"Le but" by Loco Locass

Loco Locass is a popular Québécois hip hop band. Their lyrics are amazingly rich. They are famous for their political stance, ferociously in favor of Québec's sovereignty. Their song Libérez-nous des Libéraux [Google translation] was a tremendous hit in 2004; click here to listen to it. Unfortunately, there lays the appreciation of their work in the minds of many English-speakers.

One thing I like in particular about their contribution to the sovereignty debate is their very open perspective on what Québec society should be. Us, you, them, we... you know... the thing about being a pure laine or not. In their song Engouement, they sing:On peut être pour toutes les indépendances, j’ai tendance à penser que quand surgira la nôtre, même ceux qui se sentent pas des nôtres ne nous voyant plus à genoux seront plus que jamais chez eux, chez nous.In other words, "We can be for independence in all its forms, I tend to believe that when ours will come, even those who don't feel part of us, watching us stand up, will be more than ever at home, with us." Of course, the rhythm of the words was lost in translation.

More recently, Loco Locass wrote a hockey song, Le but [Google translation]. As usual, it's sparkled with references to their political stance, but above all, it's a rallying song for all the Québécois, including those who aren't of French descent.

A recent article in the Globe and Mail points to a controversy about the lyrics. The article underlines that the song speaks of the old glory days, a time "so long ago that Francophones still called themselves Canadiens." Incidentally, the correct translation should drop the word "still" and read: "so long ago that Francophones called themselves Canadiens." Yes, of course... le Club de hockey Canadien was founded in a period when French Canadians didn't have much to be proud of, in a period when English-speakers still considered themselves British North Americans and pretty much controlled everything in Montréal. The idea of an all Canadien team was precisely aimed at exploiting that feeling among French-speakers.

The article also underlines that the song refers to that annual heartbreak that is so familiar to Habs fans, they say they have faith, and "like René said, 'next time.'" Why shouldn't it?...



Le but is an uplifting ode to an important part of what has shifted from a French Canadian to a Québécois pride. There's nothing controversial about that.