Songs and Their Stories

Discover the stories behind the songs in this Section.

In the seventeenth century, people in the streets often learned about the scandalous private lives of royalty and the powerful by listening to street songs.

"I was taught a song which made me laugh [...]. I hear them in the streets"

"On m'a appris une chanson qui m'a fait rire [...]. Je les entends dans les rues"

(Marquise de Sévigné, 24 November 1678)

Writing and singing songs on the Pont-Neuf was a risky business, as police spies were placed on the bridge to monitor the content of politically subversive or morally dubious songs. It is therefore little surprise that so many of the songs pointed out the need to maintain anonymity.