LES COPAINS DU SAMEDI AU CAFÉ CANADIEN-FRANÇAIS

 Soirées canadiennes

Too sexy for my shades...

Last week, I talked about the songs of the voyageurs. This week, I want to bring you in to the traditional "soirées canadiennes"* (French-Canadian evenings, but truly these were parties) as they were happening in small remote villages across the province of Québec. French Canadian culture was isolated from the rest of Canada and this was encouraged by catholic priests. What were these parties like? Let me tell you a part of my childhood. My maternal grand-father had 11 brothers and sisters and my mother would take me with her to visit them on their farms, in the area west of Joliette in the early 1970s. Often, we would also meet the great-aunts, who were young chicks in the early years of the 20th century. They would often start signing songs from the “soirées” [evenings] of their past, when all the family and neighbours would gather in a house or in a barn. This was before the radio and before electricity. People would take turn signing songs or telling funny stories for the benefits of all. Sometimes, the person singing would direct a dance or sing a “chanson à répondre” [call and responses songs] inviting everyone to sing together. Often, these songs were not part of what was called the repertoire of “la bonne chanson” [the good songs], songs approved by the Church for their “good values”. On the contrary, my great-aunts were signing naughty songs that I quickly learned because I found them so funny. I still remember some of them... but I wish I could remember the song of "la petite grenouille" (the little frog) which was particularly raunchy :-). Nowadays, French Canadians listen to songs on the radio instead of singing and have become too shy to stand in front of their peers to lead a song. Here is a video of a “soirée canadienne” filmed in 1978:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hve8tOvZsSk
3:38 Woman dancing a jig. WTF moment.
29:14 Typical “chanson à répondre”.

FrederickC wanted to contribute to the ambiance in the café and is proposing  “La Ziguezon” by La Bottine Souriante: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1Svjcda-84. This is a great a modern adaptation of songs from the the old "soirées canadiennes" and this genre is called "néo-trad".

* For a long time after the British conquest, "Canadien" would designate the French speaking people, as opposed to the "British". That's how the "Canadien" hockey team got its name, because most of the players were francophone. The nickname of the team (the Habs) comes from "habitants" (peasant), because most of the French Canadians at the time were living in rural areas. Later, in the early 20th century, the distinction became "French-Canadian" versus "English-Canadian". Nowadays, for people in Québec, "Canadians" are the English speakers while the "Québécois" are the French speakers.

Next week: French Canadian songs from the radio