Contents: Part I: A Little theory goes a long Way: What is chanson?; How do you write about chanson?; What is not chanson: some fine distinctions - poetry and Chanson, art song and chanson, musical comedy and chanson, chansonniers and chanson, folksong and chanson, folksong and chanson, chanson and the singer-songwriter; The gender of the genre - masculinities, Anne Sylvestre, Véronique Sanson, What happened to the women singer-songwriter?; The psycho-anthropology of everday chanson; The frenchness of chanson; Part II: Practice makes perfect: Precursors - Artistide Bruant, Georgius, Yvette Guilbert, Mireille, Edith Piaf; The charm of Charles Trenet; Charles Aznavour: a sentimental realist; Léo Ferré: creating a space for transgression; Georges Brassens: the appropriation for a literarcy heritage; Jacques Brel: the dramatic synthesis; Barbara: performing the feminine; Serge Gainsbourg: how to win by cheating; Part III: Innovation and renovation: the nouvelle chanson française: Bernard Lavilliers carrying world music on his shoulders; Renaud: the apotheosis of satire, parody and slang; Alain Souchon and Laurent Voulzy: Lennon and McCartney are alive and well and working in Paris; Michel Jonasz: a personal fusion; MC Solaar: a gardener of words; From one fin de siècle to another; General Miscellaneous bibliography and discography; Index.