Today marks the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, an event that was to be a turning point not only in the history of France, but for the whole of Europe and beyond.
Elderly men from France, the UK and the USA will be gathering on beaches in Normandy to remember not only the bravery of those who survived, but the sacrifices made by those who did not.
One song that recalled the event in a particularly interesting way was the 1967 hit for Michel Sardou, Les Ricains.
The title, which would translate into English as 'The Yanks', makes the simple case that if it wasn't for the Americans, the French would all be in Germany, speaking who knows what and saluting who knows.
It recalls the sacrifices made by American soldiers, who many knowing no-one in France or little about the country, died on its beaches to defend its freedom.
The song was a hit in 1967, but incurred the anger of Charles De Gaulle, who wanted it to be removed from broadcast on account of it going against the official historical narrative that put France at the centre of it regaining its freedom at the end of the war. It also came as anti-American feeling in France was high due to the Vietman war and France's attitude towards NATO at the time.
Time has passed since 1944. France, America, the UK and Germany too are very different places, living in a very different world. But the peace we enjoy now in Europe was very much made by those old men gathered on the beaches in France today, and by the young men that died there.
Si les ricains n'étaient pas là - Michel Sardou by phbarrau
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