Les Cactus
| "Les Cactus" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jacques Dutronc | ||||
| Released | February 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1966 | |||
| Genre | French rock | |||
| Length | 2:42 | |||
| Label | Disques Vogue | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jacques Lanzmann, Jacques Dutronc | |||
| Producer(s) | Unknown | |||
| Jacques Dutronc singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Les Cactus" (French pronunciation: [le kaktys], lit. 'The Cactus') is the third single by French singer-songwriter Jacques Dutronc, released in 1967. It is the last from his self-titled debut album.
It reached number 4 in the French singles chart in March 1967, selling over 400,000 copies.[1][2]
The song was referenced by French Prime Minister Georges Pompidou in the Assemblée Nationale to indicate his feelings towards his former Finance Minister, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who was a harsh critic of his successor Michel Debré: "As Jacques Dutronc says, there is a cactus here". The comment made front-page news.[2]
A live cover of the song was released as a single by Vanessa Paradis in 1994.
The song was covered by The Last Shadow Puppets on their The Dream Synopsis EP.
Track listing
[edit]Words by Jacques Lanzmann and music by Jacques Dutronc, except "La Compapade", words and music by Jacques Dutronc.
Side A
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Les Cactus" | 02:42 |
| 2. | "L'espace d'une fille" | 02:45 |
Side B
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "L'opération" | 03:09 |
| 2. | "La Compapade" | 03:19 |
Personnel
[edit]- Jacques Dutronc: voice, guitar, percussion
- Hadi Kalafate: bass, percussion
- Alain Le Govic (alias Alain Chamfort): piano, organ
- Jean-Pierre Alarcen: guitar
- Jacques Pasut: rhythm guitar
- Michel Pelay: drums
External links
[edit]- Video of Jacques Dutronc performing "Les Cactus" on the French TV show Palmarès des chansons, November 1966.
References
[edit]- ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. 4 March 1967. p. 66.
- ^ a b Michel Leydier (2010). Jacques Dutronc: La Bio. Paris: Seuil, p. 117
