Claude Channes

Mao Mao

1967 · Fontana 460 227 · France

Artist
Claude Channes
Title
Mao Mao
Release
Mao-Mao
Year
1967
Label
Fontana # 460 227
Format
7"
Language
French
Country
France
Genre
Pop · Pop
Primary theme
Peace, Protest & Anti-War

Annotation

Claude Channes, born on 27 April 1943 in Grenoble, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. This EP featured the song "Mao-Mao", as part of the soundtrack to the film La Chinoise, ou plutôt à la Chinoise: un film en train de se faire [The Chinese, or Rather to the Chinese: A Film in the Making], directed by Jean-Luc Godard. For the full soundtrack see: La chinoise. The song is about Mao Zedong, leader of the People's Republic of China from its foundation until his death in 1976. It references Vietnam in the first line, as well as US president Lyndon B. Johnson, and chemical weapon Napalm B - a jellied gasoline mixture, with polystyrene, benzene, and gasoline. Declared a war-crime since 1980, the US government extensively used this weapon during the Vietnam conflict, dropping 388,000 tons on Indochina between 1963 and 1973. (1) (2) (3), "Vietnam burns... Johnson laughs... cities are dying... napalm runs... the Yanks kill". This song is a protest against the Vietnam conflict, the Cold War, war, imperialism, and blindly following dictators. Note the reference to North Vietnamese general and politician Võ Nguyên Giáp.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — European Songs

Claude Channes, born on 27 April 1943 in Grenoble, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. This EP featured the song "Mao-Mao", as part of the soundtrack to the film La Chinoise, ou plutôt à la Chinoise: un film en train de se faire [The Chinese, or Rather to the Chinese: A Film in the Making], directed by Jean-Luc Godard. For the full soundtrack see: La chinoise. The song is about Mao Zedong, leader of the People's Republic of China from its foundation until his death in 1976. It references Vietnam in the first line, as well as US president Lyndon B. Johnson, and chemical weapon Napalm B - a jellied gasoline mixture, with polystyrene, benzene, and gasoline. Declared a war-crime since 1980, the US government extensively used this weapon during the Vietnam conflict, dropping 388,000 tons on Indochina between 1963 and 1973. (1) (2) (3), "Vietnam burns... Johnson laughs... cities are dying... napalm runs... the Yanks kill". This song is a protest against the Vietnam conflict, the Cold War, war, imperialism, and blindly following dictators. Also note the reference to North Vietnamese general and politician Võ Nguyên Giáp.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

French singer born Jean-Claude Champon, best known for the 1968 protest song 'Mao Mao' from Jean-Luc Godard's film La Chinoise. [Source: Wikipedia; Discogs]

Themes

Anti-War · LBJ · Napalm

In collections

European Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs