Soundtrack to Saint-Tropez
Soundtrack To…

Soundtrack to Saint-Tropez

Ten records for the golden hour between the beach and dinner.

15 August 2026

Saint-Tropez has spent sixty years being misunderstood by people who arrive at midnight. The town's best hour is six o'clock, when the boats come in and nobody has changed yet.

There is a version of this place that involves velvet ropes and bottles carried above shoulder height. Ignore it. The Saint-Tropez worth having is Bardot-era, faintly sunburnt, and considerably quieter — a rosé on a terrace above the port while the light does the work.

The rule for the golden hour is simple: French, warm, and never insistent.

The selections

  1. 01

    Ballade de Melody Nelson

    Serge Gainsbourg

    The bassline that made the Riviera sound modern.

  2. 02

    Viens

    Françoise Hardy

    Six o'clock exactly, on a terrace facing west.

  3. 03

    Non-Stop to Brazil

    Astrud Gilberto

    For the moment the rosé arrives.

  4. 04

    I Will Wait for You

    Michel Legrand

    French romance, played straight, entirely without apology.

  5. 05

    But Not for Me

    Chet Baker

    The sun below the roofline, the first cool air.

  6. 06

    Emmenez-moi

    Charles Aznavour

    Play it once, loudly, while you are still alone in the room.

  7. 07

    Sunny Afternoon

    Piero Piccioni

    The cult Italian record nobody at the table will recognise.

  8. 08

    Desafinado

    Stan Getz & João Gilberto

    Nine o'clock, dinner arriving late as usual.

  9. 09

    Our Love Is Easy

    Melody Gardot

    The modern entry, and it earns its place.

  10. 10

    Fleurette Africaine

    Duke Ellington

    Past midnight, when the terrace has thinned to the interesting people.

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