French Sweep: December 11, 2012...

Welcome back to this week's sampling of the new songs making their way on to the weekly official music charts in France. This week French music icon Mylene Farmer rockets to #1 for her first week with "A L'ombre", her 13th single to top the singles chart in this country.


The top debut of the five new entries this week is a novelty record for kids that has gone viral and topped the Italian singles charts for eight weeks this past summer and fall. It's been translated to French as "Le Poussin Piou" ("The Chick Cheeps"). And this menagerie is frighteningly infectious, inspiring even lipdub videos, and it leaps in at #9 on France's top-100 singles..

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Making a big splash at #16 is Parisian rapper Booba with "Tombe' Pour Elle" ("Fell For Her"). It follows "Caramel" which was his first top-10 hit here earlier this year...I think that Booba ties with Nelly for most unlikely rap monikers, no?

Another French rapper, Rohff, was born in the African island nation of Madagascar, but now calls Paris his home as well. He's in at #18 with "K-SOS Musik". He previously topped the French pop chart in 2002 with "Qui est l'exemple" ("Which is an example")...

Meanwhile, American rap star 50 Cent arrives at #80 with his latest, "My Life" featuring Maroon5 lead singer Adam Levine and mentor Eminem. Fiddy has had two top-10 hits in France, "Candy Shop" and "Ayo Technology"...

The final debut at #100 is French DJ/producer Bob Sinclar, who is from the Breton city of Douarnenez in the western tip of the country. Sinlcar has racked up five top-10 hits in this country, with "World, Hold On" making it to #2 in 2006. His new one is about a "Groupie"...

That's it for this neck of the woods...I'll cross the border latest tonight with the latest in Germany...