In the 1950s he worked for the French radio station RTF, composing music for the Club d'Essai and, from 1953 to 1960, La Bride sur le cou.
[2] In the 1960s, he co-wrote, with Pierre Cour, three songs for the Eurovision Song Contest: "Tom Pillibi", which won the competition for France when it was sung by 18-year-old newcomer Jacqueline Boyer in 1960,[1] "Le Chant de Mallory", the 1964 French entry, performed by another newcomer, Rachel,[3] and "L'amour est bleu" (Love is Blue) which came fourth for Luxembourg in 1967, but which later became a number-one hit instrumental in the US for Paul Mauriat.
[4] Popp is the composer of Piccolo, Saxo et Compagnie, to a text by Jean Broussolle [fr], a musical tale for children intended as a guide to the instruments of the orchestra and the rudiments of harmony.
[1] In 1957, Popp released Delirium in Hi-Fi (originally titled Elsa Popping et sa musique sidérante), a collaboration with Pierre Fatosme, an experiment in the recording techniques of the time.
Sometimes there are silky, smooth strings; often there is harpsichord and oboe and flute; elsewhere adventurous brassy fanfares; occasionally an ethereal soprano chorus; always some magical musical final touch, like the faint, quavering harmonica in "Manchester et Liverpool".