🕰️ 30 Years of Teaching Languages: Back to 1995!

 This year marks a special milestone for me — 30 years of teaching languages! 🥳

In 1995, I walked into my very first classroom, armed with chalk, cassette tapes, and a lot of enthusiasm. I had no idea that this adventure would turn into three decades of helping people discover the joy of communicating in another language.

It’s also the year I got married — so 1995 truly changed my life in more ways than one. Thirty years later, I’m celebrating both a personal and professional love story! ❤️

To celebrate, I thought I’d take you on a little trip back to 1995 — the year it all began — to remember what the world (and especially the world of music and culture) looked like back then.

🌍 The World in 1995

There were no smartphones, no YouTube, and no Google Translate. If you wanted to listen to a new song in English or French, you bought the CD or waited by the radio with your finger on the record button of your cassette player!

Language classes were full of printed worksheets, and teachers carried boxes of VHS tapes and dictionaries. Yet the excitement of learning and connecting across cultures was just as strong as it is today.

🎶 The Soundtrack of 1995

• In the U.K. — The Britpop Explosion

1995 was the year of Oasis, Blur, and Pulp.
“Wonderwall” and “Common People” filled the airwaves and became instant classics. Take That were also at the top of their game with “Back for Good,” and a young Robbie Williams was about to launch his solo career.

Britpop gave learners of English catchy lyrics and authentic accents — a perfect mix of pop culture and language learning!

• In the U.S. — Pop, R&B, and MTV Magic

Across the Atlantic, Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy”, TLC’s “Waterfalls”, and Michael Jackson’s “HIStory” ruled the charts.
Alanis Morissette released Jagged Little Pill, speaking to a new generation with honesty and power.

From R&B harmonies to grunge guitars, American music in 1995 had everything — and it made English irresistible to learn.

• In France — La chanson française meets pop and rap

🎤 1. Jean-Jacques Goldman

• Notable songs:

• "Né en 17 à Leidenstadt" (1990, still very popular in 1995)

• "Bonne idée" (1994)

• Context: The most beloved French singer-songwriter of the decade. He also wrote for other artists, including Céline Dion.

🎤 2. Céline Dion

• Notable songs:

• "Pour que tu m’aimes encore" (1995)

• "Je sais pas" (1995)

• Album: D’eux (1995), written and produced by Jean-Jacques Goldman

• Context: The album became the best-selling French-language album of all time.

🎤 3. Francis Cabrel

• Notable songs:

• "La corrida" (1994–1995)

• "Je t’aimais, je t’aime et je t’aimerai" (1994)

• Album: Samedi soir sur la Terre (1994)

• Context: One of the biggest-selling French albums of the 1990s, mixing folk, pop, and poetic lyrics.

🎤 4. Florent Pagny

• Notable songs:

• "Si tu veux m’essayer" (1994)

• "Caruso" (1994)

• Context: A strong, expressive voice who gained major popularity in the mid-’90s.

🎤 5. Patricia Kaas

• Notable song:

• "Il me dit que je suis belle" (1993)

• Context: A modern torch singer, blending chanson, jazz, and pop, popular in France and across Europe.

🎤 6. Alain Souchon & Laurent Voulzy

• Notable songs:

• Alain Souchon – "Foule sentimentale" (1993)

• Laurent Voulzy – "Paradoxal système" (1992)

• Context: The duo were long-time collaborators and major figures in poetic French pop.

🎤 7. Johnny Hallyday

• Notable songs:

• "Rester libre" (1995)

• "Quelque chose de Tennessee" (1985, still a classic in 1995)

• Context: The French rock icon remained one of the country’s biggest live performers.

🎤 8. Zazie

• Notable song:

  • "Zen" (1995)

• Context: Representing the new generation of witty, pop-oriented French singer-songwriters.

🎥 The Movies of 1995

1995 was also an unforgettable year for cinema — full of films that became classics around the world.
Here are some of the movies that filled cinemas (and later, VHS shelves!):

• 🎬 Toy Story — Pixar’s first fully computer-animated film, which changed animation forever.

• 🦇 Batman Forever — with Val Kilmer as Batman and Jim Carrey as the Riddler, a pop-culture spectacle.

• 🕵️ Se7en — the dark thriller starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman that redefined the genre.

• 🚗 GoldenEye — Pierce Brosnan’s debut as James Bond, reviving the 007 franchise.

• 🧙 Jumanji — adventure and imagination brought to life with Robin Williams.

• ❤️ Before Sunrise — a quiet, romantic gem about connection and conversation (a language teacher’s dream!).

• 🔫 Die Hard with a Vengeance, Braveheart, and Apollo 13 — all box-office giants.

In France

🎬 Les Trois Frères (The Three Brothers) – directed by Les Inconnus

• Cast: Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan, Pascal Légitimus

• Genre: Comedy

• Story: Three half-brothers who never knew each other suddenly inherit a fortune and are forced to get along. Their chaotic adventure mixes slapstick humor with sharp social satire.

• Why it matters: A beloved French comedy classic that captured the spirit of ordinary people caught in absurd situations.

• 🏆 César Award for Best Debut Film.

This movie had me laughing so hard I cried. 😂

🎬 Le Hussard sur le toit (The Horseman on the Roof) – directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau

• Cast: Juliette Binoche, Olivier Martinez

• Genre: Historical drama / romance

• Story: In 19th-century Provence during a cholera epidemic, an Italian officer on the run joins forces with a noblewoman as they struggle to survive.

• Why it matters: A lavish, visually stunning film that celebrates courage, love, and human endurance — one of France’s most ambitious productions of the decade.

This movie really made me cry. 😭

🎬 Les Misérables – directed by Claude Lelouch

• Cast: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Michel Boujenah, Alessandra Martines

• Genre: Historical epic / drama

• Story: A modern retelling of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, intertwining the story’s classic themes of injustice, redemption, and compassion with events from World War II.

• Why it matters: A moving reimagining that bridges literature and cinema, highlighting the timeless relevance of Hugo’s humanism.

• 🏆 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

🎬 La Haine (Hate) – directed by Mathieu Kassovitz

• Cast: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui

• Genre: Social drama

• Story: Following a night of riots in the Paris suburbs, three young men from different backgrounds navigate a day of tension, anger, and disillusionment.

• Why it matters: A raw, powerful portrait of urban France in crisis — La Haine became a cultural milestone and earned Kassovitz the Best Director Award at Cannes 1995.

🎞️ Thematic connection

Together, these four films reveal the incredible range of French cinema in 1995. Les Trois Frères captures humor and humanity through working-class comedy, while La Haine confronts the social fractures and frustrations simmering beneath modern France. Le Hussard sur le toit and Les Misérables reflect the nation’s enduring love for historical and moral storytelling — exploring heroism, justice, and compassion.
Each in its own style — comic, tragic, epic, or intimate — mirrors a different face of French identity, making 1995 a defining year for both art and society.

💿 The Vinyl Comeback: From Abandonment to Revival

Back in 1995, most people were packing away their vinyl records and switching to CDs — those shiny, futuristic discs that promised “perfect sound forever.” Music shops were full of jewel cases, and having a CD player was the height of modernity.

Vinyl seemed to belong to the past. Many thought it would disappear completely.
But fast-forward thirty years, and vinyl records are more popular than ever — even among people who weren’t born when they first vanished!

There’s something deeply human about vinyl:

• The ritual of placing the needle on the record.

• The warm, imperfect sound that feels alive.

• The big album covers you can hold in your hands, full of color, art, and meaning.

In a way, vinyl’s comeback is a lot like language learning itself — a return to something authentic and real.
In a digital world of instant translation and AI voices, taking time to listen, to feel, to connect — that’s what still makes learning (and music) so powerful.

💬 Language, Music, and Memory

Looking back, music was one of the best tools I had for teaching.
Lyrics helped my students fall in love with pronunciation, rhythm, and expression. We translated songs, sang along, and discussed the stories behind them. It wasn’t just language learning — it was culture learning.

Today, technology has changed how we teach, but the heart of it — connecting through words, emotions, and ideas — remains the same.

I’m excited to announce a FREE bonus lesson on my French teaching platform — one that traces the evolution of popular French music from the 1950s to today. This lesson is designed for kids, teens, and adults alike. 

🥂 30 Years Later

So here’s to 30 years of language, laughter, and learning.
To every student who has struggled with verb tenses, every moment of “aha!” understanding, and every song that brought a lesson to life — thank you.

And to celebrate this anniversary, I’ll be sharing some fun throwbacks on Instagram and YouTube this year: old photos, music quizzes, and maybe even a little 1995-inspired giveaway. Stay tuned — and let’s keep learning together! 

What were you listening to in 1995? Or if you weren’t born yet — which song first made you fall in love with English or French?