Beret by Tim Horrigan
I’ve always loved French pop music: its romanticism and its invention. I hope some of that love comes across in Beret. Thank you for listening, mes amis. I wish you beaucoup d’amour.
Tracklist
| 1. | La Ballade des Gens Heureux | 0:23 |
| 2. | Les Champs-Élysées | 2:44 |
| 3. | Laisse Tomber les Filles | 2:08 |
| 4. | Theme from "Mon Oncle" | 2:47 |
| 5. | Mlle. Dufarge | 2:36 |
| 6. | Le Temps de l'Amour | 2:31 |
| 7. | O Marie | 3:04 |
| 8. | Tut Tut Tut | 2:23 |
| 9. | La Mer | 3:38 |
| 10. | Promenade Sentimentale (from "Diva") | 3:18 |
Credits
released November 9, 2021
Pourquoi ces chansons? (Why these songs?)
La Ballade des Gens Heureux (excerpt)
(Gérard Lenorman)
“The Ballad of the Happy People.” I tricked my ISP into thinking I live in France, so I'm able to watch "N'Oubliez Pas Les Paroles." It's a game show where contestants have to complete the lyrics of songs. Once in awhile a song will pop out at me. This was one. However, it had about 8 verses so I went with the sage advice: “Give us the chorus, don't bore us."
Les Champs-Élysées
(Pierre Delanoe, Mike Deighan, Mike Walsh)
This song is everywhere. Joe Dassin, who had the hit with it, was actually born in Brooklyn. I'll blame my French accent on him. It's still a song I never get tired of. I once played it solo in a club and people got up and sang and danced. I believe they were from Europe. It felt like an international anthem that night.
Laisse Tomber Les Filles
(Serge Gainsbourg)
What can you say about the late great France Gall who populatized this one? She's the reason I started down this rabbit hole. In the '60s she was the embodiment of French yé-yé music. It didn't hurt that she was très mignon and that her songs were produced and written by Serge Gainsbourg (whose house we stumbled upon one night in Paris a few years ago - see the pic at the top of this page). I toyed with the idea of doing "Baby Pop" but that would have been too weird (same, and worse, with "Les Soucettes"). Gainsbourg could be a real perv, but he was a genius.
Theme from “Mon Oncle”
(Henri Ris, François Bercellini)
From the 1958 Jacques Tati film. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Its charm sneaks up on you and wins you over. This arrangement has all the wacky instrumentation that I love. Nothing like a cheesy Euro organ part to give me a reason to cover a song. And if this song doesn't brighten your day, go back to bed.
Mlle. Dufarge
(Tim Horrigan)
OK. So only the title is in French. Call in the gendarmes! Inspired by a JD Salinger short story (“The Laughing Man”), this has been languishing around the house for awhile. I think it's one of the better melodies I’ve written, and it was also a good excuse to give a shoutout to the river I grew up on. Great violin work by Paul McIntire.
Le Temps de L’Amour
(Jacques Dutronc, Lucien Jean Morisse, Andre Michel, Charles Salvet)
It’s the time for love. I once had to do an arrangement of this for a play about Nick Drake and fell in love with the song. AND I saw a picture of François Hardy.
O Marie
(Daniel Lanois)
This song probably owes more to Quebec than to France. It's a story of a downtrodden guy who works all day in the tobacco fields. At first I thought he worked at a French tabac which is a totally different thing. He’s probably an Acadian who migrated down south. Anyway, he just wants to drink and dance in town, eventually lets down Marie, and at the end of the song (like beginning) wonders if anybody even knows his name.
Tut Tut Tut
(Malou Rene, Lucien Marie, Antoine Thibaut)
Another example of yé-yé. It's great to hear that style of music getting more exposure ("Queen's Gambit," "Emily in Paris"). In the song I'm trying to phone a love interest and just get the busy signal. Things get a little psychedelic at the end.
La Mer
(Charles Trenet)
So I smoked a pack of Gauloises and sang this as best I could. No one's ever mistaken me for a crooner, but I could feel this song and hope you can too. None of this Bobby Darin swingy-dingy thing for me; I’ll take Trenet any day!
Promenade Sentimentale (from “Diva”)
(Vladimir Cosma)
Just chill. It's been a long album.
Les Credits:
Produced by Tim Horrigan
All instruments and vocals by Tim Horrigan except:
Anthony Cinquini - guitar on “La Mer”
Anne Horrigan - vocals on “La Ballade des Gens Heureux”
Emily Horrigan - vocals on “La Ballade des Gens Heureux” and “Les Champs-Élysées”
Dave Mayette - bass on “Mlle. Dufarge”
Paul McIntire - violin on “Mlle. Dufarge”
Kira Uda - vocals on “Les Champs-Élysées”
Adrienne Padilla - vocals on “Les Champs-Élysées”
Thank you to all these musicians who generously lent their talent. And always “Je t’adore” to Anne and her infinite patience and guidance. Although whenever I would say this to her I think she thought I said, “Shut the door!” (old joke). And for always keeping the homefries burning.
A special dedication to my two daughters, Emily and Rebecca. Thank you for all your love and support and I hope I did you proud with this effort. You’ve never let me down!
Recorded at Seawatch Isle (and remotely at Pennyhead Studio and Rancho del cielo Grande)
Mastered by Barry Wood at The Other Room
Pourquoi ces chansons? (Why these songs?)
La Ballade des Gens Heureux (excerpt)
(Gérard Lenorman)
“The Ballad of the Happy People.” I tricked my ISP into thinking I live in France, so I'm able to watch "N'Oubliez Pas Les Paroles." It's a game show where contestants have to complete the lyrics of songs. Once in awhile a song will pop out at me. This was one. However, it had about 8 verses so I went with the sage advice: “Give us the chorus, don't bore us."
Les Champs-Élysées
(Pierre Delanoe, Mike Deighan, Mike Walsh)
This song is everywhere. Joe Dassin, who had the hit with it, was actually born in Brooklyn. I'll blame my French accent on him. It's still a song I never get tired of. I once played it solo in a club and people got up and sang and danced. I believe they were from Europe. It felt like an international anthem that night.
Laisse Tomber Les Filles
(Serge Gainsbourg)
What can you say about the late great France Gall who populatized this one? She's the reason I started down this rabbit hole. In the '60s she was the embodiment of French yé-yé music. It didn't hurt that she was très mignon and that her songs were produced and written by Serge Gainsbourg (whose house we stumbled upon one night in Paris a few years ago - see the pic at the top of this page). I toyed with the idea of doing "Baby Pop" but that would have been too weird (same, and worse, with "Les Soucettes"). Gainsbourg could be a real perv, but he was a genius.
Theme from “Mon Oncle”
(Henri Ris, François Bercellini)
From the 1958 Jacques Tati film. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Its charm sneaks up on you and wins you over. This arrangement has all the wacky instrumentation that I love. Nothing like a cheesy Euro organ part to give me a reason to cover a song. And if this song doesn't brighten your day, go back to bed.
Mlle. Dufarge
(Tim Horrigan)
OK. So only the title is in French. Call in the gendarmes! Inspired by a JD Salinger short story (“The Laughing Man”), this has been languishing around the house for awhile. I think it's one of the better melodies I’ve written, and it was also a good excuse to give a shoutout to the river I grew up on. Great violin work by Paul McIntire.
Le Temps de L’Amour
(Jacques Dutronc, Lucien Jean Morisse, Andre Michel, Charles Salvet)
It’s the time for love. I once had to do an arrangement of this for a play about Nick Drake and fell in love with the song. AND I saw a picture of François Hardy.
O Marie
(Daniel Lanois)
This song probably owes more to Quebec than to France. It's a story of a downtrodden guy who works all day in the tobacco fields. At first I thought he worked at a French tabac which is a totally different thing. He’s probably an Acadian who migrated down south. Anyway, he just wants to drink and dance in town, eventually lets down Marie, and at the end of the song (like beginning) wonders if anybody even knows his name.
Tut Tut Tut
(Malou Rene, Lucien Marie, Antoine Thibaut)
Another example of yé-yé. It's great to hear that style of music getting more exposure ("Queen's Gambit," "Emily in Paris"). In the song I'm trying to phone a love interest and just get the busy signal. Things get a little psychedelic at the end.
La Mer
(Charles Trenet)
So I smoked a pack of Gauloises and sang this as best I could. No one's ever mistaken me for a crooner, but I could feel this song and hope you can too. None of this Bobby Darin swingy-dingy thing for me; I’ll take Trenet any day!
Promenade Sentimentale (from “Diva”)
(Vladimir Cosma)
Just chill. It's been a long album.
Les Credits:
Produced by Tim Horrigan
All instruments and vocals by Tim Horrigan except:
Anthony Cinquini - guitar on “La Mer”
Anne Horrigan - vocals on “La Ballade des Gens Heureux”
Emily Horrigan - vocals on “La Ballade des Gens Heureux” and “Les Champs-Élysées”
Dave Mayette - bass on “Mlle. Dufarge”
Paul McIntire - violin on “Mlle. Dufarge”
Kira Uda - vocals on “Les Champs-Élysées”
Adrienne Padilla - vocals on “Les Champs-Élysées”
Thank you to all these musicians who generously lent their talent. And always “Je t’adore” to Anne and her infinite patience and guidance. Although whenever I would say this to her I think she thought I said, “Shut the door!” (old joke). And for always keeping the homefries burning.
A special dedication to my two daughters, Emily and Rebecca. Thank you for all your love and support and I hope I did you proud with this effort. You’ve never let me down!
Recorded at Seawatch Isle (and remotely at Pennyhead Studio and Rancho del cielo Grande)
Mastered by Barry Wood at The Other Room
License
All rights reserved.Recommendations
Originally from upstate New York, Tim played with Boston band Dutch Courage before moving to Los Angeles in 1980. In LA he worked as a songwriter, performer and producer, collabrationg with Memphis pop legend Van Duren on their album “Her Name Comes Up” which can also be found on Bandcamp.
Inspired by Emitt Rhodes, Tim has embraced DIY recording since his first sound-on-sound efforts in 1972.