Mika: Je Chante

A cover of a Charles Trenet song by Mika for a new advert for the SNCF.

The advert is a cornerstone of a massive publicity campaign for the French railways, in particular their TGV service.

Mika says that when the project was suggested, he immediately said yes because when he was working with Michel Legrand on a cover of Vive le Vent, Legrand introduced him to the music of Trenet and he loved Je Chante, a song he describes as having the kind of alchemy he tries to find in his own songs.

The song was originally written in 1937, as the title track for a musical film.

Mika has become a French artist by adoption, the new video placing him firmly in the French landscape.

Mika's most recent album No Place in Heaven was released in June.

A fuller version of the video can be seen on the SNCF website 

David Gilmour: Rattle That Lock

There's a certain sense of déja vu with the title track of the new album Rattle That Lock by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, particularly if you've spent time in a French railway station.

And anyone who's ever spent time in a French railway station has probably found they've got more time than they expected to enjoy listening to the announcements...

Gilmour was inspired by the SNCF Tannoy announcement jingle, incorporating it into the track.

He said: "I was in Aix-en-Provence station visiting friends, I heard it as you often do.

"So I then turned my iPhone on, held my Phone up nearer the speaker and waited for the next announcement, took that sample from that and that’s what I’ve used for this track."




The creator of the jingle, Michaël Boumendil, is credited as co-creator of the track.

Speaking to RTL Radio he said he was regularly approached by musicians wanting to use his work, but always refused.

However, when Gilmour phoned him he initially thought someone was having a joke, describing the guitarist as a living legend.

Gilmour's new album is due to be released on September 18.