25:
161:("The immense Bled"). Its garrison of thirty "gars" ("guys" or boys) comes under attack by a horde of "Salopards" ("Dirty Ones" or "Bastards") - evidently a derogatory term for Saharan tribespeople which Asso may have picked up while on actual service with the Legion. No background is given for the attack and the reasons of the "Salopards" in launching it.
625:
207:
Sung to the accompaniment of martial music of drums and trumpets, "The Flag of the Legion" can be said to glorify war in general and colonial war in particular. Though duly considered a part of the Piaf Canon and continually included in newly printed collections of her songs, it never achieved the
164:
The isolated
Legionnaires defend their outpost most heroically, suffering staggering losses and terrible privations of hunger and thirst. By the time a column of reinforcements is finally profiled on the horizon, only three of them have survived the fierce battle: "Hungry, thirsty, half-naked, but
153:
However, in "Mon légionnaire" the Legion is seen from the outside - through the eyes of a woman who briefly meets one legionnaire and afterwards longs for him, and who has only a vague idea of the Legion's function and the places to which it is posted ("In some sunny country..."). In the present
497:
489:
481:
204:
familiar to anyone who served in the Legion. At
Camerone, as in Asso's song, there were only three survivors (though there, their lives were spared through their opponents' generosity).
211:
Ironically, the
Foreign Legion itself did not conspicuously take up the song (as Asso may have hoped). Rather, the Legionnaires adopted as their own a different Edith Piaf song - "
215:" (I regret nothing) - whose words in themselves have nothing to do with the Legion but came to express their defiance when accused of atrocities and involvement in a failed
675:
670:
165:
covered with Glory." Throughout, "Le beau fanion de la légion" ("The beautiful flag of the Legion") continues to fly from the mast (no mention of the French
35:
411:
240:
323:
93:
65:
374:
397:
72:
660:
655:
79:
50:
465:
615:
665:
404:
61:
680:
316:
181:
347:
645:
439:
212:
596:
473:
590:
309:
193:
602:
86:
554:
147:
383:
361:
457:
189:
150:
and written by
Raymond Asso, himself an ex-legionnaire (and who was Piaf's lover in the late 1930s).
650:
157:
The song tells the story of a small Legion outpost ("fortin" - "little fortress"), isolated in the
546:
354:
143:
263:
127:
177:
42:
390:
224:
185:
512:
505:
285:
578:
368:
228:
216:
166:
639:
572:
425:
332:
201:
629:
258:
250:
245:
220:
173:
123:
538:
530:
119:
24:
584:
131:
142:
In all the above, the song's career is similar to that of the more famous "
188:. Though the song is set in the Sahara, Asso was likely influenced by the
432:
418:
192:(1867), during the failed French attempt to prop up the regime of the
197:
158:
305:
118:(The Flag of the Legion), is a French song created in 1936 by
18:
301:
286:"Le fanion de la Légion | French Foreign Legion Information"
172:
The theme is familiar from other fictional depictions of
46:
613:
565:
522:
449:
339:
498:Le Tour de Chant d'Édith Piaf a l'Olympia - No. 3
490:Le Tour de Chant d'Édith Piaf a l'Olympia - No. 2
482:Le Tour de Chant d'Édith Piaf a l'Olympia - No. 1
317:
154:song, the Legion as such takes center stage.
8:
51:introducing citations to additional sources
324:
310:
302:
676:French Foreign Legion in popular culture
241:French Foreign Legion in popular culture
41:Relevant discussion may be found on the
620:
277:
671:Songs with music by Marguerite Monnot
7:
146:" - both being songs related to the
130:, and which was later taken up by
14:
208:popularity of "Mon légionnaire".
623:
134:and became identified with her.
34:relies largely or entirely on a
23:
1:
16:Song performed by Édith Piaf
466:Chansons des Cafés de Paris
375:"Mais qu’est-ce que j’ai?"
697:
440:Non, je ne regrette rien
213:Non, je ne regrette rien
62:"Le Fanion de la Légion"
182:Battle of Rorke's Drift
116:Le Fanion de la Légion'
661:French colonial empire
591:Louis Alphonse Gassion
348:Les Mômes de la cloche
180:, based on the actual
656:French Foreign Legion
597:Emma Saïd Ben Mohamed
405:Sous le ciel de Paris
148:French Foreign Legion
458:Chansons Parisiennes
47:improve this article
184:), as well as from
122:, with lyrics from
681:Songs about Africa
377:("What Can I Do?")
257:(also inspired by
194:Emperor Maximilian
176:(such as the film
611:
610:
412:L'Homme à la moto
378:
264:The Tartar Steppe
190:Battle of Camarón
128:Marguerite Monnot
112:
111:
97:
688:
666:Édith Piaf songs
628:
627:
626:
619:
603:Musée Édith Piaf
581:(second husband)
376:
326:
319:
312:
303:
296:
295:
293:
292:
282:
107:
104:
98:
96:
55:
27:
19:
696:
695:
691:
690:
689:
687:
686:
685:
646:Songs in French
636:
635:
634:
624:
622:
614:
612:
607:
575:(first husband)
561:
547:Édith et Marcel
518:
445:
391:Padam, padam...
384:Hymne à l'amour
362:L'Accordéoniste
355:Mon légionnaire
335:
330:
300:
299:
290:
288:
284:
283:
279:
274:
237:
225:May 1958 crisis
144:Mon légionnaire
140:
126:and music from
108:
102:
99:
56:
54:
40:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
694:
692:
684:
683:
678:
673:
668:
663:
658:
653:
648:
638:
637:
633:
632:
609:
608:
606:
605:
600:
594:
588:
582:
576:
569:
567:
563:
562:
560:
559:
555:La Vie en Rose
551:
543:
535:
526:
524:
520:
519:
517:
516:
509:
502:
494:
486:
478:
470:
462:
453:
451:
447:
446:
444:
443:
436:
429:
422:
415:
408:
401:
394:
387:
380:
372:
369:La Vie en rose
365:
358:
351:
343:
341:
337:
336:
331:
329:
328:
321:
314:
306:
298:
297:
276:
275:
273:
270:
269:
268:
248:
243:
236:
233:
229:Algiers putsch
139:
136:
110:
109:
45:. Please help
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
693:
682:
679:
677:
674:
672:
669:
667:
664:
662:
659:
657:
654:
652:
649:
647:
644:
643:
641:
631:
621:
617:
604:
601:
599:(grandmother)
598:
595:
592:
589:
586:
583:
580:
577:
574:
573:Jacques Pills
571:
570:
568:
564:
557:
556:
552:
549:
548:
544:
541:
540:
536:
533:
532:
528:
527:
525:
521:
515:
514:
510:
508:
507:
503:
500:
499:
495:
492:
491:
487:
484:
483:
479:
476:
475:
471:
468:
467:
463:
460:
459:
455:
454:
452:
448:
441:
437:
434:
430:
427:
423:
420:
416:
413:
409:
406:
402:
399:
395:
392:
388:
385:
381:
379:
373:
370:
366:
363:
359:
356:
352:
349:
345:
344:
342:
338:
334:
327:
322:
320:
315:
313:
308:
307:
304:
287:
281:
278:
271:
266:
265:
260:
256:
252:
249:
247:
244:
242:
239:
238:
234:
232:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:
209:
205:
203:
202:founding myth
199:
195:
191:
187:
183:
179:
175:
174:colonial wars
170:
168:
162:
160:
155:
151:
149:
145:
137:
135:
133:
129:
125:
121:
117:
106:
95:
92:
88:
85:
81:
78:
74:
71:
67:
64: –
63:
59:
58:Find sources:
52:
48:
44:
38:
37:
36:single source
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
553:
545:
537:
529:
513:Récital 1962
511:
506:Récital 1961
504:
496:
488:
480:
472:
464:
456:
289:. Retrieved
280:
262:
259:Dino Buzzati
254:
251:Jacques Brel
246:Colonial war
221:Algerian War
210:
206:
171:
163:
156:
152:
141:
124:Raymond Asso
115:
113:
100:
90:
83:
76:
69:
57:
33:
579:Théo Sarapo
558:(2007 film)
550:(1983 film)
542:(1978 play)
534:(1974 film)
219:during the
217:coup d'etat
120:Marie Dubas
651:1936 songs
640:Categories
585:Line Marsa
523:Depictions
474:Edith Piaf
333:Édith Piaf
291:2024-05-30
272:References
200:- a major
132:Edith Piaf
73:newspapers
398:Don't Cry
167:Tricolour
43:talk page
593:(father)
587:(mother)
433:Mon Dieu
419:La Foule
253:'s song
235:See also
186:Westerns
138:The song
103:May 2024
566:Related
87:scholar
616:Portal
501:(1958)
493:(1956)
485:(1955)
477:(1953)
469:(1950)
461:(1949)
450:Albums
426:Milord
255:Zangra
198:Mexico
159:Sahara
89:
82:
75:
68:
60:
630:Music
340:Songs
223:(see
94:JSTOR
80:books
539:Piaf
531:Piaf
227:and
178:Zulu
66:news
261:'s
231:).
196:in
169:).
49:by
642::
618::
442:"
438:"
435:"
431:"
428:"
424:"
421:"
417:"
414:"
410:"
407:"
403:"
400:"
396:"
393:"
389:"
386:"
382:"
371:"
367:"
364:"
360:"
357:"
353:"
350:"
346:"
325:e
318:t
311:v
294:.
267:)
114:'
105:)
101:(
91:·
84:·
77:·
70:·
53:.
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
