Vanessa Paradis

Vanessa (Chantal) Paradis born two days before Christmas 1972. Her first TV appearance was on the show L'École des fans in 1981. She recorded her first single, 'La Magie des surprises-parties' in 1983 and performed it at an Italian festival in 1985 - but lost the first prize. Although the song was not a hit, it paved the way for the song with which she would become internationally famous: Her breakthrough came in 1987, aged 14. Her single 'Joe le Taxi' spent 11 weeks at the top of the French charts, and also proved an international success. It is a song about a taxi driver, Joe, who works in Paris. The song emphasizes the notion that Joe seems to know all of the French capital including the whereabouts of all the little bars, all of the Parisian streets, the Seine, and bridges. The song's lyrics suggest that Joe enjoys drinking rum, has a passion for Latin music and his saxophone, and dreams of going to the Amazon.

Vanessa recorded two albums in Paris before traveling to New York in 1992 to record her self-titled English-language debut, with one-time boyfriend Lenny Kravitz as producer. The album's "Be My Baby" was also a hit, but Vanessa's popularity waned a bit. She was involved in various film, TV and modeling engagementsm such as Chanel's Coco ad campaign. More film and modelling work followed throughout the next several years, largely replacing her music career for a time. In early 2000 she returned to the music scene with the French-released Bliss, followed by a live album, Au Zénith in 2001. After that, it was back to yet more film and modelling work (and quality time with the two-child family she built with actor Johnny Depp). Paradis returned to music once again in 2007 with the release of her fifth full-length album, Divinidylle.

Vanessa Paradis - Joe Le Taxi (1987)
BE#1, FR#1, IRL#2, UK#3, NOR#5, SWE#7, DE#8, NL#23



Vanessa Paradis -Marilyn et John (1987)



Vanessa Paradis -Be My Baby (1992)
FR#5, UK#6



Vanessa Paradis & Alain Lanty - La Minute De Silence (1992)
recorded for Michel Berger, central figure of the French musical landscape, who died of a heart attack, aged 45.