| "Les Cactus" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jacques Dutronc | ||||
| Released | February 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1966 | |||
| Genre | French rock | |||
| Length | 2:42 | |||
| Label | Disques Vogue | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jacques Lanzmann, Jacques Dutronc | |||
| Producer(s) | Unknown | |||
| Jacques Dutronc singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Les Cactus" (French pronunciation: [le kaktys], lit. 'The Cactus') is the third single by French singer-songwriter Jacques Dutronc, released in 1967. It is the last from his self-titled debut album.
It reached number 4 in the French singles chart in March 1967, selling over 400,000 copies.[1][2]
The song was referenced by French Prime Minister Georges Pompidou in the Assemblée Nationale to indicate his feelings towards his former Finance Minister, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who was a harsh critic of his successor Michel Debré: "As Jacques Dutronc says, there is a cactus here". The comment made front-page news.[2]
A live cover of the song was released as a single by Vanessa Paradis in 1994.
The song was covered by The Last Shadow Puppets on their The Dream Synopsis EP.
- ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. 4 March 1967. p. 66.
- ^ a b Michel Leydier (2010). Jacques Dutronc: La Bio. Paris: Seuil, p. 117