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The French national anthem, "La Marseillaise," owes its title to the enthusiasm of the men of Marseilles, France, who sang it when they marched into Paris at the outset of the French Revolution.

Rouget de l'Isle, composer of the anthem, was an artillery officer. According to his account, he fell asleep at a harpsichord and dreamt the words and the music. Upon waking, he remembered the entire piece from his dream and immediately wrote it down.