Comme Un Garçon
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"Comme un garçon" () is a song by
Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian; hy, Սիլվի Ժորժ Վարդանյան. on 15 August 1944) is an Armenian-Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. ...
from her 1967 album ''Comme un garçon''. It was also released on an EP and as a
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
.


Composition

The song was written in 1967 when the
Sexual Revolution The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the United States and the developed world from the ...
in France was at its height: women wore mini-skirts and trousers and the
Neuwirth Law The Neuwirth Law is a French law which lifted the ban on birth control methods on December 28, 1967, including oral contraception. It was passed by the National Assembly on December 19, 1967. The law is named after Lucien Neuwirth, the Gaullist p ...
was adopted, authorizing
contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
. Also, as Gérard Tilles and Françoise Gründ Khaznadar note in their book ''Hair: Sign and Signification'', the lyrics of the song ("Just like a boy, I wear my hair long") refer to the "long hair revolution" of the 1960s: boys started to look like girls, "who, in their turn, idn'tmiss the opportunity to pass for boys by adopting the same haircuts". In this song Vartan, an attractive
yé-yé ''Yé-yé'' () (''yeyé'' in Spanish) was a style of pop music that emerged in Western-Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term "''yé-yé''" was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music bands such as ...
star, shows her
tomboy A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men ...
side as a "gang leader" who wears trousers and a belt with a large buckle, and rides a
Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...
motorcycle (like
Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...
): "Just like a boy, I wear a jacket, a medallion, a big buckle
elt ELT may refer to: Education * English language teaching * Expanded learning time, an American education strategy * Kolb's experiential learning theory Mathematics and science * Ending lamination theorem * Extremely large telescope, a type of ...
, "Just like a boy, I am stubborn. And remember I often dole out punishments, you gotta be careful". However Vartan, whom notes had matured into a provocative young woman with a sensual voice in the two years she had been married to
Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...
, had not become a "frenzied feminist". In the chorus the boyish singer becomes, in her lover's arms, like a little girl: "Still I'm only a girl, and when I'm in your arms, I'm only a little girl, so lost when you're not there anymore" and "You do what you want with me, it's much better like this". Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe noted in his 2013 book ''Yé-Yé Girls of '60s French Pop'' that "feminists must have been horrified to discover" what this song and Vartan's songs in general were about. According to Jérôme Pintoux (in his book ''Camion blanc: Les chanteurs français des années 60''), the verses of the song "celebrate
androgyny Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in ...
, but without ambiguity", while the chorus "sings
femininity Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered ...
". Lecœuvre notes that the song also reflects Vartan's childhood frustration of being a little sister: her older brother Eddie always had to keep an eye on her and accompanied her everywhere.


Writing

The song was written by
Jean-Jacques Debout Jean-Jacques Debout (born 9 March 1940, in Paris) is a French singer-songwriter. In addition to his albums, he has written for a number of renowned artists like Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Dalida, and Chantal Goya. He has also composed a gr ...
(who also wrote the songs "Baby Capone" and "On a toutes besoin d'un homme" for Vartan). He came up with the idea for the song in a taxi ride to Paris. A woman riding a motorcycle overtook the taxi and the driver exclaimed, "''Les filles aujourd'hui sont commes des garçons!''" (). For the next , Debout watched in fascination as the motorcycle dutifully stopped at every red light. When he arrived home, he phoned
Eddie Vartan Edmond Vartan (10 August 1937 – 19 June 2001) was a French musician, bandleader, arranger, and record producer of Armenian descent. Life and career Vartan was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and moved to France with his parents and younger sist ...
, Sylvie's older brother and producer, and told him about the idea for a new song (at that time he had only the title). Eddie liked the idea, as did Sylvie. Deboux and Roger Dumas wrote the song in one night.


Commercial performance

The song became Vartan's biggest hit since "
La plus belle pour aller danser "La plus belle pour aller danser" (Translation: ''The most beautiful to dance with'') is a song by Sylvie Vartan from the 1964 French feature film ''Cherchez l'idole''. Background and writing The song was written by Charles Aznavour and Georges ...
" (1964). It reached at least the top 5 in France (according to the charts published by ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' in its "Hits of the World" section) and  8 in Wallonia (French Belgium). In France the record was certified double gold.


Different language versions and later recordings

Vartan recorded the song in four languages, including Italian ("Come un ragazzo") and (). The song has been recorded, among others, by
Hansi Hinterseer Johann Ernst "Hansi" Hinterseer (born 2 February 1954) is an Austrian singer, actor, entertainer and former alpine skier. Sports career Hinterseer is the son of Ernst Hinterseer, who won a gold medal in slalom skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympic ...
(in German under the title "Ich lieb dich immer und immer mehr"),
Stereo Total Stereo Total was a Berlin-based multilingual, French-German duo which comprised Françoise Cactus (born Françoise Van Hove and formerly co-leader of the West Berlin band Les Lolitas) and Brezel (' pretzel') Göring (aka Friedrich von Finsterwal ...
, (in German under the title "Man nennt mich Jo"), (in Danish under the title "Han er en mand"), (in Dutch under the title "Net als een jongen"),
Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 al ...
, Le Grand Orchestre de
Paul Mauriat Paul Julien André Mauriat ( or ; 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006) was a French orchestra leader, conductor of Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat, who specialized in the easy listening genre. He is best known in the United States for his mill ...
, and
Chantal Renaud Chantal Renaud (born 26 August 1946) is a Québécoise script writer, and a past yé-yé singer and actress. She was the wife of former Quebec Premier and former Parti Québécois leader Bernard Landry. Renaud began her career as a yé-yé si ...
.


Track listings

7-inch EP "Comme un garçon / Le Jour qui vient / Le Testament / L'enfant aux papillons" RCA 87046 M (1967 or 1968, France) : A1. "Comme un garçon" (3:16) : A2. "Le Jour qui vient" (2:54) : B1. "Le Testament" (2:48) : B2. "L'Enfant aux papillons" (2:25) 7-inch single "Comme un garçon / Le Kid" RCA Victor : A. "Comme un garçon" (3:10) : B. "Le Kid" (2:20) 7-inch EP RCA TP-403 (1968, Portugal) : A1. "Comme un garçon" (3:10) : A2. "Elle est partie" (2:12) : B1. "L'Oiseau" (3:20) : B2. "Le Kid" (2:20) 7-inch single (Canada) :A. "Comme un garçon" :B. "Le Testament"


Charts


References

* {{authority control 1967 songs 1968 singles French songs Sylvie Vartan songs RCA Victor singles Songs written by Jean-Jacques Debout Songs written by Roger Dumas