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

[CleverCowboy]

Originally Posted by Mr Coucou

Even Boudennat is an example of this. Gourmandies and MCE represent some of the best of French music. Those two albums are good, but they're not as good as the best of British and American music. Gourmandies and MCE are good but they're not mind-blowing.

I think Gourmandises and MCE are much better than good. In fact I think they are fantastic. But not mind-blowing because very few can reach the level of, let's say, Dark Side of the Moon.

I think one song off those two albums had a chance to be successful in the U.S. and it's not the obvious ones.

Moi Lolita would have zero chance. American's interpretation of the word "lolita" is an underage girl having sex with older men, which in a very religious America (at least in those days) would have a huge backlash. No label would want to take that risk.

Songs like JEAM, Amélie m'a dit, À contre-courant, L'Alizé are all very good but not anything that would compete with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and the empowered females that the music industry was pushing on the American public.

The one song that I personally think would have had a chance in the US is Mon Maquis. It has an exotic sound to it and a great melody. Alizee sounds exotic singing it. She is a very beautiful Corsican woman singing in French, and that is pretty exotic as well to most Americans.