LES COPAINS DU SAMEDI AU CAFÉ CANADIEN-FRANÇAIS

 
Félix Leclerc

Last week, we realized how much change the humble radio brought to society. We also remember from a few weeks ago that there was the French Canadian educated class was systematically denigrating the culture and language of the lower class.

After the war, in their homes, French Canadian citizens would be exposed to songs from the United States, of course, but also from France. For the French Canadian elite, songs and literature from France were “real culture” so it became a matter of fact that, in order to be recognized in Québec, an artist had to prove their worth in France. There is a saying: "nul n'est prophète en son pays" ("no one is a prophet in his own country") that is particularly true in this case. It revealed that French Canadians had, for a long time, a form of inferiority complex when comparing their own culture to those of the rest of the world, especially to the culture of France.

Félix Leclerc (1914-1988) was discovered by a French talent scout who was touring Québec in 1950. Félix was then sent to France on a tour that was very successful and he became one of the first “international” French Canadian artists. Most importantly, when he came back to Québec, at the end of his tour, Félix Leclerc was now regarded by his fellow citizens as one of the greatest French Canadian singer. In the following years, many other French Canadian singers would follow his example and go to France, but would not always meet with the same success.

Félix Leclerc’s most famous song, “Le Petit Bonheur” (The Little Happiness) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnROpowEcZA), tells the story of a hobo who finds a small abandoned personification of happiness, takes care of it, and lives a happy life despite all the harsh stuff happening around him. His songs are about life in general, not necessarily about French Canadian identity. When performing in front of a French audience, Félix presents himself first as an artist. Note that Félix’s accent sounds more French than French Canadian and very similar to contemporary French singers like Georges Brassens.

Next week: looking for a national poet.