French popular songs from 1870 to 1940 dynamically epitomize anguished eras of upheaval. Boldly
advancing views on societal political economic racial and gender issues these charming
alluring tunes express an expectation of life as tragedy. Parlez-moi d'amour: Themes in French
Popular Song from the Commune to World War II by Benjamin Ivry a biographer and cultural
reporter focuses on the songs themselves in performance as preserved on recordings. They
encapsulate the positive and negative elements of Gallic culture as they communicate love and
hatred exultation and woe.
