In 1993, Alain Souchon (a French singer/songwriter/actor) recorded this song with the intention of bringing to light the problem of consumerism and what it does to people. When I came across this gem, I knew that it said what I wanted to say. Because it's in French, I hope that the images will serve to convey the main ideas. Please scroll down. Souchon's song "Foule Sentimentale" is aimed against the cruel emergence of "la société de consommation" (societal consumerism). The ultimate paradox is that Alain Souchon belonged to those same "change agents" within society, known as "les Baby Boomers" who were in their twenties in the 1960s. Though undoubtedly idealistic and well-intentioned, they chose to brush aside the fundamental teachings of writers like Plato and St. Augustine. By so doing, they unwittingly paved the way for the rise of the very same consumerist, unprincipled, society that they criticized later. Lyrics in French and English: (NOTE: This is an interpretation versus a transliteration because the English would make no sense) Oh la la la vie en rose Life is like a pink cloud Le rose qu'on nous propose The pink cloud we are being offered D'avoir les quantités d'choses Deals with having a lot of stuff Qui donnent envie d'autre chose Which makes us want more Aïe, on nous fait croire Ow, they make us believe Que le bonheur c'est d'avoir That happiness is having De l'avoir plein les armoires Overflowing closets Dérisions de nous dérisoires car We are mocked as being ridiculous because (we're).... Foule sentimental Sentimental people On a soif d'idéal We thirst for the ideal life Attirées par les étoiles, les voiles We're drawn by all the glitter Que des choses pas commerciales Rather than by non commercial things Foule sentimental Sentimental people Il faut voir comme on nous parle You have to see (realize) how they're talking to us Comme on nous parle How they're talking to us Il se dégage He extricates himself De ces cartons d'emballage From all these packing boxes Des gens lavés, hors d'usage People are now washed up and useless Et tristes et sans aucun avantage And sad without having gotten ahead On nous inflige We are inflicted with Des désirs qui nous affligent Desires that afflict us On nous prend faut pas déconner dès qu'on est né We're assumed to be, if we haven't been aborted, from the time we're born... Pour des cons alors qu'on est de A_ _ h _ _ _ s when we're really..... Foules sentimentales Sensitive people Avec soif idéale With a thirst for an ideal life Attirées par les étoiles, les voiles Drawn by all the glitter Que des choses non commerciales Rather than by non commercial things Foules sentimentales Sentimental people Il faut voir comme on nous parle We have to see how they're talking to us Comme on nous parle How they're talking to us On nous Claudia Schiffer We're given Claudia Schiffer (one of the world's most successful models) On nous Paul-Loup Sulitzer We're given Paul-Loup Sulitzer (a French financier) Oh, le mal qu'on peut nous faire Oh, the damage they can do to us Et qui ravagea la moukère As well as devastate the "moukère" (best I can do here is: name given to arab women who were regarded in a derogatory way; but here, it could simply mean a woman or a housewife...) Du ciel dévale Coming down from the heavens Un désir qui nous emballe Is a desire that takes hold of us Pour demain nos enfants pâles Tomorrow, for our pale children Un mieux, un rêve, un cheval Something better, a dream, a horse Foules sentimentales Sentimentales people On a soif d'idéal We crave what's ideal Attirées par les étoiles, les voiles Drawn by the glitter Que des choses pas commerciales Rather than by non commercial things Foules sentimentales, Sentimental people Il faut voir comme on nous parle We have to see how they're talking to us Comme on nous parle How they're talking to us