This song appeared on Sanson’s second album in 1972, De l'autre côté de mon rêve (On the Other Side of My Dream). The word “drôle” in the song’s title “drôle de vie” can be translated in many ways-- “funny,” “strange,” “crazy,” “odd,” “quirky,” among other things. I prefer “quirky” because it’s less value-laden than some alternatives and the song is, well, quirky. Despite several changes to the title that the author herself made at various times, this is one heck of a contagious song that makes the body move and puts a smile on your face.

Although it is not one of Sanson’s favorite songs (let’s face it—it’s a keyboard-pounding, honky tonk boogie), fan appreciation has driven it to become a signature tune. A re-make of the song appeared in the 2010 film “Tout ce qui brille” (All That Glitters) co-written and co-directed by Géraldine Nakache and Hervé Mimran and this gave Sanson’s original version a second life. Frenchrescue posted an irresistable video version online.