It’s a mild Saturday morning and nothing could be more fitting than planting my running shoes and going for jog. I’m taking one of France’s main exports as jogging music – David Guetta. I believe he holds an advanced degree (Phd?) from the University of Paris X.
He is quite an interesting pop culture phenomenon who has carved out a place for himself in French popular culture that raises some questions about contemporary popular culture in France.
His lyrics are mostly belted out in English and synthetic sound underpins a lot of his music. This has been part of the not-so-unique combination that has granted him success.
The question is, does the success of English as a medium for cultural goods say anything about France’s cultural strength and its ability to continue to produce cultural goods? After all, this has been one of France’s biggest comparative advantages through the centuries – the ability to produce culture and market French as an indispensable language for those in the know?
Guetta and other signs of Anglicization may be a sign to be read in one of two ways: A sign of adaptability, that is, France remaining competitive and moving with the times. Alternatively, it may just be a sign of this blogger’s appalling taste in music.
Anon's Paris 