Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In his song "Zombie," Maître Gims wants to wake up from his Zombie state and take charge of his destiny by removing the chains that hold him back: warding off the darkness, confusion, and paranoia surrounding his life.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Daniel Benchimol concludes his tour of Paris's tenth arrondissement by taking us through the "Nouvelle Athènes" (New Athens) neighborhood, home of some of the great figures of nineteenth-century romanticism. The tenth is also home to the smallest house in Paris, at less than five meters (sixteen feet) high!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In "Je suis Charlie" (I Am Charlie), Fabien Marsaud a.k.a. Grand Corps Malade commemorates the victims of the devastating attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. As the slam poet notes, "I prefer to pick up a pen because tonight I am Charlie."
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Oldelaf, aka Olivier Delafosse, sings "Je mange" (I Eat). This darkly humorous video paints a portrait of a modern man's dysfunctional relationship with food. If it sounds a little too familiar to you, that could mean it's time for a game of table tennis (with a partner)!
Difficulty: Intermediate
Belgium
In the music video for "Tous les mêmes" (All the Same) Stromae impersonates both the man and the woman in a stormy relationship. He wants children. She doesn't want any because she thinks "men are all the same" and can't be trusted to raise them. Stromae concludes the song with a beautifully choreographed dance equal to none—except for the late Michael Jackson, perhaps.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Belgium
In his brilliant song "Papaoutai" (Dad, Where Are You?), Stromae depicts the endless game of hide and seek that some children play with their fathers. Stromae (né Paul Van Haver), who was raised by his mother, lost his own father in 1994 to the Rwandan Genocide.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In this third episode on Rambouillet, Daniel shows us an interesting "shell cottage," a railway museum, and the beautiful Church of Saint Lubin and Palais du Roi de Rome. Rambouillet is full of wonderful surprises!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In this video, Alessandro goes to the Saint-Ouen flea market, where he talks to a merchant who sells a wide variety of treasures and who believes that everything can be a work of art. Make sure to stop by the next time you're in Paris!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In this powerful music video, Grand Corps Malade puts a modern twist on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and even gives it a happy ending. You'll find a good amount of argot (slang) in the song lyrics, including some verlan, a form of slang that's very popular among French youth.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Daniel takes us to the Rambouillet castle, which includes a very interesting building on its grounds: the Laiterie de la Reine, or Queen's Dairy, which was built for Marie Antoinette in accordance with the "pleasure dairy" trend of the eighteenth century.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In this first part of his tour of Rambouillet, Daniel shows us the town's beautiful castle and its surrounding forest, islands, and gardens. Do you know what a "quincunx" in a garden is? If not, you'll find out in this video.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Daniel Benchimol continues his tour of the medieval town of Senlis with a look inside the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic architecture in France. The cathedral contains a magnificent organ and a plaque commemorating the British soldiers who died in France during World War I.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Maître Gims's hit "J'me tire" (I'm Outta Here) reached the top of the French music charts in 2013. In the song, the rapper expresses his frustrations with being famous and a desire to leave it all behind him and escape to a place where he "won't be the suspect."
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In this video, pedestrians are asked to sing a song with the word vie (life) in it. Most of them come up with Edith Piaf's iconic "La Vie en Rose," but the other choices range from melodies by French singer-songwriters to Disney tunes. How many songs do you know with the word "life" in them?
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
In this episode, Daniel Benchimol takes us to the little Gallo-Roman city of Senlis, forty kilometers away from Paris. There, we can discover its fish and vegetable market, its church, and its art and archeology museum.
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