While the song “City of New Orleans” is all about America and its Israeli version is all about Israel, the French lyrics don’t mention France.  Nationalism has not been widely admired in France for quite some time.  But “Salut les Amoureux,” the song’s French version as performed by Joe Dassin, does give us a dose of tension relating to the narrator.  It’s a good French existentialist tension that takes the form of observing your own behavior detachedly.