Why Fire! Chatterton sings “The Red Poster” in tribute to Missak Manouchian

During the pantheonization of Missak Manouchian, Arthur Teboul and his group Feu! Chatterton will cover "The Red Poster", by Léo Ferré.

"You have not claimed any glory, nor tears. Neither the organ, nor prayer to the dying" : Missak Manouchian enters the Panthéon, this Wednesday, February 21, 80 years to the day after her execution by the Nazis at Mont Val&eacute ;Nothing. A tribute ceremony to this communist resistance fighter, orphan of the Armenian genocide, who will rest in the Parisian building alongside Mé Lined his wife, also a resistance fighter under the Occupation, who died in 1989.

During this pantheonization ceremony, the Parisian group Feu! Chatterton, taken away by Arthur Teboul, will pay tribute to Missak Manouchian and the 22 other foreign resistance fighters, shot at the hospital. his side and honored this Wednesday, by performing the song L'annonce rouge, borrowed from Léo Ferré. Released in 1961, the title, composedé by the latter, was é initially interpreted; by Monique Morelli. Its words are directly inspired by a poem written by Louis Aragon in 1955, Strophes to remember , itself inspired by of the last words of  Missak Manouchian à his wife, Mélinée, before his death.

In his song, which participatedé &agrav; making it popular in the 1960s, Léo Ferré evokes these resistance fighters of the FTP-MOI – francs-tireurs and partisans-immigrant labor – who became martyrs, shot ;s for having defended France against the Nazis and their exactions. "There were 20 and 3 when the guns flourished. 20 and 3 who gave their c&oelig Ours before time. 20 and 3 strangers and our brothers nonetheless. 20 and 3 lovers of life ;agrave; die of it. 20 and 3 who shouted France as they fell", sang Léo Ferré before Arthur Teboul and the many artists who took up L'annonce rouge.

"This song means a lot to us" – Fire! Chatterton

The choice of the Fire group! Chatterton to cover this song during the pantheonization of Missak Manouchian seemed logical. During his last tour, the Parisians closed the game. each of their concerts with this title, before releasing a single and collector's vinyl version. "À on the occasion of the entry into the Panthéon of Missak Manouchian, the record label of Léo Ferré and his son Mathieu, offered us release a vinyl that would bring together our two versions of l'Affiche rouge. The master's and ours, writes the group on Instagram.

And to add: "This song, whose text by Louis Aragon takes up the words of Missak Manouchian in her last letter à his wife, Méliné, just before being shot; by the Nazis at Mont Valérien, means a lot to us. Those who came to see us on tour know it, we played it every evening, overwhelmed by the words of the poet and their disturbing resonance with our times. We therefore accepted with a hint of pride this proposal. Continue to bring to life the memory of these resistance fighters, of these immigrants who fought for France, and appear on a Ferr& ;eacute; at the same time, ça represents something."