I’m making a video for French class and I’d like some fun, upbeat music for it. I have Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand and I’m looking for more songs in that same vein. Instrumental would be okay too, but I’d really like to have some French lyrics. Thanks, guys!
“Le responsable” by Jacques Dutronc (the linked video misspells his name). The version for sale on iTunes sucks.
“Tu m’as trop menti” by Chantal Goya. It was originally featured in the movie Masculin-feminin, but you can hear it as the music for this trailer.
PM me if you need help finding these and can’t use the audio from YouTube.
I’m particularly fond of “L’eclipse” by Sean Lennon et -M-. It has a fun video, is all in French, and could possibly be considered upbeat.
Edit–Look for more by -M-, he is a bit of a nutter, but in a good way.
I’ve got an MP3 in French on my iPod called Elucider Ce Mystere by Soon EMC. I took just enough French to understand most of what he’s saying, at least the gist of it, and it’s got a cool late-90s Jazz/Hip-Hop fusion sound to it.
Cool, thanks guys! I’m really liking these, “Le responsable” has definitely made the cut and I’m trying to think of a few more places that I could incorporate some others. Keep 'em coming!
You could try some songs by Superbus. Perhaps “Serre Moi” by Tryo will work.
How about April March’s “Laisser Tomber les Filles”–otherwise known in English as “Chick Habit,” from the Death Proof soundtrack? I don’t think it gets more upbeat than that, really… 
You don’t say what your budget is for this project (I can guess), but a source like Amazon’s MP3 Downloads has ditties like “Mademoiselle swing” by Irène De Trebert and “Je chante” by Charles Trenet. (Caution: “Je chante” is catchy, and the students may be jittering around giddily for days.) Even a life-is-awful singer like Edith Piaf has numbers like “Mon manège à moi”.
lache pas la patate
Whereas my previous submission was a song in French that could plausibly (I think, not knowing French too well) have been written by French speakers in a French band in France singing in French for French people, this submission is not. It is plainly a parody of things french.
However, it is fun.
-FrL-
(To those not following the link, it’s “Foux De Fa Fa” by Flight of the Conchords)
Awesome! Glad I could help. It’s not hard to find lots of great French girl pop, but good French rock and roll is almost an oxymoron. Dutronc’s the exception, particularly that song.
I haven’t heard April March’s version, but I very nearly suggested France Gall’s original version. I switched it out for the Chantal Goya song, though, because I thought it was a little more upbeat and energetic.
Pink Martini’s “Sympathique” is a very catchy song and sounds like French 101.
Check out Yelle.
She is a popular (not just in France) singer, and her music is very good. The lyrics are also often silly and fun, and the music is, like you requested, very upbeat. Je Veux Te Voir is the only one that might be class inappropriate, depensing on what age you’re talking about. She has been featured prominently on MTV, so the people in French class may have already heard of her as well.
Ce Jeu
A Cause Des Garcons
Au revoir,
Voix de l’Empereur
Belleville Rendezvous from the Les triplettes de Belleville. This is the French version, but there’s one with some English, too, I think.
There are a couple of other songs from the same soundtrack (Pa Pa Pa Palavas; a surfer-type song, and “Cieco Cieco” Barber, in particular) that are also pretty catchy, but I was unable to find examples online. The CD is available from Amazon, among others.
My greatest regret is that, when had the I chance, I did not buy a collection of French Pop of the 60s. Back then the French had a divine revelation that led them to create the most ephemeral pop music. Like that “angel hair” the UFO nuts claim to find, or an event Heisenberg would predict would vanish when you observed it, it went straight in one ear and out the other. I’d make some suggestions but I cannot remember them. All I can recall is that they were bubbly and fun.
I don’t know if it’s quite what you’re looking for, but Sacré Français by Dimitri From Paris is pretty upbeat. The video is also super cute!