France was recorded by the Grateful Dead but never performed live. Robert Hunter comments on the writing of this song in Box Of Rain: Lyrics 1965 - 1993;
France was written to tapes of a joyous afternoon Latin jam at Mickey Hart's ranch, the same jam that spawned Molly Dee and Northeast by West. It was recorded by the Dead with abbreviated lyrics and a very different feel.
Recordings
Shakedown Street, Grateful Dead, 1978 Single (Shakedown Street / France), Grateful Dead, 1979 Grateful Dead Sampler, Various Artists, 1978 Beyond Description, Grateful Dead, 2004