"La Mer" is a song written by French composer, lyricist,

singer and showman Charles Trenet (1913 – 2001).

Trenet wrote the lyrics of "La Mer" on a train in 1943 while travelling

along the FrenchMediterranean coast, returning from Paris to Narbonne,

supposedly in ten minutes, on toilet paper supplied by SNCF. He was assisted

with the tune by Leo Chauliac. It was originally published by Raoul Breton.

It was not until 1946 that Trenet recorded the song, since neither he nor the people

around him believed the song to be anything special or particularly original.

When he released "La Mer" in 1946 it turned out, however, to be an unexpected hit

and has remained a chansonclassic ever since.

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