Bastille Day

Only one song really appropriate today.

I should take the day off work really, watch the military parade on TV and the fireworks this evening, but living outside France there's not much danger of this happening.

While #bastilleday is trending on Twitter, I can't help but think that there should be more done inetrnationally to mark July 14, marking the contribution France has made internationally and celebrating its culture.

Of course, that's something that we do on a daily basis on the Vive le Roq blog.

Meanwhile, the version of La Marseillaise by Gainsbourg was an astonishingly controversial recording when it came out. Probably the nearest comparison would be the Sex Pistols' God Save the Queen, which wasn't actually the national anthem. I don't think the version of the Star Spangled Banner by Hendrix provoked such a reaction.

Like the Sex Pistols, Gainsbourg has been in recent years absorbed by mainstream culture. Although perhaps more likely the establishment and mainstream culture has changed as a result of the work of artists like Gainsbourg pushing the boundaries.

Listening to this track today, Aux Armes (etc) stands up well. Gainsbourg was absolutely right get into reggae when he did. For an artist with an established reputation it must have been a bold step into new musical territory.

But he established reggae in France like few others could, recording a couple of great albums in collaboration with Jamaican musicians who are still regarded as legends.

While there were those offended by his version of La Marseillaise, it was more than just a gratuitous gesture of provocation, marking as it did the possibility of an ethnically diverse and inclusive France, confident and international in its outlook while retaining all its positive qualities.

I don't know if France is there yet, but Serge certainly made it more possible.