Vive la Révolution

Sarah found this book The French Revolution a few years ago in a charity shop. It’s an illustrated children’s book from a series called the Hamish Hamilton history library. She brings it every month to L’Amour Electronique and we always make sure we show off the gory illustrations at any opportunity.

Mister Bookish, the guillotine…
Simon Bookish – O Guillotine

Here comes Holy Fuck’s chopper to chop off your head…
Holy Fuck – Choppers
Maybe they’ll stick it on a spike and parade around the streets with it.

France’s modern day national anthem La Marseillaise was the rallying call of the French Revolution and received its name because it was first sung by volunteers, who had marched from Marseille, upon their arrival on the streets of Paris. B.B. also marched to it in the opening of her 1968 end-of-year show for French TV
Brigitte Bardot - Marseillaise Générique


Serge recorded his own reggae version of the French national anthem in 1978. It earned him serious death-threats from the extreme-right, affronted by the appropriation of a symbol of their national pride (I reckon I might be a bit miffed too if one of my favourite songs was given a reggae makeover). It also gave him his biggest selling record to date. A couple of years later he almost bankrupted himself buying the original manuscript of La Marseillaise “it was a question of honour” he said.
Serge Gainsbourg - Aux Armes et Cætera