"Sacré Charlemagne" is a song by
France Gall
Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French ''yé-yé'' singer. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg. Between 1973 and 1992, ...
. It was released in 1964 as a single, on an
EP, and on an album, credited to "France Gall et ses petits amis".
According to the charts U.S. ''
Billboard'' published in its "Hits of the World" section, the song reached no. 1 in France.
Lyrics
The song's lyrics were written by Robert Gall, the singer's father. They are about medieval emperor
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...
, traditionally seen as
the "inventor of school", since education became mandatory for all children during his reign. Because of this the narrator of the song blames Charlemagne for having to go to school.
The song reflected contempt for studying among young people.
Reception
The song was France Gall's first major success, selling over 2 million copies.
In addition to reaching #1 on the French music charts, the song enjoyed international success, becoming a hit in Japan.
Its popularity endures as a French schoolchildren's song.
Charts
See also
*
*
List of number-one singles of 1965 (France)
References
External links
* — INA archive
France GALL sur "Sacré Charlemagne"-->
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sacre Charlemagne
Songs about kings
Songs about emperors
Songs about military officers
Songs about school
1964 songs
France Gall songs
Number-one singles in France
1964 debut singles
Songs with lyrics by Robert Gall
Cultural depictions of Charlemagne
Philips Records singles