Les Rita Mitsouko is a French pop rock group. The husband and wife
duo was one of the most successful musical acts of the 1980's in France.
Jean-Luc Godard filmed a documentary about them.
History
They began performing in the early 1980's in alternative spaces such
as the Pali-Kao, a squatted factory building in Belleville, Paris.
Their first hit single was Marcia Baila from the Rita Mitsouko album,
a song about the Argentinian choreographer and dancer Marcia Moretto
who had died of cancer in 1981 and with whom they had performed on
several occasions. This album was creative and eccentric, combining
elements of punk, rock, synth pop and jazz, and coupled with their
colorful, wild, over-the-top image caught the interest of some important
anglophone listeners.
American record producer and musician Tony Visconti produced the following
two albums, The No Comprendo and Marc et Robert, while polishing and
perfecting their sound. The American band Sparks collaborated with
them on the latter record and Russell Mael sings lead vocals with
Ringer on three tracks, Singing in the Shower, Live in Las Vegas and
Hip Kit. These two albums feature both French and English lyrics.
The most successful singles were C'est comme ça and Andy.
Jean-Baptiste Mondino directed most of their music videos in the 1980's
and Jean-Luc Godard filmed a short documentary Soigne ta droite about
the group during the recording of The No Comprendo in 1986. New album
includes a collaboration with Serj from System of a Down.
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