A school-trip to Boulogne was where it all started for me. Or was it Calais? I'm guessing it really doesn't matter or I'd remember. I must have been about 11 or 12, which means it was late 70's. It was probably the first time I had been to France, and my early teenager hormones were just beginning to kick in.
We were there because it was France and we were learning French. After the obligatory visit to some random museum, we were set free by our teachers for a few hours. Walking around, I noticed that somehow the French kids we saw seemed kind of weedy, yet kind of confident and cool. And me and my scrawny and nerdy British mates ended up in one of those French book and record shops - the kind where you could ask them to play one of the records.
As we looked through the different singles, I was vaguely fascinated to find that besides all the French records there were probably just as many in English and was bemused by the fact that the record sleeves of tracks I owned were not the same in France. Not only were there bits printed in French but also different photos. It never occured to me then that UK record sleeves were probably also quite different from American ones.
Then my life almost didn't change forever.
My mate picked up Sunday Girl. And I noticed something. It said «version française». And I don't know why but I wanted it. I really really wanted it. But he'd got it and it was the only one in the shop. So I got something else. I don't even remember what - something that wasn't in French, that's all I know. We rejoined our teachers and got back on the boat.
And then my life did change forever.
Me and my mate were looking at our singles and it slowly dawned on me. He actually preferred the single I'd bought and I wanted the one he'd got. So I became the proud owner of my first « version française » single...
I didn't know quite how much that single would change my life.
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