Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Tuc the French Ritz and the Blue House in San Francisco

Tuc_original_indiv

TUC Cracker photo source 

 

My friend Allison is staying with us. Allison is a friend from way back when I lived in San Francisco (years ago we went to Lourdes with Annie to celebrate the miracle of Allison's little nephew…) 

Anyway, last night we had dinner at Thierry's house. Before dinner an aperitif was served. I took a cracker, a TUC offering it to Allison, and asked if she had ever had a French verision on a Ritz cracker before? We dipped them into Tarama. It struck me funny that I recalled a Ritz cracker at that moment, and that a TUC so familiar is unknown in the States and visa versa.

Small cultural difference of little importance.

TUC is the French cousin to the Ritz cracker. I loved your comments yesterday! Who knew one could have a good laugh over a cracker's name.

As Allison is from San Francisco French Husband asked her if she had ever heard or seen the "Blue House"? Allison did not, either did I. As French Husband told us the story I thought to myself I have been married to this guy for 26 years, met him in San Francisco and he never told me of the "Blue House"?

 

Small cultural differences are important.

 

 

 

 

La Maison Bleu by Maxime Le Forestier have you ever heard of this Blue House? I have heard this song many times in France, and never knew the connection until yesterday….

 

"Americans love singing about cities.

They sing about the London Bridge falling down,

about knowing the way to San Jose, and even sometimes about the Champs-Élysées.

Yet it might surprise the average American to know that other people – even the French – do the same thing. Originally from Paris, I grew up singing in the shower a French song about San Francisco called "La Maison Bleue (The Blue House)." It was written in the 1970s by famous French singer Maxime le Forestier and told of a painted house set aside a San Francisco hill:

It was a blue house,

That stood against a hill

We come there walking, we don't knock

… Those who live there, had thrown the key

When San Francisco

Gets foggy

When San Francisco

Lights up

San Francisco where are you?" Via SF GATE for more about this article follow this link.

 

 

Can you name a song with a City's name in it?

 


La Maison Bleu by Maxime Le Forestier  song sings about San Francisco.

 

 

Comments

43 responses to “Tuc the French Ritz and the Blue House in San Francisco”

  1. Merisi

    A, I always thought of Tuc as German! Tuc, cheese, and some green grapes was a special treat when I was growing up. As a child, I always thought of Tuc as German! 😉
    I googled and it seems Tuc has been gobbled up by Mondelez (formerly Kraft Foods?) http://www.mondelezinternational.com/brand-family
    The once upon a time fabulous MILKA Alpine chocolates (of purple cow fame) are nowadays also part of that same company. I don’t like their taste anymore. ;-(
    Hopefully, Tuc still tastes as good as ever!

    Reply
  2. g

    Steve miller-sings a song in which he names a few cities “…Philadelphia Atlanta LA …” -Dancin’ in the Streets-Chicago-new Orleans new York city Philadelphia Baltimore and D.C. and one of my favorites about San Francisco is by Journey LIGHTS-although I do not think they say it directly-“my city by the bay” one of my ALL time favorite places

    Reply
  3. Jude

    Johnny Cash’s “I’ve been everywhere.” pretty much covers the gamut.

    Reply
  4. martina

    “Seattle” from Here Come the Brides. “I Love L.A.”,

    Reply
  5. Cousin Linda

    I’m goin to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
    They got a crazy way of lovin there, and I’m gonna get me some
    I’m gonna be standing on the corner, twelfth street and vine
    With my Kansas City baby, and a bottle of Kansas City wine
    Made popular by Fats Domino

    Reply
  6. Diogenes

    Dean Martin sang “Goin’ Back to Houston.”
    Have you heard Pink Martini, the US band, song that went to the top of the charts in France a few years ago? Love it:
    “Je ne veux pas travailler
    Je ne veux pas déjeuner
    Je veux seulement l’oublier
    Et puis je fume…”

    Reply
  7. Lori

    I read my French blogs with coffee each morning and today it started with a lovely story from Tongue in Cheek, with “The Blue House In San Francisco” in the title. I thought to myself that the only famous blue house I know of is Frida Kahlo’s home in Mexico City. Then I move on to French Word a Day, where Kristin is telling an amazing story of her mother presumably lost, but found in Mexico City wearing a Frida Kahlo cape.
    Happenstance perhaps, but I found it quite interesting. Love your stories and hope to be visiting the south of France in the near future.

    Reply
  8. Rosemary

    there is of course the famous song, New York, New York!

    Reply
  9. Barbara Kugler

    I loved this story because I lived in San Francisco for 12 years and never knew about La Maison Bleu. My favorite song about a city is: “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding. When I lived in SF I often went down to Marina Green to watch the bay.

    Reply
  10. Merisi in Vienna

    I happened to put this same link on my blog today, an interview with Billy Joel and his song “Vienna waits for you” (serendipity, I created and published it before I read yours):
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWRiiH2MJ2U
    I loved the interview, but if you only want to listen to the song, here is “Vienna waits for you” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BGbeDb5VIk

    Reply
  11. Diogenes

    Forgot to post a link to the song:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=satMi-rws1A

    Reply
  12. Barbara Snow

    I left my heart in San Francisco. And Tony Bennett still sings the best version of it.
    Barb in Minnesota

    Reply
  13. Stella

    Here is a song for Yann, although it is not a city, it is a province, my province, sung by Gordon Lightfoot and a good toe, tappin’ tune…
    http://youtu.be/CSXamq-gUbc

    Reply
  14. Kathie B

    So many songs about major cities, how about (since you’re from the Central Valley!) Creedence Clearwater Revival’s hit “Oh Lord, I’m stuck in Lodi again” 🙂
    Also, the big-band song that opens “A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I’ve got a gal in Kalamazoo.” Other oldies: “Shuffle off to Buffalo,” “Meet me in St. Louis, Louie, meet me at the fair,” “There’s a pawnshop on the corner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.” In our youth, Glen Campbell’s hits “By the time I get to Phoenix” and “Wichita Lineman.” Oh, how many others!

    Reply
  15. Debra

    Hi g – that song is by Huey Lewis & the News! Love it.

    Reply
  16. Debra

    Love Frank’s song, ” I love Paris in the springtime . . . ”

    Reply
  17. Kathie B

    A few more city song titles: “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Kokomo” (Indiana), “Okie from Muskogee,” “Tucumcari” (New Mexico), “Big D (little A, double L, A, S)”, from “The Most Happy Fella” by Frank Loesser… Oh my, I foresee insomnia in my future as I think of more titles while trying to drift off to sleep tonight!
    And in honor of France: the heartbreaking “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and melody by Jerome Kern, written in 1940 upon the city’s fall to the Nazis.

    Reply
  18. Kathie B

    Does “La Marseillaise” count too, especially with Quatorze Juillet fast approaching?

    Reply
  19. Ana Maria

    From my home town:
    “Moon over Miami” – written by Edgar Leslie, Joe Burke
    http://www.metrolyrics.com/moon-over-miami-lyrics-ray-charles.html

    Reply
  20. Ana Maria

    From my Birth Town: “Havana”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBImCgtxRXw
    “Havana” is the title of a 1997 single by jazz musician Kenny G. The song was written and produced by Kenny G and Walter Afanasieff. As with virtually all of his songs, Kenny G plays the saxophone on this track. The music was arranged by Bill Ross.

    Reply
  21. Ana Maria

    “I love Paris in the springtime” by Nat King Cole
    http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/I-Love-Paris-lyrics-Nat-King-Cole/1F10A656A912126048256AF1000B2914

    Reply
  22. Ana Maria

    “Miami”
    http://www.songlyrics.com/will-smith/miami-lyrics/
    Artist: Will Smith
    Album: Big Willie Style

    Reply
  23. Tara

    “The Heart of Rock & Roll”–Huey Lewis & the News
    “Philadelphia Freedom”– Elton John
    “Jackson”–Johnny Cash (and June, too)
    “Johnny B. Goode” Chuck Berry
    So many good ones!!
    -Tara

    Reply
  24. Ana Maria

    Does anyone remember TV’s Golden Girls? They too had their own Miami song:
    http://www.lipwalklyrics.com/lyrics/521226-TheGoldenGirls-MiamiYouveGotStyle.html
    “Miami, You’ve Got Style”
    I have to say what I feel, Miami has so much appeal.
    A great place to get a seafood meal: Miami.
    Miami, Miami, you’ve got style. Blue sky, sunshine, white sand by the mile.
    When you live in this town, each day is sublime. The coldest of winters are warm and divine.
    Miami, Miami, you’ve got style. Blue sky, sunshine, white sand by the mile.
    There’s ball clubs and night clubs, all within reach.
    Dance the samba ’till morning, then lie on the beach.
    Each view is a postcard, each day a great time.
    The cream of the crop, it’s the top of the line.
    Miami, Miami, you’ve got style. Blue sky, sunshine, white sand by the mile.
    Miami, you’ve got style!

    Reply
  25. Ana Maria

    Last one: “Going back to Miami”
    http://www.metrolyrics.com/going-back-to-miami-lyrics-blues-brothers.html
    From Blues Brothers Complete
    “Going Back To Miami” is track #4 on the album Blues Brothers Complete. It was written by Wayne Cochran.

    Reply
  26. Laurie SF

    The jazzy, bossa, nova..
    Girl from Ipanema.
    I was seduced by the sounds of Stan Getz and João Gilberto from an Italian boyfriend who happened to live near the corner of 18th and Sanchez in San Francisco. The romance didn’t last, but the music sure did.
    Oh, mama, mia..
    could that man cook.

    Reply
  27. Laurie SF

    Greetings from SF, Barbara!
    Cue the foghorns. Here’s a good rendition on that beloved Otis Redding classic.
    http://youtu.be/m2WNq9k8qf4

    Reply
  28. Patti L

    oh, you can’t go back to Constantinople, now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople. Even old New York, was once New Amsterdam…and why they changed it, I can’t say..people just liked it better that way!…I heard this on an old vinyl when I was a kid and it got burned indelibly into my brain, just for this very day..haha.

    Reply
  29. monika

    I love Gordon Lightfoot’s Alberta Bound!
    (a former Albertan here!)
    Besides Shuffle Off to Buffalo (used to live there too) and the New York song, I can think mostly of Beau Dommage songs: “Harmonie du soir à Châteauguay”, “La complainte du phoque en Alaska”.
    I’ve checked, and it seems that there are literally hundreds of songs set in Montreal, by everybody from Frank Zappa to Rufus Wainright and beyond. But there is this one brassy song called (I think) Montreal, and I can’t get it out of my head, remember who sang it, or be able to sing it in a recognizable way to anyone else. But, frustratingly, they were talking about it on the radio a month or so ago. It is driving me nuts — the memory loss of increasing age!
    (something like Montrea-ahree-aalll… never been a cloudy day… well I remember…) aargh.

    Reply
  30. carol

    Add Birmingham by Randy Newman to the list!

    Reply
  31. carol

    Here’s the link for Birmingham.
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=syB4n6vYBc4

    Reply
  32. Karen Carson

    “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”

    Reply
  33. Janet with Eiffel

    San Francisco, my coming of age in the 70’s.
    The video made me cry, isn’t that crazy !

    Reply
  34. Kathie B

    Eclectic play-list of a few more cities: “Walking to New Orleans” (Fats Domino), “The City of New Orleans” (written by Steve Goodman about an Illinois Central train, but a hit for Arlo Guthrie), “Little Old Lady from Pasadena” (Beach Boys), and “Luckenbach, Texas [with Waylon and Willie and the boys].”

    Reply
  35. Kathie B

    And who can forget the East Bay pride anthem, “Oakland, We’re for You,” by the Goodtime Washboard Three?
    http://oaklandwiki.org/Oakland_%28song%29
    “…She has pride, she has hope / And oh what a view / Oakland, we’re for you!”

    Reply
  36. Kathie B

    Goodtime Washboard Three:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPjgzpszn-4

    Reply
  37. carol

    Do You Know What It Means, To Miss New Orleans?
    First link: Harry Connick, Jr. and Dr. John https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeoLB2Akl5g
    Link 2:
    Harry Connick, Jr. solo:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8DPNrrXdx0&feature=kp

    Reply
  38. Kathie B

    “Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton, “Detroit City” (chorus begins “I want to go home…”) by Bobby Bear. “A Foggy Day in London Town,” “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” “Midnight in Moscow” (jazz adaptation of Russian folk melody), “Warsaw Concerto,” Johann Strauss Jr’s. “Tales from the Vienna Woods” waltz. “Calcutta” (early ’60s instrumental Top 40 hit by, believe it or not, Lawrence Welk’s orchestra).

    Reply
  39. Kathie B

    Speaking of Billy Joel, I’ll always remember his heartfelt performance of his “New York State of Mind” on a nationwide benefit TV program following 9/11.

    Reply
  40. tammyCA

    Here’s to my hometown…”Chicago” (that toddlin’ town) sung by Frankie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoKn7vkSMBc
    And, one of my childhood faves by my crush David Cassidy..hee-hee..”Point me in the direction of Albuquerque”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPbnwKxoA4s
    oh, and can’t forget another crush, Elvis: “Viva Las Vegas”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucubLr3ZLbw

    Reply
  41. tammyCA

    Oh, did you know that Steve Perry (formerly of Journey) recently made history when he sang in public after nearly 20 yrs!? See here where he sings “Lights” and talks about writing it about L.A. but then was hired by Journey (they are from S.F.) and changed it to about S.F.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyzaWbUsDxk
    Yes, my all time favorite singer (and one of the most gracious & nicest celebrities ever) who made this “fangirl” and many, many fans quite happy. 🙂
    p.s. I love San Francisco…it is such a magical city.

    Reply
  42. Jennifer in San Francisco

    Love this – Thank you for posting!

    Reply
  43. Pat de verre

    There are so many great songs about amerian towns. I like particularly Chicago where I stayed twice for a week and I listen regularly this song of one of my favorite movie: “Sweet home Chicago” by The Blues Brothers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlou_2lMLAc
    And my favorite singer singing the big apple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KJQNMqVIug
    I offer you 2 songs of 2 great french singers. Charles Aznavour: Paris au mois d’août https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MucjAin-T8o and Edit Piaf: Sous le ciel de Paris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOXzGtlLGgw
    And a song by a young popular singer in France,Julien Doré: Paris-Seychelles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmE_aahc448

    Reply

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