what does it mean to love your country?

This winter break, we explore love – all forms of love. Today, the thorny question of what the French love about France.

Loving your country, that can be it. I don’t know what it is for other countries – I’m French and, what’s more, this column on France Info mainly talks about French songs. But, in any case, this may be a good definition, and not just a chorus of a song written and performed by Michel Sardou in 2000: “I love the French, all the French, even the French that I don’t like “.

And Sardou’s view of his compatriots might even appear surprising to some.

In this episode of These party songs you hear excerpts from:

Michel Sardou, French, 2000

Renaud, Hexagon, 1975

Abd Al Malik, It is heavy, 2008

Charles Trenet, Sweet France, 1947

Pierre Perret, My France To Me, 2018

Jean Ferrat, My France, 1969

Chilly Gonzales feat. Juliette Armanet, Piano in Paris, 2023

Michel Sardou, French, 2000

You can also follow the news of this column on Twitter.

And you can also find the podcast on this link Behind our voices, with the writing and composition secrets of eight major artists of the French scene, Laurent Voulzy, Julien Clerc, Bénabar, Dominique A, Carla Bruni, Emily Loizeau, Juliette and Gaëtan Roussel.