Laisse tomber les filles

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"Laisse tomber les filles" is a French song composed by Serge Gainsbourg and performed by France Gall in 1964. April March recorded two covers of the song in 1995: one with the original French lyrics, and another, "Chick Habit," with English lyrics written by March.

The song's lyrics describe future disenchantment predicted by one possessed of "an innocent heart" (the vocalist), which was regarded as being completely at odds with the concerns expressed lyrically by other teenagers singing at the time. The lyrical complexity of the song, particularly when considered in light of its young performer, was not universally well-received. Gilles Verland wrote regarding this situation that

Gainsbourg's lyrics obviously have nothing to do with the worldview expressed by other teenage vocalists of the time; of course their world has its charms, but it has not a single atom of depth. In the lyrics of Gainsbourg's songs in general, and Laisse tomber les filles in particular, there is a startling lucidity coupled with a refusal to be taken in by "the great farce of love", defined in terms of "never" and "always". But, with Laisse tomber les filles, we are not presented with a male narrator of thirty or thirty-five years, but rather a teenager.^[1]

France Gall's vindictive lyrics are supported by the well-known jazz band led by Gogo (the same group with whom Gainsbourg was recording at the time). The song's emphasis on brass and percussion is regarded as being integral to its success. Fondness within the English-speaking world for the "French pop sound" makes the song continue to be popular to this day.

"Chick Habit" is played during the opening credits of But I'm a Cheerleader by Jamie Babbit. Both versions of the song, first English and then French, are played during the end credits of the movie Death Proof by Quentin Tarantino.