If you close your eyes and think about the mid-90s rom-com boom, you probably hear a very specific sound. It isn't just orchestral swells. It’s the sound of a scratched vinyl record, a raspy French vocal, and maybe a stray accordion. Lawrence Kasdan’s 1995 film French Kiss did something most travel-heavy romances fail to do: it used music to build a world that felt lived-in rather than just postcard-pretty. The songs from French Kiss aren't just background noise for Meg Ryan’s neurotic Kate or Kevin Kline’s growling Luc; they are the connective tissue of the whole movie.
People usually come for the scenery. They stay for the music.
Honestly, the soundtrack is a bit of a weird beast. It’s a mix of classic American standards, breezy French pop, and a score by James Newton Howard that manages to be whimsical without being annoying. You've got Van Morrison rubbing shoulders with Charles Trenet. It shouldn't work. On paper, it looks like a chaotic playlist made by someone who just discovered a "Parisian Vibes" section at a record store. But in the context of the film’s "vineyard-and-stolen-necklaces" plot, it’s basically flawless.
The Louis Armstrong Factor
You can't talk about this movie without talking about "A Kiss to Build a Dream On." It opens the film. It sets the tone. Most people associate Louis Armstrong with "What a Wonderful World," which, let’s be real, has been used to death in cinema. But "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" has this specific, lingering quality. It represents Kate’s idealized, rigid version of love before she actually sets foot in France.
It’s an American song about a dream. That’s the point.
When Kate is sitting in her perfectly organized life in Canada, the music is safe. It’s familiar. As soon as she hits the air on that flight to Paris, the sonic landscape shifts. The songs from French Kiss begin to mirror her internal breakdown. We go from the steady beat of Armstrong to the chaotic, rhythmic energy of the French streets.
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Why "Veronique" and "Les Yeux Ouverts" Matter
There is a specific magic in the track "Les Yeux Ouverts." It’s a French cover of "Dream a Little Dream of Me," performed by Enzo Enzo. If you listen closely, it’s almost better than the original for this specific story. It’s softer. It feels like a humid evening in a Provencal vineyard. This is the moment where the movie stops being a "fish out of water" comedy and starts being a romance.
Then you have the more obscure picks. "Veronique" by Pink Martini (though often associated with the era's vibe) and the various bits of diegetic music—stuff playing in the background of cafes—create a layer of authenticity.
The Charles Trenet Legacy
Charles Trenet’s "La Mer" is arguably the most famous French song in the world. It’s been in everything from Finding Nemo to Mr. Bean’s Holiday. In French Kiss, however, the use of Trenet and other French icons like Paolo Conte (who is actually Italian but fits the Continental vibe) feels less like a cliché and more like an homage. Conte’s "Via con me" is a standout. It has that "it’s wonderful" refrain that everyone recognizes even if they don't speak a word of Italian. It’s jaunty. It’s a bit rough around the edges. Just like Luc.
Kevin Kline and the "La Mer" Surprise
Here’s a detail many people forget: Kevin Kline actually sings.
Most soundtracks just buy the rights to a famous recording and call it a day. But at the end of the film, we get Kline’s rendition of "La Mer." Is he a professional lounge singer? No. But that’s why it works. It’s character-driven. It’s a Frenchman (played by an American with a polarizing but committed accent) singing a song about the sea while his life finally settles into place. It’s a meta-moment that adds a lot of heart to the credits.
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- The Vibe: Sophisticated but messy.
- The Standout: "Via con me" by Paolo Conte.
- The Emotional Core: James Newton Howard’s score.
Howard’s score doesn't get enough credit here. He’s the guy who did The Dark Knight and The Hunger Games. Seeing him do a light, airy, romantic comedy score is a trip. He uses the mandolin and the accordion to ground the more "pop" elements of the soundtrack. Without his score, the transition between Van Morrison and Charles Trenet would feel jerky. He smooths the edges.
The Songs From French Kiss: A Tracklist Perspective
If you’re looking to recreate that 90s feeling, you have to look at the official soundtrack release from Mercury Records. It was a sleeper hit in '95.
- "Someone Like You" – Van Morrison. This is the soul of the movie. It’s played during a pivotal moment of realization. Van Morrison’s voice has that gravelly, timeless quality that suggests a love that’s been through the ringer. It’s not a "new love" song. It’s a "finally found you" song.
- "I Love Paris" – Cole Porter. Performed by Toots Thielemans and Vanessa Paradis. Paradis is the quintessential French pop star, and her breathy vocals give the Cole Porter classic a modern (for the 90s) edge.
- "C'est Trop Tard" – Georges Moustaki. This is for the real heads. It’s melancholic. It’s the sound of a rainy Paris street at 3 AM.
The placement of these songs isn't accidental. The music supervisor, Maureen Crowe, clearly wanted to balance the American perspective of France with the reality of French music. Crowe is a legend in the industry—she worked on The Bodyguard and Wayne’s World. She knows how to pick a hit, but in French Kiss, she leaned into mood over chart-topping potential.
How to Listen Today
Tracking down the songs from French Kiss today is surprisingly easy, yet the physical CD has become a bit of a collector's item for fans of the genre. Most of the tracks are available on streaming, but there’s something lost when you don't hear them in the sequence of the film.
The soundtrack reflects a time before every movie had a "curated" Spotify-ready list of indie hits. It felt organic. It felt like Kate’s journey. She starts with the polished American jazz of her home and ends with the gritty, beautiful, and slightly off-key reality of a French vineyard.
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The real insight here? The music works because it doesn't try too hard to be "French." It uses the idea of France to tell a story about two people who are both, in their own ways, completely lost.
Step-by-Step: Recreating the French Kiss Atmosphere
If you want to bring that specific 1995 cinematic energy into your own space, don't just hit shuffle on a generic playlist. Start with the "Via con me" by Paolo Conte to get the energy up—it’s the perfect "cooking in the kitchen with a glass of wine" track. From there, move into the Enzo Enzo version of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (Les Yeux Ouverts) for something more atmospheric.
If you're hunting for the rare tracks, look for the original score pieces by James Newton Howard, specifically "Cannes" and "The Red Coat." These instrumental bits capture the tension and the whimsy of the heist subplot better than any vocal track could. Finally, finish with Van Morrison’s "Someone Like You." It’s the ultimate closer. It grounds the whimsy in something real.
To get the full effect, find a high-quality version of the Charles Trenet originals rather than the modern remixes. The hiss and pop of the older recordings are exactly what Lawrence Kasdan was aiming for when he envisioned the film's auditory world. This isn't just a collection of songs; it's a specific mood that defined an entire era of romantic cinema.