Le Déserteur (Boris Vian song)
Encyclopedia
Le déserteur is a famous anti-war song written by Boris Vian
and released on May 7, 1954 during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
.
It was first sung by Marcel Mouloudji, in 1954. Subsequently, it was forbidden by the French censorship
to be sold or broadcasted until 1962. It was later translated into English, Italian (by Luigi Tenco
, Ornella Vanoni
and Ivano Fossati
), Spanish, Swedish ("Jag står här på ett torg" - Lars Forsell), Catalan and Danish and then many other languages. It was a major Anti-war song by Joan Baez
during the Vietnam war
.
The song is in the form of a letter written to the French President by a man who states that he's going to refuse his call to arms, turning deserter, and explains his reasons to do so.
In the late 1970s, the song was covered by nuclear protesters in Brittany, as a direct apostrophe to the fierce pro-nuclear French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in the Plogoff's struggle.
Boris Vian
Boris Vian was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer. He is best remembered today for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of their...
and released on May 7, 1954 during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries. The battle occurred between March and May 1954 and culminated in a comprehensive French defeat that...
.
It was first sung by Marcel Mouloudji, in 1954. Subsequently, it was forbidden by the French censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
to be sold or broadcasted until 1962. It was later translated into English, Italian (by Luigi Tenco
Luigi Tenco
Luigi Tenco was an Italian singer, songwriter and actor.-Biography:Tenco was born in Cassine in 1938, the son of Teresa Zoccola and Giuseppe Tenco. He never knew his father, who died in unclear circumstances...
, Ornella Vanoni
Ornella Vanoni
Ornella Vanoni, OMRI is one of the most credited pop singers of Italy. She is known for her sophisticated pop style.-Artistic career:...
and Ivano Fossati
Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati is an Italian pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and percussionist born in Genoa. Fossati has several albums to date and has worked with such musicians as Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi,Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Francesco De Gregori and...
), Spanish, Swedish ("Jag står här på ett torg" - Lars Forsell), Catalan and Danish and then many other languages. It was a major Anti-war song by Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
during the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
The song is in the form of a letter written to the French President by a man who states that he's going to refuse his call to arms, turning deserter, and explains his reasons to do so.
In the late 1970s, the song was covered by nuclear protesters in Brittany, as a direct apostrophe to the fierce pro-nuclear French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in the Plogoff's struggle.
External links
- Le Déserteur in 45 languages, with the complete history of the song in French, Italian and English, from website Chansons Contre la Guerre (CCG/AWS)