The French Connection 6/21/26 “Where Is Your Heart?”
The French Yé-yé movement’s “couple royale,” Johnny Halladay & Sylvie Vartan, 1964
By Mike Stevenson 6/21/26
Percy Faith’s hit “The Song from Moulin Rouge,” (aka “Where Is Your Heart”) rose to #1 on the Billboard charts for ten weeks in 1953-1954.
On tonight’s THE FRENCH CONNECTION, we’ll hear three versions of the song, along with great French covers of American rock classics: The Leaves “Hey Joe,” Dylan’s “The Mighty Quinn,” and The Shirelles’ “Baby, It’s You.”
Throughout the program, I’ll play selections from a new release by Montreal pianist/composer Anna Bel. I recently saw her perform at Quai des Brumes, a legendary music venue in the Plateau Mont-Royal. “Finding beauty and inspiration in the simplicity of everyday life and small-neighborhood life, her music lulls us with a breeze of gentleness and lightness.”
We’ll celebrate Father’s Day with two versions of the 1950’s classic “Oh, My Papa” (by Eddie Fisher and Bjork) and also celebrate the first day of summer with a live version of a Bardot’s summertime classic, “La Madrague”
The French Connection begins at 02:25. Audio is available for 2 weeks after the original airdate
Where Is Your Heart? / Personne n’a jamais rien vu comme l’Esquimau Quinn
– Bjork “Oh, My Papa” (P Burkhard) Gling-Glo, 1990
– Percy Faith “Song from Moulin Rouge” (aka, “Where Is Your Heart” 1954, Georges Auric)
– Francis Cabrel “Quinn L’eskimau” (Bob Dylan) Vise Le Ciel, 2012
– Anna Bell “Canicule” Place Mt-Royal, 2026
Brel
– Nina Simone “Ne Me Quitte Pas” (Jacques Brel) I Put a Spell on You, 1965
– Noel Harrison “Marieke” (Jacques Brel) Adieu, Jacques, 2025
Ye-Ye, it’s Father’s Day
– Johnny Halladay “Hey, Joe” (B Roberts) 1967
– Sylvie Vartan “Baby C’est Vous” (B Bacharach) Sylvie, 1962
– The Saphires “Song from Moulin Rouge” (G Auric) Who Do You Love, 1964
– Anna Bell “Epilogue” Place Mt Royal, 2026
– Laura Marling “Dans Sa Maison Un Grand Cerf” (not yet officially released)
Joyeux Father’s Day
– Eddie Fisher “Oh, My Papa” (P Burkhard)
– Sasha Diestel “Ma cherie est Joli” (aka “Tammy”) 1957
– Anna Bell “Etude” Place Mt Royal, 2026
Serge et BB
– Serge Gainsbourg “Couleur Cafe” Gainsbourg Confidential, 1964
– Brigitte Bardot “Ne Me Laisse Pas L’aimer” B.B. 1964
– The Chordettes “Song from Moulin Rouge” (Georges Auric)
– Ana Bel “Valmont” Place Mt Royal, 2026
June 21 = First Day of Summer
– Gabrielle Sandman “La Madrague” (Rivière/Bourgeois) recorded live in Paris, 2021
SHOW NOTES June 19, 2026:
- The female vocalist on Percy Faith’s 1953 hit “The Song from Moulin Rouge” (also known as “Where Is Your Heart”) was Felicia Sanders. The 1952 film Moulin Rouge (directed by John Huston) follows artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as he navigates the bohemian subculture of 19th-century Paris, centered around the infamous burlesque venue.
- “Oh, My Papa” (originally “O Mein Papa”) was composed by Swiss musician Paul Burkhard in 1939. The English lyrics were written by the songwriting team of Geoffrey Parsons and John Turner. It was famously popularized in 1954 by American singer Eddie Fisher.
- The song “Tammy” was introduced by Debbie Reynolds in the film Tammy and the Bachelor, becoming a number-one hit in 1957. Reynolds’ first marriage was to Eddie Fisher in 1955. The couple divorced in 1959, but not before producing daughter Carrie Fisher. The French version of “Tammy,” titled “Ma Cherie Si Jolie,” and was recorded by Sacha Distel in 1957. Distel and Brigitte Bardot were one of France’s most iconic couples in the late 1950s.
- The Sapphires were an 1960’s “Northern Soul” ensemble from Philadelphia. The group’s vocalists were Carol Jackson, George Garner, and Joe Livingston.
- “La Madrague” is a French song written by Jean-Max Rivière and composed by Gérard Bourgeois. It was made famous by Brigitte Bardot in 1963, and was reportedly inspired by Bardot’s house in Saint-Tropez
- Anna Bel’s new recording “Place Mt-Royal” is available via Bandcamp
