A Daily Thing

I am typically not very fond of anything taken from French and adapted into English (song or movie).  I don’t really see the point: I got what ‘made it’ in its original form and why I liked it, so I am typically biased and assume I won’t like a remake or cover.

Part of it is indignation, part of it is snobbery (but it was so good in French!  Why would you change it?  Can’t people watch dubbed movies?).  I know, it’s close-minded.  I’m working on it.  And I have to admit that despite my prejudice, my socks have been knocked off a few times by song covers (movies, maybe not so much).  The Rakes’s taking on ‘Le Poinçonneur des Lilas’ is one perfect example.  I love love love it, and the evocative poetry of 1950s underground Paris having morphed into London’s Piccadilly Tube station just works.  Not even a shred of indignation I feel.

Now they just have to make a video as good as Serge Gainsbourg’s, because I’m afraid his is still hands down better.