postpunk:

Plastic Bertrand - Ça plane pour moi (1977)

tuneage:

Okay, yes, this song is from 1977 and it’s in French. I know you may feel a bit wary but you’ve heard this bad boy before. So many times. ”Ça plane pour moi” has appeared in a dozen American movies alone (Me, Myself and I, Three Kings, and tv shows like Gossip Girl).

It’s got a new wave/punk feel and it is completely infectious. Who cares about the lyrics, anyway. You’re not missing out on much - the title of the song loosely translates to “It’s all good for me” and contains brilliant lyrics like “one night/a/darling/came to my place/a cellophane barbie.”

I remember reading (in the Pitchfork 500) that ”Ça plane pour moi” borrows its backing track from Elton Motello’s “Jet Boy, Jet Girl”, a risque song with the chorus “he gives me head”. The basic idea in the book was that the ooo-wooo-ooo is Plastic Betrand’s innovation, but you hear it now in covers of “Jet Boy, Jet Girl”. Ooh la la.