Son ar chistr

"Son ar chistr" (lit. 'Song of cider', also called "Ev chistr ’ta Laou!", lit. 'Drink cider, Laou!') is a traditional song of Brittany, whose words in Breton were written in 1929 by two Morbihan teenagers Jean Bernard and Jean-Marie Prima. The melody was brought to prominence through a 1970 interpretation by Breton singer and harpist Alan Stivell, and also in 1976 by the Dutch band Bots under the name "Zeven dagen lang".

History

In June 1976, a Dutch interpretation of Son ar chistr was released by the Dutch peacenik band Bots under the title Zeven Dagen Lang, seeing widescale popularity in the Netherlands and both West and East Germany, reaching number 23 in charts in the Netherlands. The song was released on the album Voor God En Vaderland, an ironic title chosen to mock the pro-NATO rhetoric in the Netherlands at the time. The Bots version of the song was not a direct translation, but included a political message in line with the direction of the band.

Following this success, Bots attended the Festival of Political Songs in East Germany for several years - a festival organised by the FDJ and East German band Oktoberklub. A year later, Oktoberklub would release their own variant of the song, this time calling for revolutionary solidarity and in support of the exiled Chilean communist leader Luis Corvalan. After Bots performed at the festival Rock Gegen Rechts in 1979, the band released a version in German a year later, assisted in translation by writers including Wolf Biermann, Hanns Dieter Hüsch, Hannes Wader and Günter Wallraff.

Through the political orientation of both Bots and Oktoberklub, Was Wollen Wir Trinken was used in numerous demonstrations during the European Peace Marches of the 1980s. With the popularity of both releases from Bots and Oktoberklub, both groups with significant influences in the folk music scene, the song became a staple of folk groups around the world and has been translated into many languages.

On the Runet, the German version of the song is often falsely believed to be associated with the Luftwaffe. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the song became popular with Ukrainian units operating in the Donbass region, likely unaware of its previous political connotations.

Recordings

The song is still used by folk groups around the world and has been translated into many languages. Though many groups keep the popular motif, the lyrics sometimes differ completely from the original. Selected recordings include:

• Elen Guychard - Tudjentil Baod (1940)
• Kevrenn Saint-Malo & Jacques Malard - Ev Chistr Ta Laou! Skaer (1959)
• Alan Stivell — Son Ar Chistr (1970)
• Bots — Zeven dagen lang (1976)
• Frida Boccara — La Mariée (1976)
• Oktoberklub — Was wollen wir trinken (1977)
• Bots — Sieben Tage lang (1980)
• Angelo Branduardi — Gulliver (1980)
• The Chieftains — Ev Chistr 'Ta, Laou! (1987)
• De Höhner — Was wollen wir trinken sieben Tage lang (1995)
• The Pitcher - Drink (1997)
• Rapalje — Wat zullen we drinken (1998)
• Scooter — How Much Is the Fish? (1998), (2006)
• Alexander Pushnoy — Почём Камбала? (1999)
• Onkel Tom Angelripper — Medley Aus 6 Liedern (1999)
• Mervent — Ev Sistr (2001)
• Luar Na Lubre — Espiral (2002)
• Blackmore’s Night — All For One (2003)
• Adorned Brood — 7 Tage Lang (2006)
• Ray Fisher, Martin Carthy - Willie's Lady (2006)
• Mickie Krause — Jan Pillemann Otze (2008)
• K.I.Z — Was kostet der Fisch (2009)
• Meldis — Son ar Sistr (2010)
• Tikkey A. Shelyen — Во славу сидра (2011)
• Tom Angelripper (Sodom) — Was wollen wir trinken (2011)
• Discharger — The Price Of Justice (2012)
• Basslovers United — Drunken (2012)
• Tony Junior — Twerk Anthem (2013)
• Anaïs Mitchell, Jefferson Hamer — Willie's Lady (Child 6) (2013)
• Eluveitie — Lvgvs (2017)
• dArtagnan — Was wollen wir trinken (2017)
• Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike — The Chase (2020)
• dArtagnan — We're gonna be drinking (2022)

Bibliography

• (in French) A. Stivell et J-N Verdier, Telenn, la Harpe Bretonne, 2004, p. 123
• (in French) Frédéric Prima, «Son ar chistr. Une chanson qui fait le tour du monde», dans Musique bretonne no 173, juillet 2002, p. 36-37
• (in French) Jean-Marie Prima, «Aux origines d'une chanson... Son ar chistr», dans Musique bretonne no 136, juillet 1995, p. 22-24