LADIES FIRST: "Chick Habit" - France Gall > April March

LADIES FIRST brings you another classic song that 'she did first'.

Who didn't love the song "Chick Habit" from Tarantino's film DEATH PROOF? But where did the habit develop?

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The original was recorded by French teen chanteuse France Gall as "Laisse Tomber les Filles" ('Forget the Girls') in 1964. The lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg had an unusually harsh and jaded worldview that caused controversy coming from a teen Pop girl's mouth.

The song's rhythm is a Rockabilly groove in the spirit of classics like "Peter Gunn" and "Brand New Cadillac".

FRANCE GALL -"Laisse Tomber les Filles" (1964)



Here is an English language response by Zoe Kouroukli and her Greek mates.

ZOE AND THE STORMIES -"Let's Shake Baby" (1964)



In the '90s, April March did both a French and an English cover of the song. It retains the Rockabilly rhythm sound while amping it up a bit. She named the English version "Chick Habit", and Tarantino used both versions in the credits of his film DEATH PROOF (2007), his half of the combo film also known as GRINDHOUSE).

APRIL MARCH -"Laisse Tomber les Filles" (1995)


APRIL MARCH -"Chick Habit" (1995)



Focusing on the song's Rockabilly rhythms, here's Switzerland's boppin' combo.

THE HILLBYLLY MOON EXPLOSION And ARIELLE DOMBASLE -"Chick Habit" (2002)



Fabienne Delsol brought it full circle by covering the original.

Once the front for the Beat revival band The Bristols, Fabienne went on to make fine Garage and Psychedelic solo albums.

FABIENNE DELSOL -"Laisse Tomber les Filles" (2004)



Soon after her but still before the film, neo-YeYe artist Mareva Galenter also covered it, along with songs by seminal French Garage Girl Jacqueline Taïeb ("7:00 AM", "On roule à 160").

MAREVA GALENTER -"Laisse Tomber les Filles" (2006)


Here's another Garage Rock take on it.

NO SMALL CHILDREN -"Laisse Tomber les Filles" (2018)




"Hang it up, daddy,
a girl's not a tonic or a pill!

You're gonna need a heap of glue
when they all catch up with you
and they cut you up in two!"


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• LADIES FIRST: "I'm Blue!" -The Ikettes > Shangri-Las > Salt-n-Pepa > KILL BILL

• LADIES FIRST: "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood!" - Nina Simone > The Animals > KILL BILL


• Jacqueline Taieb, French Garage Grrrl!

• Cambodian Garage GRRRL! - Ros Sereysothea


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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