This week, the 2007 French entrants Les Fatals Picards will publish their fifth album, Le sens de la gravité (The sense of gravity). It is the second ablum since the Eurovision Song Contest, as a live CD was released last year, including a bonus DVD with some excerpts of their live performances and a short film on their Finnish experience, entitled In bed with Helsinki. Even before it is available, the new studio CD has already been talked about as one song lead to polemics with the record company.

The song is entitled Le jour de la mort de Johnny (The day when Johnny dies) and it deals with French megastar Johnny Hallyday, more precisely on how people will react when the 66-years old singer will pass. Warner France, record company of both Hallyday and Les Fatals Picards, told the group that the singer listened to the song and didn’t want it to be distributed.In a press release that can be found on Les Fatals Picards’ website, Aurélie, from their management, tells that the song was nothing but a tribute, not a wish musical icon Hallyday should die. Anyway, the band decided to get the song out of the record and out of their myspace. But they will include it in their concerts.

The group is on the road nearly all year long. More information on their dates on their myspace here.In Helsinki, the band had fivemembers but shortly after the contest, Ivan Callotleft, not that he quarelled with his mates but because he wanted to go solo. He changed his name and can be followed as Ivan Avec Un I (Ivan with a i) on his personal myspace (here).

With L’amour à la française, Les Fatals Picards represented France at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki, received 19 points and placed equal penultimate with the UK.