“I had come to the conclusion that I must really be French, only no one had ever informed me of this fact. I loved the people, the food, the lay of the land, the civilized atmosphere, and the generous pace of life.”
― Julia Child, My Life in France

Music which reminds us of beautiful memories, destinations we long to visit or return to, experiences that have shaped our lives in ways more magically than we could have imagined, is music worth having available whenever we need it most. Whether to set the tone for each day, to remind us of all the goodness we have experienced and will experience again, or to move us to sway and dance as a means to celebrate something most wonderful, enjoying beautiful music is indeed a simple luxury.

“The most exciting rhythms seem unexpected and complex, the most beautiful melodies simple and inevitable.” ― W.H. Auden

Late last year a TSLL reader requested I compile a French playlist, and so I have pulled together a few of my favorite French-inspired songs, some old, some new, some jazz (okay, well, all of the songs are jazz, I must admit), some with vocals, some without, some from the soundtracks of favorite movies (Paris Can Wait and Something’s Gotta Give for example) and some that embody beautiful reminders of classic and forever Paris and the French culture.

“Who hears music, feels his solitude
Peopled at once.” — Robert Browning

The entire playlist, Escape to France, is available on Spotify — click here to listen on their app or website — and below I have shared the songs in order should you want to pick and choose songs to add to your own playlist.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”  —Plato

Bonne écoute!

Escape to France

1. Wake Up In Paris, The Hot Sardines
2. Arc de Triumphe, Paris Cafe Society
3. La Vie En Rose, Louis Armstrong
4. C’est Si Bon, Eartha Kitt
5. Samba de mon Cœur Qui Bat, Coralie Clément
6. Les Champs-Elysées, Joe Dassin
7. S’Wonderful, Live in Paris, Diana Krall
8. Pret a Porter, Emilie Mover
9. La Vénus du Mélo, Stacey Kent
10. Life on Mars, Eric le Lann
11. Le Café Ici est Délicieux, Paris Cafe Jazz
12. France, Paris Café Society
13. Moonlight Walk, Le Petit Orchestre de Café Paris
14. Paris Can Wait, Laura Karpman (Paris Can Wait soundtrack)
15. La Croisette, Laura Karpman (Paris Can Wait soundtrack)
16. And Chocolate, Laura Karpman (Paris Can Wait soundtrack)

~Click here to listen to the entire playlist in Spotify

~Good news! If you don’t already have the Spotify app, you can download it for free and listen to the music for free as well (there will be ads unless you pay for the premium subscription)). I currently use the free version.

~Escape to France with the most recent episode of The Simple Sophisticate podcast episode. Cookbook author and blogger of On Rue Tatin Susan Hermann Loomis joined me to talk about food, France and Julia Child – click here to listen to episode #192.

~View more French-Inspired posts from TSLL Archives here

Images: via TSLL’s IG #tsllparis