 14, she seemed destined for one-hit wonderdom.

But with luck and and some reinvention, she has parlayed her 15 minutes of fame into a successful career spanning over 25 years. Though her discography boasts work with icons like Serge Gainsbourg and Lenny Kravitz, Paradis has still lacked a certain prestige in the music world, until now.

The award-winning actress, Chanel model, and all around “it” girl is probably best known outside France as Johnny Depp’s ex-partner and baby mama. (The Hollywood couple split in 2012 after 14 years.) But much like Quelqu’un m’a dit did for Carla Bruni, Paradis’ latest album will make you forget all the other stuff she’s famous for — even that godawful taxi song — and reconsider her as a serious singer.

The Debut

It all started in 1987 with “Joe le Taxi,” the smash hit that shouldn’t have been. It was dreadful enough to give HIMYM’s Robin Sparkles a run for her money. Why on earth is a 14-year-old dancing the Rumba next to an empty taxi? And what business does she have singing about a cabbie working the night shift in Paris? Seriously, how does she even know this guy? And don’t get me started on the cheesy sax players. The whole thing is so totally 80’s.

Originally, I wasn’t planning to post the video, but I decided it must be seen to be believed. THIS, inexplicably, is what launched Paradis’ career:

I’m not alone in my disdain for “Joe,” either. There was quite a backlash against the young singer. Between her ‘Chipmunks’ vocals and the Lolita image she adopted, many didn’t take her seriously. Still, the song made her an overnight sensation and launched her charmed career.

Early Albums

After witnessing her performance of one of his songs, Serge Gainsbourg sought her out and wrote her second album, Variations sur le même t’aime. Armed with more mature material and a less gimmicky image, Paradis won over some of her earlier critics. She won the Victoire de la Musique (French Grammy) for Best Female Artist in 1990 and Best Music Video in 1991.

Next, she released a forgettable album of 60’s and 70’s Soul and Psychedelic Rock produced and co-written by Lenny Kravitz. Her voice wasn’t suited for the retro Soul shtick, and no one was keen on an all-English album of American music.

After settling down and having a baby, she released Bliss in 2000. Once again, her album was largely panned, but Johnny Depp’s songwriting on the title track and “St. Germain” might pique your interest if you’re a fan. Alain Bashung and Matthieu Chedid (a.k.a. -M-) also penned a couple of the tracks.

Divinidylle & Comeback

Divineidylle

After another long hiatus, the singer made a comeback in 2007 with Divinidylle, which was regarded as her first successful album and her best work to date. Produced by Matthieu Chedid and bolstered by renowned songwriters like Brigitte Fontaine, Thomas Fersen, Chedid and Paradis herself, the album debuted at number one and spawned two top 10 singles. Both the singles “L’Incendie” and “Divine Idylle” were pretty cute.

Best Of

By 2009, Vanessa Paradis had amassed a catalog of 5 studio albums along with numerous compilation and soundtrack appearances. Her “Best Of” album gave a whole new generation of fans the chance to explore her 20-plus-years’ worth of music. The double CD included the new song “Il y a,” and the accompanying video was directed by her then-beau, Johnny Depp.

In 2012, she scored a top 10 hit with “La Seine,” a duet with -M- off the soundtrack to the animated film, Un monstre à Paris (A Monster in Paris). The two of them also voice the main characters in the movie and appear throughout the soundtrack.

Love Songs

Love Songs

With her sixth studio album, Love Songs, Vanessa Paradis cements her place as one of France’s premier songstresses. This gorgeous double album features a who’s who of the country’s top songwriters. The diverse collection represents her best work yet and is one of the best French releases of 2013.

Under the masterful production of by Benjamin Biolay, Paradis offers a genre-crossing selection of 22 tracks covering Chanson Française (“L’Au-Delà,” “Station Quatre Septembre”), Rock (“Mi Amor,” written by Adrien Gallo of BB Brunes), Doo Wop (“Doorway”), 60’s Soul (“Encore”), Gypsy and Latin (“Le Rempart”), and Indie Pop (“Tu Pars Comme On Revient”).

The subtle echoes of global music are discernible on the Reggae-tinged (“Sombreros”), Nigerian Jùjú guitars on “Tu Vois C’Que Je Vois” (think Vampire Weekend-style Afro-pop), and her remake of the Italian song “Tu Si’ ‘Na Cosa Grande.”

Most of the songs are in French, with a couple in English, plus the Italian remake. But even the English songs shine for their own reasons: “New Year” was co-written by Paradis, Johnny Depp, their daughter, Lily-Rose, and Stevie Ray Vaughn songwriter Ruth Ellsworth Carter. “The Dark It Comes” is a duet with Carl Barât, formerly of The Libertines. Finally, “Doorway,” penned by Paradis herself, starts out as a Doo Wop ballad but ends with a surprising twist.

Here are some videos from the album. First up is the radio-ready leadoff single, “Love Song.” I think the live performance of “Station Quatre Septembre” (the second single) better captures the spirit of the project.