Why isn't Alizée/French music successful in the US?

[Elise]

I saw many theories here and would like to contribute, maybe this will be something new or maybe not! Here are the reasons discussed in previous threads, I will include my comments on each.

1. Fewer people of French ancestry in the United States than people of other ancestries like German or Italian.

OK, demographics could be possibly a factor yes.

2. France's stand against the Iraq War that led to bad relations between the two countries and increased anti-French sentiment, “French bashing”

Even before or after that, French music is not well known in the US is it? It would be a shame if people still think of France in a negative way because of those difficulties. Though most people have positive reactions to finding out someone is from France. I mean, of course there are tired outdated stereotypes as well just like every country has them.

3. That French is somehow a bad language for writing music in.

I strongly disagree with posts like

http://alizeeamerica.com/forums/show...54&postcount=4

Why compare only to rock, a genre that originated in the US and UK? I can just as easily ask where are the American chansons à texte? French music isn’t worse compared to American music, just different (and by different, I mean better). Just because we may not be familiar with the music scene in other countries, doesn’t mean they can’t write amazing music in their own style and language. I doubt musicians in non-Anglophone countries are saying to themselves that their language just isn’t very good for music. Danish is a language often described as sounding “like you have a potato in your mouth”, but tell me that lyse nætter is not a beautiful song.



Anyway, to give my own answer, I found this documentary about the history of French music. I recommend it for a good insight (you can find a list of the songs played on the website). French songs of the 20th century are more like poems or stories set to music and acted out on stage. It does all sound quite intellectual and sophisticated. When I went and watched the full version of the songs, I saw lots of comments like “I’m 14 and love this song, my friends think I’m weird” with replies like “Hey, there is no age to have good taste, they don’t make music like this any more”, “shame people today don’t appreciate this music”. France has this concept of a French cultural exception (l’exception culturelle française) where their cultural products have to be protected from the invasion of English and American products. Not only in a negative or defensive way, rather to ensure that in a market where most global products are in English, the arts sector gets enough funding. This is partly where the 1994 French music quota comes from. Maybe just to meet the quotas, the same few songs get played and less good artists get promoted. There is a big debate around the (un)fairness of a quota system, in France but in Slovakia, Ireland and many other countries. So I would say it's tough in other European countries as well, because there is competition against English music everywhere.

The most popular answer in a survey of "What is the most beautiful language?" would probably be French, but it would be more of a struggle for people to name a French song. I am trying to change that!

Sorry for the very long rambling. Might add more, and if anyone has any thoughts I would be interested.