ABSTRACT
This chapter examines in more detail the genre rules of chanson, concentrating specifically on the ways in which authenticity is conceptualised during the 1950s and 1960s. Its authors seek to provide an overview of the genre, by discussing it under three broad sub-headings: chanson as art; chanson as craft; chanson as pleasure. This originality, or inspiration, as Vian also calls it, as a signifier of quality which firmly places such songs higher up the hierarchy that we have seen to be at work within such chanson discourse. If we consider the notion of hierarchy which we have already identified to be at work within chanson writing, we can see that Charpentreau and Charpentreau's analysis adds more to our understanding. It presents a critical analysis of chanson, looking at its history, themes and stars, as well as considering the consumption patterns of chanson by young people aged 14-25 by means of a survey.
