Story behind silly “Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo” song Don Draper’s wife Megan sang on Mad Men
Mad Men fans heads’ were invaded by a silly little tune during last night’s Season 5 premiere. Don Draper’s new wife Megan (played by French-Canadian Jessica Paré) did a seductive little dance during his birthday party while singing what sounded like “Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo.”
What does it all mean, and why did she infiltrate our brains with this repetitive nonsense?
Here’s Megan gettin’ her seduction on with Don while his coworkers watch with shocked expressions and bright prints:
“Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo” is actually an early 1960s French pop song called “Zou Bisou Bisou” originally performed by a 16-year-old Gillian Hills. It exemplifies a style of pop appropriately called “yéyé,” a French translation of “yeah yeah.”
The lyrics translate to:
Kiss kiss kiss etc.
My God, how soft they are!
Kiss kiss kiss etc.
The sound of kisses!
In the bushes, under the August sky
Lovers glide stealthily
Like birds, they have dates
Everywhere you hear:
Kiss kiss kiss etc.
My God, how soft they are!
But tell me, do you know
What that means, between us,
What does “zou bisou” mean?
It means, I confess to you,
But yes, I love only you!
Kiss kiss kiss etc.
My God, how soft it is!
But no need for bushes in the month of August
When you kiss me softly on the neck!
It’s funny, you see, I confess,
I feel it everywhere
Kiss kiss kiss etc.
My God, how soft it is!
Kiss kiss kiss etc.
Little kisses
Kiss kiss kiss
So, there you go, that’s why the episode is called “A Little Kiss.” It was smart of them to go after a song that was popular at the time (popular enough that most of the people at the party had probably heard of it) but not so popular that we’d find it familiar today.
Don Draper later has a hissy fit about Megan throwing him a birthday party, but he seemed to enjoy the performance:
If “Zou Bisou” was the #1 most memorable thing from this episode, Pete’s plaid jacket was a close second. This jacket is epic, it’s timeless, it tells tales a million words could never speak:
