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Music This page lists some modern songs about the French Revolution, along with lyrics. They are listed alphabetically by song title. If you know of any songs not included here, please email susanna at saint-just dot net. I have not included Revolution-era music or songs from films or musicals at this time. However, if you think they should be included, please let me know and I will consider it :) Please note that for copyright reasons, I am not providing links to the songs themselves, but I provide purchase information where available. The lyrics posted here are for educational purposes only with no copyright infringement intended. if you are the copyright holder to any lyrics and wish for them to be removed, please contact me at susanna at saint-just dot net, and I will remove the lyrics immediately. Thanks to Morgan, Olivia, Susanna, Grishnak, and Chris for their contributions!
*New* "Bastille Day" - Rush "Bastille Day" was released on the 1975 album Caress of Steel. You can download an MP3 of the song from Amazon.com
*New* "Czekając na Trzęsienie Ziemi" ("Waiting for an Earthquake") - Pidzama Porno This Polish song includes the lyric "Danton is staring at you." Eep! You can listen to this song for free at last.fm.
*New* "Killer Queen" - Queen Included for its brief, inaccurate mention of Marie Antoinette :) "Killer Queen" was released on the 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack. You can download an MP3 of the song from Amazon.com
*New* "The Necklace of Marie Antoinette" - Hannah Fury This lovely, creepy song was released on the 2000 album Soul Poison. You can download an MP3 of the song from Amazon.com
*New* "Rewolucja Francuska" ("French Revolution") - Anna Jantar This song is quite rare, but a video of Jantar performing it is available on YouTube.
*New* "Robespierre" - Offlaga Disco Pax "Robespierre" is from the album Socialismo Tascabile. You can listen to this song for free on last.fm.
*New* "Robespierre's Re-Marx " - Mecano This song seems to have been released in 1981 on a 7" single; Robespierre's bandaged head was pictured on the cover. You can visit Mecano's web page at mecano.ws.
*New* "Waterloo" - ABBA One brief mention of Napoleon gets this song on the list! It has apparently been covered by numerous other bands as well. I was unable to find an MP3 of the original song, but the song is available on the album Gold on Amazon.com
212 - Stahlwerk 9 In 2004, the post-industrial German band Stahlwerk 9 (Reinhard Hopfe) released what I believe was a boxed set of twelve 7" records titled 212. (The set was limited to 212 copies and was released 212 years after the revolutionary calendar went into effect.) Each of the twelve records was named for a month of the revolutionary calendar, and each contained two songs: one on side A, and one on side B. All of the songs were instrumental, and all had titles in French related to the Revolution. Here is the full track list from Stahlwerk 9's website: Vendémiaire Side A: La République Francaise Side B: Jusqu'à La Paix Unfortunately, I do not know where you can buy the records. You can visit the band's website at http://www.stahlwerk9.de/.
"Ballrooms of Versailles" - Army of Lovers "Ballrooms of Versailles" can be found on the album Glory Glamour and Gold from 1994. I don't know much about this rather, ah, unusual-looking band, but some of their albums seem to be pretty rare, while others are available very cheaply. Unfortunately, GG&G is one of the rare ones, but you can buy an expensive used copy on Amazon.com.
"Charlotte Corday" - Al Stewart "Charlotte Corday" is a beautiful song from the album Famous Last Words from 1993. You can download an MP3 of the song on Amazon.com
"Charlotte Corday and the Whales" - Most Secret Method "Charlotte Corday and the Whales" is from the 2002 album Our Success. No purchase information available.
"Danton" - Michel Sardou "Danton" is a French-language song from Sardou's 1973-74 album, appropriately
titled Danton. You may download an MP3 of the song from Amazon.com "Flowers of the Night" - Paul Kanter & Grace Slick "Flowers of the Night" is on the 1973 album Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun (yes, that's the real title), by some of the members of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship. You may download an MP3 of the song from Amazon.com
"The Headless Waltz" - Voltaire "The Headless Waltz" is featured on Voltaire's 2000 album Almost Human. You may download the song from Amazon.com
"Kings and Queens" - Aerosmith While "Kings and Queens" isn't really about the Revolution, it mentions guillotines, so it deserves inclusion here :) It originally appeared on Aerosmith's 1977 album Draw the Line and has been included on compilations since. You may download the song from Amazon.com
"Marat/Sade" - Judy Collins, False Prophets This track on Collins' 1966 album In My Life is a medley of songs from the play/film Marat/Sade, in which the Marquis de Sade directs asylum inmates in a production of a play about the revolutionary Marat. You may download the song from Amazon.com The band False Prophets covered "Marat/Sade" on their album Blind Roaches and Fat Vultures. You may download this version as well from Amazon.com
"Marie Antoinette" - Curved Air This song is from the 1972 album Phantasmagoria. You may download the song from Amazon.com
"The Palace of Versailles" - Al Stewart "The Palace of Versailles" is from Al Stewart's
1978 album Time Passages. You may download the song from Amazon.com
"Saint Just" - Saint Just Song from the Italian band Saint Just's self-titled first album.
The song is in French, though the album booklet also gives lyrics
in Italian. The lyrics here were translated by me from the French. The album is now available on Amazon.com For more on the band Saint Just, see the Other Saint-Justs page.
"Waterloo" - Iced Earth Although it's about Napoleon and thus a little past Saint-Just's
time, "Waterloo" is still a great song. It is on Iced Earth's
2004 album, The Glorious Burden. You can download an MP3 of the song from Amazon.com
"You Went the Wrong Way, Old King Louie" - Allan Sherman It may not be historically accurate, but this song, by the writer of the famous letter-home-from-camp song "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah," is funny :) This song was originally on the album My Son, the Nut. You can download an MP3 of the song from Amazon.com |
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