# Anyone know this French song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 23, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-this-french-song/230744 "2004-02-23T21:13:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ryanbobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ryanbobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryanbobo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-this-french-song/230744/1 "2004-02-23T21:13:49Z")
I believe this song was originally a WWII song, but was then turned into a protest song (I could very well be wrong on this point). I heard some people singing it at a socialist rally in Paris last summer. Unfortunately, my French is very poor, so I could not understand the lyrics, but I’m pretty sure I remembered how part of the refrain went (spelled phonetically): “MON-tee-vay, MON-tee-vay…” I’ve tried google searches on all of the different ways I can think of to spell it (montiver, montivez, montivet, mantivez, mon tivez, etc.) and searches on “French war songs” or “French protest songs” with no luck. Any French dopers or expats in France able to help me out? I really appreciate any help. ---
**Author:** ![Ruiniform](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9de053/32.png) [@Ruiniform](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruiniform)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-this-french-song/230744/2 "2004-02-23T22:54:58Z")
This is just a really out there guess, but could it be “Mont Hiver”, Mount Winter? That’s just what I’d think of first if I’d heard that phoneticism. ---
**Author:** ![supernerd23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@supernerd23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supernerd23)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-this-french-song/230744/3 "2004-02-24T05:10:49Z")
> [@ryanbobo](#): > > I believe this song was originally a WWII song, but was then turned into a protest song (I could very well be wrong on this point). I heard some people singing it at a socialist rally in Paris last summer. Unfortunately, my French is very poor, so I could not understand the lyrics, but I’m pretty sure I remembered how part of the refrain went (spelled phonetically): > > “MON-tee-vay, MON-tee-vay…” > > I’ve tried google searches on all of the different ways I can think of to spell it (montiver, montivez, montivet, mantivez, mon tivez, etc.) and searches on “French war songs” or “French protest songs” with no luck. Any French dopers or expats in France able to help me out? I really appreciate any help. Hello Ryanbobo, Of course you were far off… However, this song was written by a politically active group from the city of Toulouse (South of France, also dubbed “la ville rose”, “the pink city”, due to its buildings, but that’s quite a digression) called Zebda. The chorus goes “Motivés, motivés Il faut rester motivés ! Motivés, motivés Il faut se motiver ! Motivés, motivés Soyons motivés ! Motivés, motivés Motivés, motivés !” and is now commonly used as a slogan. You may find the full text at [www.paroles.net](http://www.paroles.net). Hope this helps! Salut! ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-this-french-song/230744/4 "2004-02-24T06:13:25Z")
**Supernerd23** , welcome to SDMB! How nice that your first post is to help someone out. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-this-french-song/230744/5 "2004-02-24T09:08:47Z")
> [@supernerd23](#): > > Of course you were far off… However, this song was written by a politically active group from the city of Toulouse (South of France, also dubbed “la ville rose”, “the pink city”, due to its buildings, but that’s quite a digression) called Zebda. The chorus goes "Motivés, motivés Actually, **ryanbobo** wasn’t that far off. Zebda’s song _motivés_ is an adaptation of a WWII resistance song called [Le chant des partisans](http://revoltes.free.fr/article.php?id_article=15). The original song, written by Maurice Druon and Joseph Kesse on music by Anna Marly, was used as the musical theme to a French programme that was broadcasted on the BBC in 1943-44. Druon and Kesse were active members of the resistance who went on to become famous novellists and members of the Académie Française. Druon even did a stint as culture minister. _Le chant des partisans_ does not feature the chorus “motivés, motivés” so it’s indeed the Zebda song that you heard. ---
**Author:** ![ryanbobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ryanbobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryanbobo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-this-french-song/230744/6 "2004-02-24T14:49:41Z")
Wow, merci beaucoup! I’ll look it up.