Yeah, Yeah for Yé-Yé!

Many know me as music fan. I've done a few stints working at local record stores, it's true. One genre I enjoy is known as yé-yé (pronounced yeah-yeah -- similar to the "yeah! yeah!" repeated in fun rock/pop songs.) It was a style popularized in France, Spain, and Québec in the early 1960s. The music took several styles, such as rock (think '60s), R&B (ditto), pop, chanson, and beat music, and rolled it into a genre largely characterized by young, female singers who (usually) sang in French.

A lot of these girls had charming, distinctively Gallic names. A lot of them could be adorable, original sounding choices for a baby born in the 2010s. Some favorites:

Brigitte - You guessed it, as in Bardot. (Actually, Bardot would be a pretty cute name too!) This bombshell had a long-spanning career, recording 80 songs, starring in 47 films, and acting in many musical shows. Pronounced in France as brih-ZHEET, this name only charted the American popularity lists in (surprise!) the 1960s, making it an unusual choice. I'm going to assume that most people today would assume this was a fancified version of Bridget, and pronounce it accordingly. If you don't mind correcting people, this is a nice choice.

Sylvie - Sylvie Vartan was a Bulgaria native, whose family fled to France when she was about eight years old after the Soviet Army occupied her homeland. Before leaving, she got to play a role in a film, and it left a lasting desire to become an entertainer. She was one of the first girls to rock in France; before her, it was unusual for a female performer to sing and dance. The name Sylvie is very uncommon in the USA, never charting on the popularity lists. The pretty name is seeing a bit of revival on the internet, and only time will tell if it will finally chart.

Clothilde - This one's a doozy, right? The French pronounce it somewhat like clo-TIL-deh (think of it as a cross between Chloe and Matilda.) The singer Clothilde was not as well known as some of her counterparts, but her songs featured unique instruments and clever lyrics. Where did she get this unusual name? Saint Clotilde was the wife of Frankish King Clovis I in the sixth century. She supposedly went into battle by his side. I think it's safe to say this name has never, and maybe will never be popular in this country, due to its clunkiness. However, it could make a fun middle name if you "Americanized" it and put it with something short and spirited. June Clotilda? Wren Clotilda? It could work.

Violaine - There isn't much information about this girl, although of note: she was sponsored by Ford Motors to put out some singles (they didn't chart), and her half-sister, Christine Pilzer, was also a yé-yé artist. Violaine would make a nice alternative to Violet, if you want to avoid the "violent" sound or the popularity Violet's currently enjoying.

Some other yé-yé singers (or those who had songs in the style) with interesting names: Nicoletta, Bernadette,  Chantal, Cosette, Séverine, Zouzou, Gillian, Liliane. Any of these would be nice, dusty choices to add pizzazz to some of the more commonly given girl names these days. Chloe Marie? Yawn. Chloe Séverine? Wow!

One of my favorite yé-yé songs, sung by France Gall (born Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall).