Fifty for Fifi

Plastic Bertrand’s Ça plane pour moi is another song written by the performer and sung by someone else. Or is it? No, it’s not. Or is it? No, definitely not. Or is it? Maybe…

It was written by Lou Deprijck at more or less the same time he wrote the musically identical Jet Boy Jet Girl. Not just musically identical – the same backing track used twice for two markets. Jet Boy Jet Girl made most famous by The Damned but originally recorded by Elton Morello.

There have been at least two court cases where this question has been raised, and Bertrand has gone between apparently acknowledging then recanting acknowledgement that he was not the singer multiple times.

I didn’t know of this song before I met Fi, and songs in other languages have been a major thread through our relationship. Whether it’s originals such as Yelle’s Safari Disco Club or artists catering to non-English Speaking audiences such as ABBA’s German version of Ring Ring she’s widened my tastes out during the time I’ve known her, with my favourite discovery that I brought in to the mix being Yuve Yuve Yu by Mongolian folk metal band The Hu.

I don’t know who recorded the original version of Ça plane pour moi but I’m willing to believe Lou compared his look to Plastic Bertrand’s and decided that he’d have a much better chance to get his song out there with it coming out of a different face. Here’s his version of his song.