National Anthem of Québec (Canada): Gens du pays

FRANÇAIS: Gens du pays est une chanson dont les paroles sont de Gilles Vigneault et la musique de Gaston Rochon et Gilles Vigneault. Elle est considérée par beaucoup de Québécois comme l’hymne national de facto du Québec. ENGLISH: “Gens du pays“ has been called the unofficial national anthem of Quebec. Written by poet, songwriter, and avowed Quebec nationalist Gilles Vigneault (with music co-written by Gaston Rochon), it was first performed by Vigneault on June 24, 1975 during a concert on Montreal’s Mount Royal at that year’s Fête nationale du Québec ceremony. It quickly became a folk classic, and it has been played frequently at Fête nationale ceremonies since then. In French Canada, a modified version of the chorus is often sung to celebrate a person, for example on a birthday (in the specific case of the birthday, the idea was explicitly introduced by Gilles Vigneault, Yvon Deschamps and Louise Forestier at the song’s 1975 introduction.