Michel Sardou, "Les Ricains", and the D-Day Landings

On this day of June 6, as we celebrate the sacrifice of thousands of American, British and Canadian soldiers, Sardou's song inevitably comes to mind.

(I have added a correction to the subtitles at the end of the post)

The young boy that I was when I first heard this song was deeply moved by the lyrics. I also really liked the melody written by Guy Magenta.

There is no doubt that this song had contributed to the fascination I had for America and the Americans. A passion shared by my father who, as a young teenager, experienced the liberation of Brest, his hometown, by American troops.

He expressed to me the immense gratitude he felt then, which never left him.

The Kieffer Commando

A verse from Sardou's song particularly intrigued me at the time:

“A guy from Georgia

Who didn't give a damn about you

Came to die in Normandy

A morning when you were not there“

What did he mean by "One morning when you weren't there"?

I only learned a few years later that the French participation in the D-Day landings was symbolic, to say the least.

It consisted of a small contingent of 177 soldiers, the Kieffer commando, compared to the 158,000 men who took part in the landing.

The commando, integrated into the British troops, and trained in Scotland, landed at SWORD Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944.

The commando will do honor to France by carrying out a difficult mission. Not without loss, however.

The American Cemetery

Many years later I had the privilege of visiting this historical high place accompanied by my children: Omaha beach, the Pointe du Hoc with its lunar landscape, and the incomparable American cemetery.

The emotion that one feels while strolling through these rows of crosses so perfectly aligned in such a majestic landscape is overwhelming. So is the silent contemplation of hundreds of visitors from all over the world.

It is quite hard to hold back tears when reading the names of all these young men who gave their lives to allow the French people and the rest of the world to live free.

The other cemetery

There is another cemetery not far from there, rarely mentioned in guides: the German cemetery. It is small and humble, but very moving nonetheless.

The name of the fallen soldiers are written on small plates on the ground. These were very young men, just like the Americans, English, Canadians and other soldiers of misfortune who perished that day.

Did you know?

The song “Les Ricains” was originally written for Alain Delon ( a major French movie star at the time) who wanted to start a singing carrer.

Taken by other projects, he declined the offer. This is how Michel Sardou made his debut at the young age of 20.

The song, released in 1967, was censored at the request of the Gaullist authorities and banned from radio, with the exception of RTL (Radio Télévision Luxembourg) that did broadcast it.

De Gaulle has always refused to celebrate the allied landing in Normandy. This is the story of a grudge and a bruised ego that I may tell another day.

In spite of it, people say that De Gaulle was a great statesman. He was indeed 6 ft 4…

“Les Ricains” Lyrics

If the Ricans weren't there

You would all be in Germania

Talking about I don't know what

Saluting I don't know who

Of course the years have passed

Guns have changed hands

Is that a reason to forget

That one day we have needed them?

A guy from Georgia

Who didn't give a damn about you

Came to die in Normandy

One morning when you weren't there

Of course the years have passed

We became friends

At the Vets Hall

They say they fell for nothing

If the Ricans weren't there

You would all be in Germania

Talking about I don't know what

Saluting I don't know who