Ghostly Kisses - Live at Le Grand Salon

When 'Ghostly Kisses Live at Le Grand Salon' appeared on my YouTube homepage, it was like a breath of fresh air amidst the algorithmic chaos.

Margaux Sauvé is a French-Canadian singer-songwriter whose clean vocals sound ethereal alongside dreamy, minimalistic instrumentals. Every word is audible, every syllable magnetic.

Ghostly Kisses' name comes from the William Faulkner poem, Une ballade des dames perdues (roughly translated to, 'A Ballad of the Lost Women.') This name comes from the line, "Brush my lips with ghostly kisses."

Not only is this sentiment beautiful in its rendering, but it's how Margaux's songs feel: like they are brushing you with ghostly kisses.

00:32 J'ai demandé à la lune

This set opens with a cover of the 2002 French rock/new wave song by Indochine, “J'ai demandé à la lune” (I asked the moon.) Ghostly Kisses’ version is different than the original in its texture, echoing throughout Le Grand Salon as a soft and desperate ballad rather than an angst-filled pop-rock jam. The difference is almost entirely in the emotion Margaux brings to “J'ai demandé à la lune” as she infuses each word with dreamy vulnerability.

English translation:

I prayed to the moon

And the sun doesn't know

I showed her my burns

And the moon, she laughed at me

And even the sky didn't look good

And I wasn't healing

I told myself, "such bad luck" (unfortunate)

And the moon, she made fun of me

I asked the moon

If you still wanted me

She said "I don't often deal with things like this"

And you and me

We were so sure

Even though we sometimes told each other

It was just an affair

And that it wasn't meant to last

I don't have much to tell you or (I don't havе something big to tell you)

And nothing much to make you laugh

Causе I always expect the worst

And the best wouldn't make me happy

I asked the moon

If you still wanted me

She said "I don't often deal with things like this"

And you and me

We were so sure

Even though we sometimes told each other

It was just an affair

And that it wasn't meant to last

04:16 The City Holds My Heart

“The City Holds My Heart” is my favourite song from this set. You can listen to her original version of this song as a standalone on Spotify, but something is positively mesmerizing about Ghostly Kisses’ live performance. You can tell by the movement in Margaux's body and the emotion behind every note that she is completely tuned in to the moment. This song invites us to get lost with her as Ghostly Kisses explores the intermingling themes of struggling to come to terms with goodbye and mourning what is familiar.

And I know, I know, I know, I know

I'll still love you

Even worlds apart

The city holds my heart

Within walls of glass and steel

Can't you see, I just can't go?

These walls are all I know

08:20 Don't Know Why

Margaux opens up this song by telling us a bit about the story behind it. She explains that it’s “quite a personal story about a moment in [her] life where [she] realized [she] couldn’t save someone [she] loved,” and that she had to decide to “go her own way.”

The main lyric that hits home for me in “Don’t Know Why” is, “I don’t want to make it alright.”

Ghostly Kisses’ performance is chilling. Margaux’s voice lulls the listener into reflection and contemplation as Louis' and Antoine's instrumentals pull us along, never overpowering the striking instrument that is Margaux’s voice.

12:42 Call My Name

If this set is a breath of fresh air then this song is the wind through the winter trees. The message is simple, the lyrics are direct, and Margaux's voice is piercing.

How come together feels alone?

Am I an island made of stone

Where no one lives and nothing grows?

I want a dream I've never known

Far away, so far from home

16:42 Empty Note

"Empty Note" feels like poetry set in motion from the lyrics, to the instrumental, to Ghostly Kisses' performance. Like many of Ghostly Kisses' other songs, the music inspires a meditative feeling in its captivating clarity. The lyrics take us on a journey of tribulation and overcoming along with Margaux.

How could I ever know more?

When everything is held by threat

How could I ever feel you?

Once again, without losing my mind

Ghostly Kisses brings together the vibrancy of lyrical storytelling, powerful vocals, and fine-tuned production. This performance is a reminder of how magical it is to watch musicians live at work. By getting to see the emotion and vulnerability in these artists and in getting to hear their stories, we are welcomed to a whole other layer of this musical body of work by Ghostly Kisses.

To learn more about Ghostly Kisses and how you can listen to more of Margaux's music, check out her website here.

What's a live performance that made your favourite song even better?

Let me know in the comments below!