Chapter 3: Vélomoteur

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For two years later Daniel Chenevez, himself a successful artist as part of the Niagara duet with Muriel Moreno, decides to become a producer. He knows exactly what group he wants to produce: he hunts for the Calamités aiming to convince them to record a new single. That's what they do in 1987, though this time as a duet, without now London-based Caroline.

They take out of their files a song composed by the three of them that they never recorded: "Vélomoteur" (meaning "Moped"). Arrangements and production by Daniel Chenevez, as well as mixing by Dominique Blanc-Francard, make the track sound more professional than the first ones by the Calamités, although it clearly makes the group cross from rock to pop.

Odile and Isabelle with a new look (shorter and bouffant hair) are pictured for eternity by photo-artists Pierre et Gilles on the single's sleeve. Their video clip, obviously shot in a red convertible, is regularly shown on the French music TV channel M6.

In but a few months it's a total hit. The heady chorus is listed in the charts and makes Top 50 TV host Marc Toesca say: "Your little nail (= Young viewer), if your moped ever sounds pa-pa-pa-pa, bring it immediately to a garage".

Les Calamités are invited to the most popular shows, such as Caroline Tresca's or Michel Drucker's, without ever losing their ingenuousness nor their outspokenness in front of show-business professionals. As a consecration, the comedians Les Nuls perform a parody of "Vélomoteur" in their satirical show on Canal +.

From now on and forevermore, female rock'n'roll from Burgundy is part of history, thanks to this delicate post-realist song with over 350 000 copies sold.