''Maréchal, nous voilà !'' (; "Marshal, here we are!") is a 1941 French song dedicated to Marshal

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...

. The lyrics were composed by André Montagard; its music was attributed to André Montagard and Charles Courtioux but actually plagiarized from a song composed for the 1933 musical ''La Margoton du battailon'' by Polish Jewish composer Kazimierz Oberfeld, who was deported to Auschwitz in 1945, where he was murdered. Nathalie Dompnier, « Entre ''La Marseillaise'' et ''Maréchal, nous voilà !'' quel hymne pour le régime de Vichy ? », dans Myriam Chimènes (dir.), ''La vie musicale sous Vichy'', Éditions Complexe – IRPMF-CNRS, coll. « Histoire du temps présent », 2001, p. 71 Although '' La Marseillaise'' remained the official national anthem of the state, ''Maréchal, nous voilà !'' was performed in many capacities unofficially as an alternative song for the public, being used as a popular song for events like sports and recreation. However, the song never dispelled the use of " La Marseillaise" as the official anthem, and it remained the main hymn of the Vichy State and had official support among the Vichy government. It had multiple performances during the Vichy France Era, often in a famous variation by . The refrain itself shows the growing

cult of personality A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader,Cas Mudde, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create ...

around Pétain during the

Vichy regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

Lyrics

In popular culture

Cinema

* 2003: '' The Chorus'' by

Christophe Barratier Christophe Barratier (; born 17 June 1963) is a French film producer, director and screenwriter, and lyricist. Early life and education Barratier is the son of the actress Eva Simonet and M. Barratier. He is the nephew of the film director Jacqu ...

– Soundtrack. * 2011: '' War of the Buttons'' by

Yann Samuell Yann Samuell (born 7 June 1975) is a French film director and screenwriter. Life and career Samuell went to film school and was a storyboard artist before becoming a director. He had his directing debut in 2003 with ''Love Me If You Dare (film), ...

– Soundtrack. * 2011: '' War of the Buttons'' by Christophe Barratier – Soundtrack. * 2016: '' Fanny's Journey'' by Lola Doillon – Soundtrack..

Literature

* In Pierre Cormon's novel ''Le Traître'', the song plays regularly in a Cairo restaurant in 2002.

Comics

* ''Maréchal, nous voilà'' by Laurent Rullier (script) and Hervé Duphot (drawing and color); volume II of the ''Les combattants'' series, Paris, Delcourt, 2012

Television

*1991: ''Les Chansons rétros'', filmed sketch by

Les Inconnus Les Inconnus ("The Unknowns") are a French trio of comedians consisting of Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan and Pascal Légitimus. While their first successes were on stage, they are most famous for their satirical sketch comedy television show ''L ...

, parody.

Notes

Bibliography

* Nathalie Dompnier, « Entre ''La Marseillaise'' et ''Maréchal, nous voilà !'' quel hymne pour le régime de Vichy ? », pp. 69–8

in Myriam Chimènes (dir.), ''La vie musicale sous Vichy'', Éditions Complexe – IRPMF-CNRS, coll. « Histoire du temps présent », 2001, 420 p.
Maréchal, nous voilà !
mp3 recording (French) * * 1940 songs French songs French anthems Fascist songs Propaganda songs Songs about politicians Songs about military officers Vichy France Historical national anthems Cultural depictions of Philippe Pétain Songs with music by Casimir Oberfeld {{1940s-song-stub