If you enjoy Steyn's Song of the Week at SteynOnline and on Serenade Radio, please note that there will be a live stage edition during the 2026 Mark Steyn Cruise - along with many other favourite features from SteynOnline and The Mark Steyn Show.
~After last weekend's edition of Mark Steyn on the Town, we received, as we always do, several comments about "Roses of Picardy". So, on this weekend after Armistice Day/Remembrance Day/Veterans Day, we are pleased to present what is becoming an annual tradition here at SteynOnline - a reprise of a special audio edition of Steyn's Song of the Week first broadcast fourteen years ago in which Mark celebrates his favourite parlour ballad of the Great War.
Along the way, Steyn also nods to other songs of the First World War and tells the story of Fred Weatherly's other enduring hit, "Danny Boy". And we'll hear "Roses of Picardy" in various styles from English barrack-room ballad to Vegas swinger, hot jazz to pop synth, amid recordings by Jo Stafford, the Platters, Yves Montand, and Harry Connick Jr. The climax of this audio presentation is, when Mark's friend Monique Fauteux joins him for a live summation of the song's century-old history - which Steyn sings partially in French, because singing in French is something to which he's partial. Monique has sung with everyone from Quebec's legendary progressive rock band Harmonium to the great Charles Trenet, so duetting with Mark is quite a comedown for her, but she's awfully sporting about it.
To listen to this show, simply click above.
~This airing of our audio Song of the Week is a special presentation of The Mark Steyn Club. Thank you for your kind responses to this series.
~This audio edition includes material from Mark's essay on "Roses Of Picardy" in his book A Song For The Season, personally autographed copies of which are exclusively available from the Steyn store. If you like Mark and Monique's take on the song, it's available on his CD Goldfinger. And don't forget, if you're a Mark Steyn Club member, you can enjoy special member pricing on those and over 40 other books, CD and other products at the Steyn Store just by entering your special promo code at checkout.
If you appreciate our Sunday Song of the Week, we now have an audio companion, on Serenade Radio in the UK. You can listen to the show from anywhere on the planet by clicking the button in the top right corner here. It airs thrice a week:
5.30pm London Sunday (12.30pm New York)
5.30am London Monday (2.30pm Sydney)
9pm London Thursday (1pm Vancouver)
As we always say, membership in the Steyn Club isn't for everybody, and it doesn't affect access to Song of the Week and our other regular content, but one thing it does give you is the right to wage a war to end all wars on Mark all over our comments section. So, if you're a Club member and feel strongly that your roads should be far apart, then feel free to open fire in the comments. For more on The Mark Steyn Club, see here.