Amanda Palmer has teamed up with Sarah-Louise Young and Maxim Melton in a new parody video for “The French Brexit Song.” The video and song show the three sitting at a dinner table on a stage, as they go through a list of words that are popularly used in English speaking countries, that originally have French origins such as entree, chauffeur, and rendez-vous.
In a tweet the singer stated “dear england, the french called. they want their words back,” regarding the video. According to another tweet, Young, who is a theatre actress, penned the song.
dear england,
the french called.
they want their words back.
so they made you a song. #brexit https://t.co/IKxyhCtr2f— Amanda Palmer Is Touring Europe & the UK (@amandapalmer) October 31, 2019
this song was penned (by @SLYtheatremaker, for “the alternative eurovision song contest” here in london) a year ago and perhaps it’s grown, like a fine châteauneuf-du-pape, darker over time.
all of the bandcamp proceeds from the song go to Open Piano for Refugees.— Amanda Palmer Is Touring Europe & the UK (@amandapalmer) October 31, 2019
Amanda Palmer provided some background info regarding the video on her Patreon page:
“Clearly(sic) it was not enough this month to slog around Europe (sic), the UK and ireland playing epically long shows every night. we needed a COMPLETELY UNRELATED PROJECT! Never (sic) fear. TL;DR at the london patron pub gig at the end of august, I (sic) saw my dear friend maxim play this very hilarious song that was written by HIS cabaret friend Sarah-Louise (sic) (who wasn’t there). I (sic) said “we should record that and make a ridiculous video!!” because patreon, we could, and we did. It’s (sic) called THE FRENCH BREXIT SONG and it’s on youtube here.”
This latest track is done to a more comedic effect, with some subtle political undertones, in a style that is similar to her video collaboration with Andrew O’Neill titled the “Anti-Ukulele Song.” This song lambasted and parodied corporations which sell products that are detrimental to the people who produce them and their consumers, using upbeat music with ukuleles.
Palmer has been vocal about many issues in her songs, and activism. Earlier this year she performed at a rally for abortion rights outside of the Missouri’s Governors Office, and wrote a song entitled “Everybody Knows Somebody” tackling gun violence.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat