Chanson de geste (French: “song of deeds”) are Old French epic poems forming the core of the Charlemagne legends. More than 80 chansons, most of them thousands of lines long, survive in manuscripts dating from the 12th to the 15th century and they tell of heroic feats and bravery in battle. In 1966, America had it’s own chanson de geste courtesy of one Barry Sadler, an Army medic. His song, The Ballad of the Green Berets, occupied the number one position on music charts for that entire year because there was no anti-Viet Nam war movement yet. Mr Sadler’s life, by contrast, was gruesome and included murder - twice.
© 2024 John Oliver
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