Vanessa Paradis isn't well known in the United States by anyone except those who are fans of Johnny Depp. She's been in a committed relationship with the actor for over a decade - they've actually gotten some press lately over a rumoured (and untrue) split. In France, on the other hand, she's a superstar. Not only does she have a music career, she's also a sought-after model in her home country.
I first heard Vanessa Paradis in the late 80's, when she released an album here, largely in French. She had a minor hit - Joe Le Taxi - which was pretty standard pop music, but cute and fun. When she went to record English language music, she looked to the music of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. She did two covers originally sung by Lou Reed - one was of the great Walk On The Wild Side, and the other was this song, which was done with a slightly poppy voice that clearly identifies English as a 2nd language. It's not as hard as the original, yet still compelling.
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