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"It was a country song, but back then, country songs didn’t have socially charged lyrics about mass movements."
Comme un million de gens
  • Year Inducted: 2008
  • Written In: 1966
Songwriters
Claude Dubois Songwriter
Artists
Lynda Lemay
Les Lavigueur
In 1966, with two albums already under his belt, a young Claude Dubois flew to Paris to record some of his new songs, including the iconic Comme un million de gens.

This socially inspired song describes the poverty and hardship faced in the 1960s by many Quebec families, including that of the songwriter himself. Dubois paints a faithful portrait of the political landscape during a time when the province was still under the firm grip of the Catholic Church, and when many of its residents felt that they lacked the education to challenge the English Canadian-dominated business world. The song thus reflects the deep economic, social and environmental changes affecting the life conditions and quality of thousands of Quebec families.

After returning home from France, Claude Dubois experienced his first chart-topping success with this song, which delivered a powerful social and political message on the rock-flavoured catchy rhythm of the period.

During the 1970s, Comme un million de gens became the flagship song of the Quebec labour movement and was sung, literally, by millions of people.

Comme un million de gens was most recently covered by Lynda Lemay as part of the tribute album Duos Dubois.

In 1994, Comme un million de gens became a SOCAN Classic after reaching over 25,000 airplays.

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Comme un million de gens (Claude Dubois) - performed by Claude Dubois
"Comme un million de gens" performed by Dubois at the 2008 CSHF Induction Ceremony.
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    Inducted Songs
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