What is La Marseillaise?

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Even if you don’t recognise the name La Marseillaise, you might be familiar with its melody. This song is one of the most famous national anthems in the world, and has had a profound impact on music and culture ever since its creation over two hundred years ago.

Unlike many national anthems, it is rousing and provocative, owing to its origins as a rallying call for French soldiers during the Revolution, and its influence remains unparalleled to this day. But what is it about the Marseillaise that makes it so special?

La Marseillaise began its life as a battle song. In 1792, after worsening relations between Austria and the newly republican France owing to their constitutional differences, France declared war on the Austrian monarchy. French commanders, recognising that the soldiers were sorely in need of a morale boost, requisitioned an officer by the name of Claude-Joseph Rougete de Lisle to compose a song to rouse their spirits. The result was a six-verse song called Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin (War Song for the Army of the Rhine). The lyrics (of the first verse and refrain) were as follows:

Allons enfants de la Patrie,

Le jour de gloire est arrivé !

Contre nous de la tyrannie

L'étendard sanglant est levé,

Entendez-vous dans les campagnes

Mugir ces féroces soldats ?

Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras

Égorger vos fils, vos compagnes !

Aux armes, citoyens,

Formez vos bataillons,

Marchons, marchons !

Qu'un sang impurAbreuve nos sillons !

(Arise, children of the Fatherland,

The day of glory has arrived!

Against us, of tyranny

The blood-stained standard is raised,

Do you hear in the countryside,

Those blood-thirsty soldiers ablare?

They're coming right into your arms

To tear the throats of your sons, your wives!

To arms, citizens,

Form up your battalions

March on, march on!

Let blood impure

Water our furrows)

Rouget de Lisle was posted in Strasbourg when he penned these lines. But the song took off as a rallying cry on the streets of Marseille, where fédérés (volunteers for the National Guard) set off towards Paris under Minister of War Joseph Servan’s plan to consolidate the troops in the French capital. This centralisation of the military further fanned the flames of the song's popularity, such that it quickly became the de facto anthem of the Revolution, and the official national anthem of the French republic in 1795.

When Napoleon came to power, the anthem was jettisoned in favour of Veillons au Salut de l’Empire (Let’s Ensure the Salvation of the Empire), perhaps because, as some historians have suggested, Napoleon feared that the song's revolutionary power might be weaponised against his government. Others have suggested that it reminded him of the massacre of the Swiss Guard in 1792, while others have offered a simpler reason: that Rouget de Lisle had an affair with Napoleon's wife, prompting Bonaparte to replace the anthem out of revenge. He did not officially ban the song, though, as is commonly believed, which is perhaps why it remained popular during - and after - his rule.

The new monarchy did not last, and neither did the new song. After the July Revolution in 1830, the Marseillaise once again became the country's national anthem, before being replaced again by Partant pour la Syrie (Departing for Syria) during the reign of Napoleon III. Only in 1871 did the Marseillaise became the country's anthem for the third time, and it hasn't been replaced since.

Today, La Marseillaise has protected status in France, meaning it is an offence to parody or mock the song. Teaching the song in schools is mandatory across France, and it remains nearly ubiquitous in everyday life, being sung at presidential, sports and ceremonial events, especially on Bastille Day.

The song has attracted some controversy in recent years. Some critics point to the song's violent imagery - which you can see the from the example of the first verse above. After all, it was originally a war song. Indeed, in 1992 a campaign involving over a hundred respected French individuals was launched to change the song’s lyrics, but it was ultimately unsuccessful.

As it stands, La Marseillaise remains the country’s national anthem, and has even inspired the lyrics and melodies of the national anthems of other countries, such as Portugal, Cuba, Venezuela and Romania. Musicians who have adapted the tune in their own works include Wagner, Schumann, Shostakovich, Satie and even the Beatles - a legacy that no other national anthem is able to boast.