French anniversary song steals the show

Would you like to hear a song with a video clip that is guaranteed to cheer you up? To celebrate its tenth anniversary, a Repair Café in France created a musical tribute to our movement. Be warned: this song is infectious — it’ll be stuck in your head for hours!

It doesn’t work, it’s broken,
But don’t throw it away!
Even if it looks half dead,
Don’t toss it on to the scrap heap.
There are tips, there are tools
We give it a second life
Where? At the Repair Café!
(Translation of the refrain)

Repair Café Bras-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France decided to go all out for its tenth anniversary celebrations. Volunteer coordinator Lorraine Caillas, who has led the initiative from the outset, says she wanted to celebrate this milestone in a creative way. “Entirely in the spirit of Repair Café!” We asked her how the song came about. (For the curious among us: you can also listen to and watch the song before reading on.)

Local artist and tool sounds

Lorraine: “For our anniversary last February, our volunteers chose to write and compose their own song. With the support of local artist Mylène Willaume, we turned ten years of repairs into lyrics, incorporating stories, memories and inside jokes. We also created our own musical composition incorporating tool sounds into the rhythm.

We were fortunate enough to be allowed to use the studio of the local association La Fabrik Artistique to record the song. The volunteers formed a choir under Mylène’s direction, and sound engineer Marc Gary Muller produced the final mix. Both Mylène and Marc share the values of the Repair Café movement.”

Humorous video clip

“To make the project accessible to everyone, we produced a video clip. The volunteers came up with a somewhat absurd and humorous story. It reflects what characterises our Repair Café: a cheerful atmosphere and genuine expertise when it comes to repairs.

The video was filmed during Repair Café sessions and community meetings. Marie Goujon, Lorraine Caillas and volunteer Quentin Harmant used their phones to film, and Quentin also designed the lighting to achieve a professional result.

Accessibility was paramount, so with the support of the Verdun Voie Signée association, the chorus was translated into French sign language and used in the video. The clip is also fully subtitled. Local resident Nathan Lefevre did the final editing, beautifully capturing the collective energy and warmth of the group.”

And then… the premiere!

“The song and video premiered on 6 February 2026 at the anniversary gathering of the Repair Café. The event combined making repairs, singing together around the piano with Mylène Guillaume, an exhibition about the past ten years and the unveiling of our musical project. The end result embodies the values that we believe Repair Cafés stand for: sharing skills, supporting each other, and transforming collective energy into something meaningful and joyful.”

Watch the video clip here:

More information

This is not the first musical tribute to Repair Cafés. You can listen to previous wonderful creations from France, Germany and New York.