AMC
Native Montrealer Jessica Paré gave the kiss of life to '60s hit "Zou Bisou Bisou" during the premiere of "Mad Men" this weekend.
On the fifth season premiere, the 29-year-old Canadian actress, who plays Don Draper's new wife Megan, resurrected Gillian Hills's 1960 pop song for her onscreen hubby's 40th birthday.
In what Paré called a "gutsy" move, the young woman performed a flirty version of the song, complete with intricate choreography. (Her moves may look effortless, but Paré reportedly spent a week and a half rehearsing the number.)
"The reason that it's so awkward isn't that she was doing anything wrong, but because it's private," Paré told the Wall Street Journal. Don and Megan "have a great connection and a very strong physical connection, so she is recklessly airing that."
The original version of the song wasn't so steeped in seduction. British singer and actress Gillian Hills was 16 when she recorded "Zou Bisou Bisou," her first record. And though the title is roughly translated to "Oh! Kiss Kiss," a video showing Hills singing it is a lot more coy than Megan's version.
Despite Hills describing the song as a "smash," the French hit only became known across the pond after Sophia Loren sang a more adult English version, "Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo," for the 1960 film "The Millionairess."
Although Hills claimed she had no clue her song would be used in "Mad Men," she predicted correctly how it would be interpreted.
"My guess: With 'Mad Men' the song will be sultry," she told the Daily Beast. Mon dieu!
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