The Sand and the Soldier

at the Bir Gifgafa Airfield (June 1967). In 1967, Avraham Scherman, cultural advisor to the Israeli Embassy in Paris, asked the then-little-known Serge Gainsbourg to compose a new military march intended to boost the morale of the IDF troops, on the eve of anticipated violent combat. In early June 1967, Gainsbourg wrote the song in French and then translated it into Hebrew. During the night of June 6–7, he recorded a French-language demo version, lasting less than two minutes, accompanied by an electric organ. Subsequently, the Kol Record label produced and recorded the Hebrew adaptation, titled Al Holot Israel, performed by the IDF choir, named Leakat Magav. == Theme ==

The lyrics, Zionist and militant in nature, sharply contrast with Gainsbourg's usual repertoire. They include numerous references to Jewish culture, such as David, Goliath... Upon its first broadcast, the lyrics surprised many. The magazine Tribune juive wrote: "[…] And yet, Gainsbourg was not attached to Israel. In fact, he never set foot there. And when he spoke of his roots, he preferred to mention his parents’ Russia. Maybe in this song he confesses what he never dared say? [...] Nobody imagined Gainsbourg, although he never hid being Jewish — ‘I was born under a lucky… yellow star,’ he said — would have written such a committed song for the young State of Israel following the Six-Day War and the liberation of Jerusalem..." == References ==