New French artist Thomas Winter covers Niagara on his recently released EP. So let’s unearth the original and some other cover versions
Niagara
L’Amour à la plage
Niagara’s L’amour à la plage is one of my favourite French 80s songs, and probably one of the best French summersongs ever recorded. It’s sung by wet-dream-come-true Muriel Moreno, and sold over 200K copies when it came out in 1985. Belgian trio Mon Réal just released a great cover of the track, one that will appear on their upcoming album. L’amour à la plage was covered earlier, by punkrockband Ludwig von 88 (by far the loudest version), by actress Virginie Ledoyen (by far the sweetest version) and by Toma & Api (by far the huskiest version). Take your pick!
Niagara – L’amour à la plage
Virginie Ledoyen – L’amour à la plage (link=fixed)
Ludwig von 88 – L’amour à la plage
Toma & api – L’amour à la plage
Mon Real – L’amour à la plage
Dia de los muertos (7)
Sami, aka Mister Blog, on All Souls Day about his favourite jump-off-a-bridge song:
Niagara was one of the most underrated French pop bands of the Eighties. One of the few who could reach the charts with a single like this one. When you’re still a teenager and you hear that song on the radio, first you enjoy that sensual voice, you possibly check your head to those synth beats and you don’t care that much about the lyrics.
When you’re a grown up and remember with your old folks about all the great shiny hits Muriel and Daniel had, you notice that Soleil d’hiver is quite dark and sadder than you thought it was.
With a chorus like ‘She wanted to touch the sky / Things will never be the same / Lost in her sleep” and other brillant lines, you finally understand it’s about a girl next door who jumped from a shore.
Like many of their tunes, a classic gem I’ll listen till death, and not only on Dia De Los Muertos.
Niagara – Soleil d’hiver