Talk:Yé-yé/Archive 1

message: This brief article contains factual errors, as well as not meeting Wikipedia guidelines and standards. 
It's not accurate to state yé-yé was performed mostly by girls (presuming that's what the somewhat vague 'generally consisted of' is intended to mean). It seems the popularisation of the genre in recent years has muddied its definition. 'Yé-yé girls' in particular have been the subject of this revived fandom; the result being that many associate the genre only with the female performers of it.
It has also often resulted in any female French 60s performer being mislabelled yé-yé. Claudine Longet is listed here, but was not a yé-yé artist. Jane Birkin is also a stretch to include, probably only thought of as yé-yé because of her marriage to and performances with Serge Gainsbourg who did perform and write some yé-yé material. However, her inclusion could perhaps be argued for.
If April March is to be listed as an artist of this genre, a new heading needs to be started for artists influenced by yé-yé. As it stands, with the article talking about this as a 1960s genre, there's no way to know she's not a 60s performer.
I don't believe I've come across the heading of 'Exemplary Pracitioners' in a Wikipedia genre article before. It should read either 'Artists' or 'Yé-Yé Artists'. Also, exemplary, in this instance, reads as non-NPOV.
The Beatles and American Girl Groups are, it could be argued, influences in the sound, but American rock of the late 50s and early 60s was the primary influence on yé-yé's emergence. 
Are the lyrics of 'She Loves You' quoted (without any quotes or explanation) to imply this is where the term yé-yé originated? If so, this is inaccurate because yé-yé predated the song. 
The description for 'Yé-Yé Land' is not NPOV ('wonderful world of yé-yé). The three links above it read a little like something is being advertised; a slightly more detailed (but still brief) description would be better. Also, the idea of 'transworld yé-yé girls' is debatable and perhaps better left out until the Wiki is updated to include information about accurate and inaccurate applications of the genre term.
As far as I know, the term yé-yé was only used in France and Spain (and presumably other French and Spanish-speaking countries?). I've yet to see any source confirming other countries used this term. It seems to be more of a recent use of the word, an extension applied to stylistically similar work from other European countries. One problem is the music being labelled such is often not stylistically similar to yé-yé, but to the misapplication of the term (its broader misuse that includes any 60s French pop). Though I'd be willing to learn otherwise; if any contributors have sources that can confirm its use in other European countries, then this information should be included in this article.
Sources on yé-yé are mostly in French, so I don't feel confident writing something on its history myself, so I'm hoping someone will use these suggestions to write a new entry.
The yé-yé article on French Wikipedia (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C3%A9y%C3%A9) has a more accurate description of the yé-yé period, and includes important pieces of information like the years the style existed, a little on its origins (e.g. why the word yé-yé), and a far better representation of artists of the genre.
If anyone is confident to translate this, it would be a good start.
It should also be mentioned in the article that the term was coined by sociologist Edgar Morin, and that it was used as a derogatory term by the press at the time, meant to deride what was seen as a blind embracement of American culture by a gullible youth.
Some of the points I made above the recent (mis)uses of the term yé-yé and about its renewed popularity could also be topics for the article.--Spikedcandy 07:05, 4 December 2006 (UTC)