Louise Attaque

2025-10-16T18:50:34Z

85.1.10.39: /* Usage in media */

{{Short description|French rock music group}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Louise Attaque
| image = NDLE2023LouiseAttaque 1.jpg
| caption = Lead singer and guitarist [[Gaëtan Roussel]] at a Louise attaque concert in 2023
| image_size =
| background = group_or_band
| origin = [[Paris]], [[France]]
| genre = [[French rock]] [[Art rock]] [[Folk rock]]
| years_active = 1994–2001 unofficial four-year hiatus 2005–2007 2007-present
| label = Atmosphériques (Worldwide) Ki/oon Music Inc. (Japan)
| website = http://www.louiseattaque.com
| current_members = [[Gaëtan Roussel]] ([[Singing|vocals]], [[guitar]]) Arnaud Samuel ([[violin]]) Robin Feix ([[bass guitar]]) Alexandre Margraff ([[Drum kit|drums]])
}}
'''Louise Attaque''' ({{IPA|fr|lwiz atak}}) is a French [[chanson]]/[[folk rock]] band founded in 1994. Several of the group's albums were produced by [[Gordon Gano]], lead singer of [[Violent Femmes]], a band whom Louise Attaque often cites as an influence and for whom their own band is named. The band is signed to the Atmosphériques record label.

==History==
===Caravage (1990-1994)===
Lead singer and guitarist [[Gaëtan Roussel]] and bassist Robin Feix met in high school in [[Montargis]]. They moved to Paris after graduation where they met drummer Alexandre Margraff and formed a rock band named Caravage (after the Italian painter [[Caravaggio]]). After briefly hiring a lead guitarist, the band met violinist Arnaud Samuel while recording in a Parisian studio.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-02 |title=Arnaud Samuel : le violon dingue de Louise Attaque |url=https://www.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/podcasts/maxxi-classique/maxxi-classique-du-lundi-02-mai-2022-3964557 |access-date=2022-05-31 |website=Radio France |language=fr}}</ref>

===Louise Attaque's success (1997-2001)===
Louise Attaque was formed in 1994. The name means "Louise Attacks" in French and refers to [[Louise Michel]], a 19th-century [[anarchist]], and to the American rock band [[Violent Femmes]] (which loosely translates from French as "violent women"). The leader of Violent Femmes, [[Gordon Gano]], produced Louise Attaque's self-titled debut album.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gordon Gano (Violent Femmes) - Les attrape-coeurs |url=https://www.lesinrocks.com/musique/gordon-gano-violent-femmes-les-attrape-coeurs-101149-24-06-1998/ |access-date=2022-05-31 |website=Les Inrocks |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

''Louise Attaque'' was released in April 1997 to a positive critical response. Despite low initial radio airplay, the reputation of the group spread rapidly, garnering particular praise for its innovative violin-based folk/rock compositions and witty lyrics. ''Louise Attaque'' sold 2.5 million copies in France, a record for a French rock album.

It took almost three years until Louise Attaque's second album ''[[Comme On A Dit]]'' was released (in January 2000), again produced by [[Gordon Gano]]. The album sold 700,000 copies in France. In 2001, after touring for five months and appearing at various rock festivals, the band split up, explaining that they were temporarily out of inspiration and tired of the hype and pressure surrounding them.

===From separation to reunion (2001-2005)===
Louise Attaque split into two different groups in 2001. Singer Gaëtan Roussel and violinist Arnaud Samuel formed Tarmac, while bassist Robin Feix and drummer Alexandre Margraff formed Ali Dragon. The goal of Tarmac<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perrin |first=Ludovic |title=En tandem, Tarmac cultive la parenthèse Louise Attaque. |url=https://www.liberation.fr/culture/2003/12/08/en-tandem-tarmac-cultive-la-parenthese-louise-attaque_454612/ |access-date=2022-05-31 |website=Libération |language=fr}}</ref> was to explore the starker sounds of acoustic instruments, while Ali Dragon produced [[Underground music|underground]] [[experimental music]] featuring [[jam sessions]] (mostly [[electro (music)|electro]] and [[Hip hop music|hip hop]]).

The four members of the group reunited in 2003. After recording for a few weeks in the [[Electric Lady Studios]] in New York, their third album, ''À Plus Tard Crocodile'', was released in September 2005. The title references the rock and roll song "[[See You Later Alligator]]". ''À Plus Tard Crocodile'' was received as a departure from Louise Attaque's previous works, with lighter and more varied content.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}

==Usage in media==
Louise Attaque are mentioned in ''À plus !'', a [[German language]] school book teaching [[French language|French]].<ref name="school">''À plus !''. {{ISBN|978-3-464-22070-2}}. p.29/ p.144/ p.154. Cornelsen Verlag ([[Berlin]], Germany).</ref> During the "Civilisation" part of the book, they are described as "a rock band which is well-known by French teens [...]".<ref name="school"/>

In 2021, the song ''J't'emmène au vent'' is used in ''[[No Time to Die]]'' in the opening scene which is listened by the young Madeleine on her walkman.

==Awards==
* 1999: [[Victoires de la musique|Victoire de la musique]] in the category Band of the Year.
* 2001: Victoire de la musique in the category "Rock Album of the Year" for the album ''Comme on a dit''.
* 2006: Victoire de la musique in the category "Pop/rock Album of the Year" for the album ''À Plus Tard Crocodile''.

==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="10"|Year
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="160"|Album
!align="center" colspan="3" width="30"|Peak positions
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="160"|Certifications
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | [[SNEP|FR]] <ref name="fr">{{cite web|url=http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Tal |title=Tal discography |publisher=Hung Medien |work=lescharts.com |accessdate=13 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601221444/http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Tal |archivedate=1 June 2013 }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |[[Ultratop|BEL (Wa)]] <ref name="bel (wa)">[http://ultratop.be/fr/search.asp?search=Louise+Attaque&cat=a Ultratop.be/fr/ – Louise Attaque albums discography]</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |[[Swiss Hitparade|SWI]] <ref>{{cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Louise+Attaque|title=Discographie Louise Attaque|website=hitparade.ch|access-date=13 November 2022}}</ref>
|-
|align="center"|1997
|''[[Louise Attaque (album)|Louise Attaque]]''
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|{{spaced ndash}}
|align="center"|
* [[SNEP]]: 2× Gold<ref name="SNEP">{{cite certification|region=France|artist=Louise Attaque|access-date=14 January 2022}}</ref>
|-
|align="center"|2000
|''[[Comme on a dit]]''
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|1
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|2005
|''À plus tard crocodile''
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|2
|align="center"|7
|align="center"|
|-
|align="center"|2016
|''Anomalie''
|align="center"|3
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|8
|align="center"|
* SNEP: Gold<ref name=SNEP/>
|-
|align="center"|2022
|''Planète Terre''
|align="center"|4<ref name=TopAlbumsDecmbre262022>{{cite web|url=http://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?semaine=51?&annee=2022&categorie=Top%20Singles|title=Top Singles (Week 51, 2022)|publisher=Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|language=French|access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref>
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|22
|
|}

'''Compilation albums'''
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="10"|Year
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="160"|Album
!align="center" colspan="3" width="30"|Peak positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | [[SNEP|FR]] <ref name="fr"/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |[[Ultratop|BEL (Wa)]] <ref name="bel (wa)"/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |[[Swiss Hitparade|SWI]] 
|-
|align="center"|2011
|''Du monde tout autour''
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|4
|align="center"|91
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="10"|Year
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="160"|Single
!align="center" colspan="2" width="30"|Peak positions
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="160"|Certifications
!align="center" rowspan="2" width="160"|Album
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" | [[SNEP|FR]] <ref name="fr"/>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |[[Ultratop|BEL (Wa)]] <ref>[http://ultratop.be/fr/search.asp?search=Louise+Attaque&cat=s Ultratop.be/fr/ – Louise Attaque singles discography]</ref>
|-
|align="center" rowspan="1"|1998
|"Ton invitation"
|align="center"|10
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|
|align="center"|''Louise Attaque''
|-
|align="center" rowspan="1"|2006
|"Depuis toujours"
|align="center"|41
|align="center"|{{spaced ndash}}
|align="center"|
|align="center"|''À plus tard crocodile''
|-
|align="center"|2011
|"J't'emmène au vent"
|align="center"|72<ref name="Top Singles (Week 33, 2023)">{{cite web|url=http://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?semaine=33&annee=2023&categorie=Top%20Singles|title=Top Singles (Week 33, 2023)|publisher=[[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]]|language=French|accessdate=21 August 2023}}</ref>
|align="center"|{{spaced ndash}}
|align="center"|
* SNEP: Diamond<ref name=SNEP/>
|align="center"|''Du monde tout autour''
|-
|align="center"|2015
|"Anomalie"
|align="center"|111
|align="center"|{{spaced ndash}}
|align="center"|
|align="center"|''Anomalie''
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040923193418/http://louiseattaque.com/ Official site]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Attaque, Louise}}
[[Category:Musical groups from Paris]]
[[Category:French folk rock groups]]

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Louise Attaque