A ''chanson'' (, "song", from Latin ''cantio'') is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" (male) or "chanteuse" (female); a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.

''Chanson de geste''

The earliest ''chansons'' were the epic poems performed to simple monophonic melodies by a professional class of ''jongleurs'' or ''ménestrels''. These usually recounted the famous deeds (''geste'') of past heroes, legendary and semi-historical. The ''Song of Roland'' is the most famous of these, but in general the ''chansons de geste'' are studied as literature since very little of their music survives.

''Chanson courtoise''

The ''chanson courtoise'' or ''grand chant'' was an early form of monophonic ''chanson'', the chief lyric poetic genre of the trouvères. It was an adaptation to Old French of the Occitan ''canso''. It was practised in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Thematically, as its name implies, it was a song of courtly love, written usually by a man to his noble lover. Some later ''chansons'' were polyphonic and some had refrains and were called ''chansons avec des refrains''. A Crusade song was known as a ''chanson de croisade''.

Burgundian ''chanson''

In its typical specialised usage, the word ''chanson'' refers to a polyphonic French song of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Early ''chansons'' tended to be in one of the ''formes fixes''—ballade, rondeau or virelai (formerly the ''chanson baladée'')—though some composers later set popular poetry in a variety of forms. The earliest chansons were for two, three or four voices, with first three becoming the norm, expanding to four voices by the sixteenth century. Sometimes, the singers were accompanied by instruments.

The first important composer of ''chansons'' was Guillaume de Machaut, who composed three-voice works in the ''formes fixes'' during the 14th century. Guillaume Dufay and Gilles Binchois, who wrote so-called Burgundian ''chansons'' (because they were from the area known as Burgundy), were the most important chanson composers of the next generation (c. 1420-1470). Their chansons while somewhat simple in style, are also generally in three voices with a structural tenor.

Parisian ''chanson''

Later 15th- and early 16th-century figures in the genre included Johannes Ockeghem and Josquin des Prez, whose works cease to be constrained by ''formes fixes'' and begin to feature a similar pervading imitation to that found in contemporary motets and liturgical music. At mid-century, Claudin de Sermisy and Clément Janequin were composers of so-called Parisian ''chansons'', which also abandoned the ''formes fixes'' and were in a simpler, more homophonic style, sometimes featuring music that was meant to be evocative of certain imagery. Many of these Parisian works were published by Pierre Attaingnant. Composers of their generation, as well as later composers, such as Orlando de Lassus, were influenced by the Italian madrigal. Many early instrumental works were ornamented variations (diminutions) on chansons, with this genre becoming the canzone, a progenitor of the sonata.

The first book of sheet music printed from movable type was ''Harmonice Musices Odhecaton'', a collection of ninety-six chansons by many composers, published in Venice in 1501 by Ottaviano Petrucci.

Modern ''chanson''

French solo song developed in the late 16th century, probably from the aforementioned Parisian works. During the 17th century, the ''air de cour'', ''chanson pour boire'' and other like genres, generally accompanied by lute or keyboard, flourished, with contributions by such composers as Antoine Boesset, Denis Gaultier, Michel Lambert and Michel-Richard de Lalande.

During the 18th century, vocal music in France was dominated by Opera, but solo song underwent a renaissance in the 19th century, first with salon melodies, but by mid-century with highly sophisticated works influenced by the German Lieder which had been introduced into the country. Louis Niedermeyer, under the particular spell of Schubert, was a pivotal figure in this movement, followed by Édouard Lalo, Felicien David and many others.

Another offshoot of ''chanson'' called ''chanson réaliste'' (realist song), was a popular musical genre in France, primarily from the 1880s until the end of World War II. Born of the ''cafés-concerts'' and cabarets of the Montmartre district of Paris and influenced by literary realism and the naturalist movements in literature and theatre, ''chanson réaliste'' was a musical style which was mainly performed by women and dealt with the lives of Paris's poor and working class. Some of the more well-known performers of the genre include Damia, Fréhel and Édith Piaf.

Later 19th-century composers of French song, called either mélodie or chanson, included Ernest Chausson, Emmanuel Chabrier, Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy, while many 20th-century French composers have continued this strong tradition.

''Chanson'' today

In France today "chanson" typically refers to the music of singers such as Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, Édith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Barbara, Léo Ferré, Mireille Mathieu and Serge Gainsbourg. Chanson can be distinguished from the rest of French "pop" music by following the rhythms of French language, rather than those of English.

See also

Shanson - Russian criminal song genre

External links

Popular French Music: A website about well known french modern ''chanson'' for English-speaking people.

References

Brown, Howard Mayer, et al. "Chanson." In ''Grove Music Online''. ''Oxford Music Online''.

Dobbins, Frank. "Chanson." In ''The Oxford Companion to Music'', edited by Alison Latham. ''Oxford Music Online''.

Michail Scherbakov. Russian Сhanson. "Deja."

Grout, Donald Jay, and Palisca, Claude V. (2001). ''A History of Western Music'', 6th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-97527-4.

Category:French music Category:Medieval music Category:Renaissance music Category:Song forms

cs:Šanson de:Chanson et:Šansoon el:Σανσόν es:Chanson eo:Ŝansono fr:Chanson française ko:샹송 hr:Šansona it:Chanson he:שאנסון ka:შანსონი hu:Sanzon nl:Chanson ja:シャンソン no:Chanson nn:Chanson pap:Chanson pl:Chanson pt:Chanson ru:Шансон simple:Chanson sk:Šansón sl:Šanson sr:Шансона fi:Chanson sv:Chanson uk:Шансон zh:香颂

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
name	Jacques Brel
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jacques Romain Georges Brel
birth date	April 08, 1929
birth place	Schaarbeek, Belgium
death date	October 09, 1978
death place	Bobigny, France
resting place	Calvary Cemetery, Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands
genre	Chanson
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actor
years active	1953–1978
label	Philips Records, Barclay Records, Universal Records
website	www.jacquesbrel.be }}

Jacques Brel (; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed an impressive catalog of literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. Although he recorded most of his songs in French, he became a major influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers such as David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many top performers in the United States, including Ray Charles, Judy Collins, John Denver, the Kingston Trio, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, and Andy Williams.

In French-speaking countries, Brel was also a successful actor, appearing in ten films. He also directed two films, one of which, ''Le Far West'', was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973. Jacques Brel has sold over 25 million records worldwide, and is the third best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time.

Early years

Jacques Romain Georges Brel was born on 8 April 1929 in Schaarbeek, Belgium, a district of Brussels to Romain Brel and Elisabeth Lambertine Brel. Although his family spoke French, they were of Flemish descent, with some of the family originating from Zandvoorde, near Ypres. His father worked in an import-export firm, and later became co-director of a company that manufactured cardboard cartons. Jacques and his older brother Pierre grew up in an austere family atmosphere, attending a Catholic primary school run by the Saint-Viateur Brothers, and local Scout troop meetings. They lived at 138 Avenue du Diamant in Schaerbeek, one of the 19 Brussels communes. Jacques was close to his mother, fascinated by her generosity and sense of humor, which he inherited.

In 1941, his parents enrolled Jacques at the Saint-Louis College, at rue du Marais, near the Botanical Garden of Brussels. Although he did poorly in many subjects, he showed a talent for writing essays. He helped set up the Saint-Louis College Drama Club, and took on his first stage roles with great enthusiasm. He also wrote short stories and poems. In 1944, at the age of 15, Jacques began playing the guitar. The following year, he began forming his own theatre group with friends and writing plays.

Brel was never a good student, failing many of his exams. In August 1947, at the age of 18, Jacques went to work in the father's packaging business. To offset the boredom of his daily office routine, he joined a local Catholic youth organization, La Franche Cordée, which was dedicated to philanthropic work. In 1948, Brel also enrolled for part-time military service. By 1949, Brel become president of La Franche Cordée, and produced a number of benefit plays for the organization, including Saint Exupéry's ''Le Petit Prince''.

While working at La Franche Cordée, Brel met his future wife, Thérèse Michielsen, known to her friends as Miche. On 1 June 1950, Jacques and Miche were married at Laeken, a Brussels commune. On 6 December 1951, Miche gave birth to their first daughter, Chantal.

Music career

1953–1959

In 1952, Brel began writing songs and performing them at family gatherings and in Brussels' cabaret circuit. His family and friends were not supportive of Brel's stark lyrics and violent, emotional performances. That year he performed on a local radio station for the first time.

In January 1953, Brel performed at the cabaret La Rose Noire in Brussels. In February he signed a contract with Philips Records and recorded his first 78 rpm record, "La Foire", which was released in March. The talent scout and artistic director at the record company, Jacques Canetti, invited Brel to move to Paris. Despite his family's objections and the added pressure of a second daughter, France, born on 12 July, Brel left Brussels for Paris in the fall of 1953.

In Paris, Brel worked hard to get his career off the ground. He stayed at the Hotel Stevens and gave guitar lessons to artist-dancer Francesco Frediani to pay his rent. He found work on the cabaret circuit at venues such as L'Ecluse, L'Echelle de Jacob, and in Jacques Canetti's cabaret Les Trois Baudets.

In 1954, Brel competed in the music contest "Grand Prix de la Chanson" in Knokke-le-Zoute, finishing a disappointing 27th out of 28 participants. One positive result of the experience was that the French star Juliette Gréco requested to sing one of Brel's songs, "Ça va le diable", at her upcoming concert at the prestigious Olympia music-hall. She went on to record the song that spring. In July 1954, Brel made his first appearance at the prestigious Olympia Theatre in Paris. That summer, Brel embarked on his first French tour, appearing on the bill with French singers Dario Moreno, Philippe Clay, and Catherine Sauvage. By the end of the year, Philips released his debut album, a nine-song, 10" LP called ''Jacques Brel et Ses Chansons''.

In February 1955, Brel met Georges Pasquier (known as Jojo) who would become the singer's closest friend, manager, and personal chauffeur. He began singing with a number of Christian associations, which later led to his being called, "Abbé Brel". In March, Brel's wife and children joined him in France and the family settled in the Paris suburb of Montreuil-sous-Bois at the rue du Moulin à Vent. In June, Brel toured France again with Canetti's "Les Filles de Papa", which included Françoise Dorin, Perette Soumlex, and Suzanne Gabriello.

In March 1956, Brel performed in North Africa, Amsterdam, Lausanne, and throughout Belgium. In May 1956, Brel achieved his commercial breakthrough with his song "Quand On n'a Que l'Amour" ("If We Only Have Love"), released on his second album ''Quand On n'a Que l'Amour'', an EP record. The song reached number three on the French music charts. In July 1956, while visiting Grenoble, Brel met François Rauber, a classical pianist who would become his accompanist on future recordings. Rauber played a major role in providing Brel with the formal musical training he was lacking, and was responsible for Brel's musical arrangements.

In February 1957, Brel performed at the Alhambra Theatre with Maurice Chevalier, Michel Legrand, and ballet dancer Zizi Jeanmaire. In June 1957, Brel won the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque from the Académie Charles Cros. In September 1957, Brel appeared on the bill in the Discorama programmme "Au Palace d'Avignon" with Raymond Devos, Pierre-Jean Vaillard, and Les Trois Ménestrels. And in November 1957, Brel met pianist Gérard Jouannest, another talented pianist, who would accompany Brel during his live concerts. Brel and Jouannest would also collaborate on many of Brel's future classic songs, such as "Madeleine", "La chanson des vieux amants", and "Les Vieux".

In February 1958, Brel's wife Miche and their two children returned to live in Belgium, while Brel rented a room near Place de Clichy in Paris — a place to stay on those rare occasions when he was not touring. In March and April, Brel recorded his third album, ''Au Printemps''. In May, while touring Canada for the first time, Brel met Félix Leclerc. On August 23, Brel's third daughter, Isabelle, was born back in Belgium. In November, Brel gave a recital at the Halles d'Arlon in Luxembourg with Stéphane Steeman. And in December, Brel appeared at the Olympia as the supporting act to Philippe Clay. The pianist Gérard Jouannest and François Rauber joined Brel on stage for this performance. Brel's incredibly emotional performance brought the house down.

In January 1959, Brel signed a new recording contract with Philips Records. He continued to tour extensively throughout the year. On 22 February, Brel performed at the Bolivie Gala in the Solvay Casino in Couillet. In March, he starred at the "Trois Baudets" with Serge Gainsbourg. In September 1959, Brel recorded his fourth album, ''La Valse à Mille Temps''. During one session, on 14 September, he recorded the songs "La valse à 1000 temps" and "Les flamandes" with François Rauber and his orchestra. On 14 October, he appears at the Eden in Mouscron with Raymond Devos. On 20 November, he sang with Charles Aznavour at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. At the close of the decade, Brel gained an impressive and enthusiastic following across France. He was so popular that he was invited to headline at an end-of-year concert at the renowned Bobino Cabaret in Paris. The concert was an enormous success. During these appearances, Brel stopped accompanying himself on the guitar in order to concentrate entirely on his increasingly theatrical vocal performances.

1960–1967

In January 1960, Brel's new impressario, Charles Marouani, organised a series of international concert tours for the singer that would take him from the French provinces to the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, Canada, and the United States. From 19-24 March, he appears at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. On 19 October, he performed at the Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo. The year's concert tours brought him international recognition and popularity. His appearances initiated the first United States release of a Jacques Brel recording, ''American Début'', released on Columbia Records. It was a compilation of previously-released Philips tracks.

In January 1961, Brel made a triumphant return to the Bobino Theatre. By now, accordionist Jean Corti had joined Brel's touring group. Between 22 February and 12 April, he recorded his fifth album, ''5'', introducing future Brel classics "Marieke" and "Le Moribond". Brel toured Canada again in March. In Montreal, he met French actress and singer Clairette Oddera at her club on the rue Saint-Jacques. They would become good friends. While in Montreal, Brel appears with Raymond Devos at "La Comédie Canadienne". In May, Brel performed at the Kurhaus in The Hague in the Netherlands. From 12-29 October, Brel returned to the Olympia Theatre in Paris with star billing, after Marlène Dietrich cancelled at the last minute. Many critics point to these inspired performances as the turning point in his career. The audiences responded with rapturous applause, and the critics proclaimed him as the new star of French chanson.

In March 1962, Brel left Philips Records and signed a five-year contract with Barclay Records. The contact would be renewed in 1967 for another six years. His first album release for his new label was a live album, ''Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1961'', recorded the previous year. On 6 March, he recorded his first song for Barclay, "Le plat pays". During the second week of March, he recorded the remaining tracks for his sixth studio album, Les Bourgeois. In addition to "Le plat pays" and the title song, the new album contained the future Brel classics "Madeleine", "Les Biches", and "La Statue". In October, Brel set up his own music publishing company, Arlequin, which was soon renamed Editions Musicales Pouchenel. Brel's wife Miche was appointed company director. In November, he recorded "Les Bigotes", "Quand maman reviendra", "Les filles et les chiens", and "La Parlote" as singles.

In April 1963, Brel performs at the Bobino in Paris. In July, he headlined at the Casino in Knokke for the fifth "Coupe d'Europe de Tour de Chant". During this engagement, he performed the classic Brel song "Mathilde" for the first time. Brel also returned for another triumphant engagement at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, performing with Isabelle Aubret as the support act. Once again, Brel's performance was a critical and artistic success, with the audience leaping up from their seats in a standing ovation following Brel's emotional rendering of "Amsterdam".

The year 1964 brought a mix of personal tragedies and professional triumphs. On 8 January, Brel's father Romain died of bronchial pneumonia. Only two months later, on 7 March, his mother Elisabeth (nicknamed Mouky) also died. At the same time, he was given the Gold Medal of Brussels from the Tourist Information Bureau, and won a prize from the Société d’Auteurs Belge Belgische Auteurs Maatschappij (SABAM). He was also awarded the French Academy's Grand Prix du Disque. Brel continued his ambitious touring schedule. By the end of the year, he released a new live album, ''Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1964''. That year, Brel discovered a new passion, aviation. After taking flying lessons with Paul Lepanse, he purchased a small plane. In the United States, Brel's audience was growing. American poet and singer Rod McKuen began translating Brel's songs into English, and the Kingston Trio recorded one of his English versions on their ''Time to Think'' album, "Seasons in the Sun", based on Brel's "Le Moribond".

In 1965, Reprise Records licensed tracks from Barclay for a United States album titled ''Jacques Brel''. On 25 March, Brel performed at the Kurhaus of Scheveningen in the Netherlands. In October 1965, Brel completed a successful five-week tour of the former Soviet Union, which included a week's engagement at the Estrada Theatre in Moscow. On 6 November, he was back in France, recording the songs "Fernand", "Les désespérés", and "Ces gens-là" for Barclay. On 4 December, he appeared at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. His performance was received with high public and critical acclaim.

Under the influence of his friend Georges Pasquier ('Jojo') and pianists Gérard Jouannest and François Rauber, Brel's style changed. He was no longer a Catholic-humanist troubadour, but sang grimmer songs about love, death, and the struggle that is life. The music became more complex and his themes more diverse, exploring love (''Je t'aime'', ''Litanies pour un Retour''), society (''Les Singes'', ''Les Bourgeois'', ''Jaurès''), and spiritual concerns (''Le Bon Dieu'', ''Dites, Si c'était Vrai'', ''Fernand''). His work was not limited to one style. He was as proficient in funny compositions (''Le Lion'', ''Comment Tuer l'Amant de sa Femme...'') as in more emotional ones (''Voir un Ami Pleurer'', ''Fils de...'', ''Jojo'').

But he occasionally included parts in Dutch as in "'Marieke", and also recorded Dutch versions of a few songs such as ''Le Plat Pays'' (''Mijn vlakke land''), ''Ne me quitte pas'' (''Laat Me Niet Alleen''), ''Rosa'', ''Les Bourgeois'' (''De Burgerij'') and ''Les paumés du petit matin'' (''De Nuttelozen van de Nacht''). A rather obscure single was uncovered only a few years ago having Brel singing in Dutch ''De apen'' (''Les singes'') and ''Men vergeet niets'' (''On n'oublie rien''). These two were included in the 16 CD box ''Boîte à Bonbons''. Since his own command of Dutch was poor, most of his later Dutch interpretations were translated by Ernst van Altena, but ''De Apen'' by Eric Franssen, ''Men vergeet niets'' by well known Flemish artist Will Ferdy and ''Marieke'' was translated by Brel himself.

Acting career

He starred in the musical ''L'Homme de la Mancha (Man of La Mancha)'' which he also translated into French and directed. As an actor he gained fame playing opposite Lino Ventura in ''L'Emmerdeur'' and ''L'aventure, c'est l'aventure''. In 1969 he took the lead role opposite Claude Jade in ''Mon oncle Benjamin''. ''Le Far West'', a comedy which he directed, co-wrote and appeared in, competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973.

Later years

In 1974 he embarked in a yacht, planning to sail around the world. When he reached the Canary Islands, Brel was diagnosed with lung cancer. He returned to Paris for treatment and later continued his ocean voyage. He was also a keen pilot and owned several small planes, including the eponymous 'Jojo'.

In 1975 he reached the Marquesas Islands, and decided to stay, remaining there until 1977 when he returned to Paris and recorded his well-received final album. He died in 1978 at age 49 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia, only a few yards away from painter Paul Gauguin.

Translations of his work

Brel songs have been recorded by musicians in many languages. English versions of his songs have been recorded by a huge variety of artists too, most frequently using the translations by Mort Shuman and Eric Blau. Rod McKuen was one of the first American artists to discover and translate Brel. Canadian Terry Jacks' version of "Seasons in the Sun" became a global pop hit in 1974, topping the charts internationally. McKuen and Brel formed a close friendship, upon Brel's death, McKuen said "When news of Jacques' death came, I stayed locked in my bedroom and drank for a week."

However, his most frequently recorded song is "Ne me quitte pas" ("Don't Leave Me"), usually rather freely translated in English as "If You Go Away". Overall, there have been at least 400 different recorded versions of this standard in at least 22 different languages. Marlene Dietrich recorded "Ne me quitte pas" in German ("Bitte geh' nicht fort"). Mireille Mathieu, Nana Mouskouri, Nina Simone, Ute Lemper, Natacha Atlas, Karrin Allyson, Sandie Shaw, Flossie Malavialle and Sting recorded "Ne me quitte pas" in French. Paris-based Colombian salsa singer Yuri Buenaventura performed versions of "Ne me quitte pas" in both French and Spanish ("No Me Dejes Mas"). Russian version of the song ("Когда ты уйдёшь") was recorded by rock group Mumiy Troll. Barbra Streisand recorded the song for her 2009 album "Love Is The Answer".

English translations of Brel's songs, in particular also "Ne me quitte pas" translations, have been subject to criticism and are regarded by some as being stripped of their original lyricism. For example, Brel's "Ne me quitte pas" evocatively states, "Moi, je t'offrirai / Des perles de pluie / Venues de pays / Où il ne pleut pas" [I, I'll offer you / Pearls of rain / That come from countries / Where it doesn't rain ]. However, Rod McKuen’s English translation replaces that imagery with "But if you stay / I'll make you a day / Like no day has been / or will be again."

In 1986 Momus and more recently Barb Jungr recorded new English translations of "Ne me quitte pas" which are much nearer to the original. Jungr used a translation called "Don't leave me now" by Des de Moor. Momus translated and recorded "Don't Leave Me" because he was dissatisfied with the dominant English translations to date. "People always sing the versions by Rod McKuen, which are highly sentimentalised, or the versions by Mort Shuman which are better but still really Americanised. To me the strength of Brel is that he doesn't come from the American tradition of songwriting, it's a strongly European thing."

After McKuen and before Shuman & Blau, the Brel translation that made the greatest impact on the folk-related protest song audience of the late '60s was "The Dove" ("La Colombe"), an anti-war lament recorded both by Joan Baez and Judy Collins. This was the only translation of a Brel song to be written by Alasdair Clayre (1935-1984), an Oxford-educated Englishman who had a brief career as a singer-songwriter before becoming an author, academic and sometime producer of BBC documentaries. Clayre died on 10 January, 1984, in a British subway station, by either jumping or falling in front of a train. (See Wikipedia listing for Alasdair Clayre)

Other examples of critique include songs like "Jef", as translated by Mort Shuman and Eric Blau, bearing little resemblance to the original. Terry Jacks intended to "lighten up" "Seasons in the Sun" and thereby completely removed the cynical gist of Brel's "Le Moribond", which perhaps explains why this version became such a global pop hit in 1974.

Tom Robinson has performed and released live recordings of "Les Bourgeois" in both the original French and his own English translation adaptation, entitled "Yuppie Scum."

On their 2009 CD ''Troubadours'', American duo The Black Veils performed their own "poetic and faithful" English translations of Brel's "Ne me quitte pas" ("Don't Leave Me"), "Jaurès", "Il neige sur Liège" ("Snowfall on Liège"), and "Mai 40".

Translations to other languages, e.g. German, have also come in for much criticism. However, Ernst van Altena's Dutch early translations, partly done in cooperation with Brel himself, are generally considered to be relatively true to the original as well as poetic.

Brel's widow said that Arnold Johnston, a professor at Western Michigan University, translated Brel's work more accurately than Blau and Shuman, and eventually gave Dr. Johnston exclusive rights to translate Brel's work into English. Dr. Johnston recorded ''I'm Here!'' a collection of twenty songs, using a grant from the university.

An American musical revue of his songs, ''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'', which debuted in 1968, has played around the world since. The opening song of ''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' is "Les Flamandes", translated by Shuman and Blau as "Marathon", which is a charming encapsulation of the United States in the 20th century (mentioning, among others, Charles Lindbergh and Sacco and Vanzetti) but it bears no relationship to the original French lyrics of the song, a tongue-in-cheek assessment of the Flemish.

Scott Walker's first three solo albums, titled ''Scott'', ''Scott 2'', and ''Scott 3'', each contain three of the Blau/Shuman translations. Several of the original songs on this album, and on the later ''Scott 4'', can be seen as heavily influenced by Brel.

David Bowie sang Brel's "Amsterdam" at a BBC session with John Peel and Evilan Tom (not released until 2000 on ''Bowie at the Beeb'') This was also released as the B-side to Sorrow in 1973 and was released as a bonus track on the 1990 reissue of Pin-ups. (Dave Van Ronk also recorded this song, earlier, on Van Ronk). Bowie also sang a translation of Brel's called "My Death", during his ''Ziggy Stardust'' era. A very popular number on his concerts, it was never recorded in studio, even though it appears on two live albums: Live Santa Monica '72 and Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture. A similar version of this song was also recorded by Show Of Hands.

Marc Almond already from his early albums with Marc and the Mambas onwards performed Brel songs, and he released his successful "Jacques" album containing solely Brel songs in 1989. He also released ''Jacky'' in 1991 as a successful single. Almond nearly always plays at least one Brel song during live concerts.

The band Vambo Marble Eye (after a Sensational Alex Harvey Band song title) from the United States recorded a version of "Next" for their 1991 album "Two Trick Pony", 18 years after an English-language version of the song by SAHB in 1973, from their "Next" album.

Notable faithful German translations have been made by Didier Caesar of the duo Stéphane & Didier. Dieter Kaiser, a Belgian-German singer, who performs internationally in public concerts with the French-German professional guitarist, Stéphane Bazire, as Stéphane & Didier, has translated 30 of Brel's songs and has gathered them in a booklet. They can also be found on the website www.deutsche-chanson-texte.de among over 100 other French chansons in German. He also issued 1 CD in German and 1 in French with various chansons of Brel. Klaus Hoffmann is another important German interpreter of Brel. Also the Austrian actor Michael Heltau, who was asked by Brel himself to record his songs, using the translation of Werner Schneyder.

Sometime in the early '80s, a second Brel revue, called "Encore Brel," was produced in Canada. This editor does not know when, where or whether it was ever performed on stage, having only a bootlegged cassette of a performance on CBC Radio. I also do not know who wrote the translations, except that Alasdair Clayre's "The Dove" was included. The revue uses mostly Brel's later songs, including two from his last album, "Friend, Don't Let Me See You Cry" ("Voir un Ami Pleurer"), and "To Grow Old" ("Vieillir").

Discography

Assembling a comprehensive Jacques Brel discography is difficult, because his recordings have been released in so many different permutations, in different countries and in different formats. Furthermore, releases of Brel's recordings are sometimes known by different titles. This discography is restricted to Brel's original albums, as collected and reissued on 23 September 2003 in the sixteen CD box set of his work ''Boîte à Bonbons'', plus the additional album ''Chansons ou Versions Inédites de Jeunesse'', which was released for the first time as part of this box set. The titles listed here are the titles used in the box set. To mark the 25th anniversary of Brel's death, Barclay Records issued ''Comme quand il était beau'' (2003), a 3 volume DVD collection of Brel interviews and live performances as well as the compilation album ''Infiniment'' (2004). Both releases include five previously unpublished songs that Brel wrote in 1977: "La Cathédrale", "L'amour est mort", "Mai 40", "Avec Élégance", and "Sans Exigences".

Studio albums

''Grand Jacques'' (1954)

''Quand On n'a Que l'Amour'' (1957)

''Au Printemps'' (1958)

''La Valse à Mille Temps'' (1959)

''5'' (1961)

''Les Bourgeois'' (1962)

''Les Bonbons'' (1966)

''Ces Gens-Là'' (1966)

''Jacques Brel '67'' (1967)

''J'arrive'' (1968)

''L'Homme de la Mancha'' (1968)

''Ne Me Quitte Pas'' (1972)

''Les Marquises'' (1977)

Live albums

''Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1961'' (1962)

''Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1964'' (1964)

Rarities

''Chansons ou Versions Inédites de Jeunesse'' (2003)

Cover versions

List of Jacques Brel cover versions

Filmography

As actor

''La Grande Peur de Monsieur Clément'' (short) (dir Paul Diebens) (1956)

''Les Risques du Métier'' (dir André Cayatte) (1967)

''Mon Oncle Benjamin'' (dir Édouard Molinaro) (1969)

''La Bande à Bonnot'' (dir Philippe Fourastié) (1969)

''Mont-Dragon'' (dir Jean Valère) (1970)

''Franz'' (dir Jacques Brel) (1971)

''Les Assassins de l'Ordre'' (dir Marcel Carné) (1971)

''L'Aventure, c'est l'Aventure'' (dir Claude Lelouch) (1972)

''Le Bar de la Fourche'' (dir Alain Levent) (1972)

''Le Far West'' (dir Jacques Brel) (1973)

''L'Emmerdeur'' (dir Edouard Molinaro) (1973)

As director

''Franz'' (1971)

''Le Far West'' (1973)

As writer

''La grande peur de Monsieur Clément'' (short) (1956)

''Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' (play) (1968)

''Franz'' (1971)

''Le Far West'' (1973)

As self

''Petit jour'' (short) (1960)

''Zeg hé, spaar je mee?'' (TV series) (1961)

''Tienerklanken'' (TV series) (1963)

''La grande farandole'' (TV series) (1964)

''Age tendre et tête de bois'' (TV series) (1964)

''Entrez dans la ronde'' (TV movie) (1965)

''Discorama'' (TV series) (1962-1966)

''Tid til at leve'' (TV series documentary) (1974)

''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' (dir Denis Heroux) (1974)

''Stellet Licht/Silent Light'' (dir Carlos Reygadas) (2007)

References

External links

Jacques Brel website

Station Jacques Brel

* Category:1929 births Category:1978 deaths Category:People from Schaerbeek Category:Belgian actors Category:Belgian atheists Category:Belgian poets Category:Belgian male singers Category:Belgian singer-songwriters Category:Cabaret singers Category:Cancer deaths in France Category:Deaths from lung cancer Category:Former Roman Catholics Category:French-language singers

af:Jacques Brel an:Jacques Brel ast:Jacques Brel bs:Jacques Brel br:Jacques Brel bg:Жак Брел ca:Jacques Brel cv:Жак Брель cs:Jacques Brel cy:Jacques Brel da:Jacques Brel de:Jacques Brel et:Jacques Brel el:Ζακ Μπρελ es:Jacques Brel eo:Jacques Brel eu:Jacques Brel fa:ژاک برل fr:Jacques Brel gl:Jacques Brel hr:Jacques Brel io:Jacques Brel id:Jacques Brel it:Jacques Brel he:ז'אק ברל la:Iacobus Brel lb:Jacques Brel lt:Žakas Brelis hu:Jacques Brel ms:Jacques Brel nl:Jacques Brel ja:ジャック・ブレル no:Jacques Brel oc:Jacques Brel pl:Jacques Brel pt:Jacques Brel ro:Jacques Brel ru:Брель, Жак sk:Jacques Brel sl:Jacques Brel fi:Jacques Brel sv:Jacques Brel tr:Jacques Brel uk:Жак Брель vi:Jacques Brel vo:Jacques Brel wa:Jacques Brel vls:Jacques Brel zh:雅克·布雷尔

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
name	Serge Gainsbourg
background	solo_singer
birth name	Lucien Ginsburg
alias	Julien GrixGainsbarre
birth date	April 02, 1928
death date	March 02, 1991
origin	Paris, France
instrument	Piano, guitar, bass, clavinet, accordion, harmonica
genre	Adult contemporary, jazz, funk, reggae, French rock, French pop, electronic, New Wave, yé-yé
occupation	poetsinger-songwriteractordirector
years active	1957–1991
label	Mercury/Universal Records
website	Serge Gainsbourg
notable instruments	}}

Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg (; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize. His legacy has been firmly established, and he is often regarded as one of the world's most influential popular musicians.

Biography

Personal life

He was born Lucien Ginsburg in Paris, France, the son of Russian Jewish parents, Joseph Ginsburg (28 December 1898, Kharkov (Ukraine) – 22 April 1971) and Olga Bessman (1894 – 16 March 1985), who fled to France after the 1917 Russian Revolution. He had a twin sister, Liliane. His childhood was profoundly affected by the occupation of France by Nazi Germany, during which he and his family, as Jews, were forced to wear the yellow star and eventually flee Paris. Before he was 30 years old, Gainsbourg was a disillusioned painter, but earned his living as a piano player in bars.

He first married Elisabeth "Lize" Levitsky on 3 November 1951, and divorced her in 1957. He married a second time on 7 January 1964, to Françoise-Antoinette "Béatrice" Pancrazzi (b. 28 July 1931), with whom he had two children: a daughter named Natacha (b. 8 August 1964) and a son, Paul (born in spring 1968, after Serge had got back together with Béatrice). They divorced in February 1966.

In late-1967, he had a short but ardent love affair with Brigitte Bardot to whom he dedicated the song and album ''Initials BB''.

In mid-1968, Gainsbourg fell in love with the much younger English singer and actress Jane Birkin, whom he met during the shooting of the film ''Slogan''. They married some time afterwards. In 1971 they had a daughter, the actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg. Birkin left him in 1980.

Birkin remembers the beginning of her affair with Gainsbourg: he first took her to a nightclub, then to a transvestite club and afterwards to the Hilton hotel, where he passed out in a drunken stupor. Birkin left Gainsbourg when pregnant with her third daughter, Lou, by the film director Jacques Doillon, whom she later married.

His last partner was Bambou (Caroline Paulus, grandchild of General Friedrich Paulus). In 1986 they had a son, Lucien (best known as Lulu).

Early work

His early songs were influenced by Boris Vian and were largely in the vein of old-fashioned ''chanson''. Very early, however, Gainsbourg began to move beyond this and experiment with a succession of different musical styles: jazz early on, pop in the 1960s, funk, rock and reggae in the 1970s, and electronica in the 1980s.

Many of his songs contained themes with a morbid or sexual twist in them. An early success, "Le Poinçonneur des Lilas", describes the day in the life of a Paris Métro ticket man whose job it is to stamp holes in passengers' tickets. Gainsbourg describes this chore as so monotonous that the man eventually thinks of putting a hole into his own head and being buried in another.

More success began to arrive when, in 1965, his song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" was the Luxembourg entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Performed by French teen and charming singer France Gall, it won first prize. The song was recorded in English as "A Lonely Singing Doll" by British teen idol Twinkle.

His next song for Gall, "Les Sucettes" ("Lollipops"), caused a scandal in France: Gainsbourg had written the song with double-meanings and strong sexual innuendo, of which the singer was apparently unaware when she recorded it. Whereas Gall thought that the song was about a girl enjoying lollipops, it was really about oral sex. The controversy arising from the song, although a big hit for Gall, threw her career off-track in France for several years.

Gainsbourg arranged other Gall songs and LPs that were characteristic of the late 1960s psychedelic styles, among them Gall's ''1968'' album. Another of Serge's songs "Boum Bada Boum" was entered in by Monaco in the 1967 contest, sung by Minouche Barelli; it came fifth. He also wrote hit songs for other artists, such as "Comment Te Dire Adieu" for Françoise Hardy.

In 1969, he released "Je t'aime... moi non plus", which featured explicit lyrics and simulated sounds of female orgasm. The song appeared that year on an LP, ''Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg''. Originally recorded with Brigitte Bardot, it was released with future girlfriend Birkin when Bardot backed out. While Gainsbourg declared it the "ultimate love song," it was considered too "hot"; the song was censored or banned from public broadcast in numerous countries, and in France even the toned-down version was suppressed. The Vatican made a public statement citing the song as offensive. However, despite or perhaps because of all the controversy, it sold well and charted within the top ten in many European countries.

The seventies

''Histoire de Melody Nelson'' was released in 1971. This concept album, produced and arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier, tells the story of a Lolita-esque affair, with Gainsbourg as the narrator. It features prominent string arrangements and even a massed choir at its tragic climax. The album has proven influential with artists such as Air, David Holmes, Jarvis Cocker, Beck and Dan the Automator.

In 1975, he released the album ''Rock Around the Bunker'', a rock album written entirely on the subject of the Nazis. Gainsbourg used black comedy, as he and his family suffered during World War II. While a child in Paris, Gainsbourg had worn the yellow badge as the mark of a Jew. ''Rock Around the Bunker'' belonged in the mid-1970s "retro" trend.

The next year saw the release of another major work, ''L'Homme à tête de chou'' (''Cabbage-Head Man''), featuring the new character Marilou and sumptuous orchestral themes. Cabbage-Head Man is one of his nicknames, as it refers to his ears. Musically, ''L'homme à tête de chou'' turned out to be Gainsbourg's last LP in the English rock style he had favoured since the late 1960s. He would go on to produce two reggae albums recorded in Jamaica (1979 and 1981) and two electronic funk albums recorded in New York (1984 and 1987).

In Jamaica in 1978 he recorded "Aux Armes et cetera", a reggae version of the French national anthem "La Marseillaise", with Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar, and Rita Marley. This song earned him death threats from right-wing veterans of the Algerian War of Independence who were opposed to certain lyrics. Bob Marley was furious when he discovered Gainsbourg made his wife Rita Marley sing erotic lyrics. In the 1980s, near the end of his life, Gainsbourg became a regular figure on French TV. His appearances seemed devoted to his controversial sense of humour and provocation. In March 1984, he burned a 500 French franc bill on television to protest against heavy taxation. He would show up drunk and unshaven on stage: in April 1986, in Michel Drucker's live Saturday evening show with the American singer Whitney Houston, he exclaimed to the host (in English, and when this was not translated, in French), "I want to fuck her". The same year, in another talk show interview, he appeared alongside Catherine Ringer, a well known singer who had appeared in pornographic films. Gainsbourg shouted, "You're nothing but a filthy whore, a filthy, fucking whore". Ringer scolded back, "Look at you, you're just a bitter old alcoholic. I used to admire you but these days you've become a disgusting old parasite".

By December 1988, while a judge at a film festival in Val d'Isère, he was extremely intoxicated at a local theatre where he was to do a presentation. While on stage he began to tell an obscene story about Brigitte Bardot and a champagne bottle, only to stagger offstage and collapse in a nearby seat. Subsequent years saw his health deteriorate. He had to undergo liver surgery, but denied any connection to cancer or cirrhosis. His appearances and releases became sparser as he had to rest and recover in Vezelay. During these final years, he released ''Love on the Beat'', a controversial electronic album with mostly sexual themes in the lyrics, and his last studio album, ''You're Under Arrest'' presented more synth-driven songs.

His songs became increasingly eccentric during this period, ranging from the anti-drug "Aux Enfants de la Chance" to the highly controversial duet with his daughter Charlotte named "Lemon Incest". This translates as ''"Inceste de citron"'', a wordplay on ''"un zeste de citron"'' (a lemon zest). The title demonstrates Gainsbourg's love for puns – another example of which is ''Beau oui comme Bowie'', a song he gave to Isabelle Adjani.

Film work

In 1960 Gainsbourg co-starred with Rhonda Fleming in the Italian film, ''La Rivolta Degli Schiavi'' "The Revolt of The Slaves" as Corvino, the Roman Emperor Massimiano's evil henchman.

During his career, he wrote the soundtracks for more than 40 films. In 1996, he received a posthumous César Award for Best Music Written for a Film for ''Élisa'', along with Zbigniew Preisner and Michel Colombier.

He directed four movies: ''Je t'aime... moi non plus'', ''Équateur'', ''Charlotte For Ever'' and ''Stan The Flasher.''

He made a brief appearance with Jane Birkin in 1980 in ''Egon Schiele Exzess und Bestrafung'', a film by Herbert Vesely, and also starred at "Les Chemins de Katmandou", with Jane Birkin.

Writing

Gainsbourg wrote a novel entitled ''Evguénie Sokolov''.

Death and legacy

Gainsbourg died on 2 March 1991 of a heart attack. He was buried in the Jewish lot of the Montparnasse Cemetery, in Paris. His funeral brought Paris to a standstill, and French President François Mitterrand said of him, "He was our Baudelaire, our Apollinaire... He elevated the song to the level of art." His home at the well-known address rue de Verneuil is still covered in graffiti and poems.

Since his death, Gainsbourg's music has reached legendary stature in France. His lyrical brilliance in French has left an extraordinary legacy. His music, always progressive, covered many styles: jazz, ballads, mambo, lounge, reggae, pop (including adult contemporary pop, kitsch pop, yé-yé pop, '80s pop, pop-art pop, prog pop, space-age pop, psychedelic pop, and erotic pop), funk, disco, calypso, Africana, bossa nova, and rock and roll. He has gained a following in the English-speaking world with many non-mainstream artists finding his arrangements highly influential.

One of the most frequent interpreters of Gainsbourg's songs was British singer Petula Clark, whose success in France was propelled by her recordings of his tunes. In 2003, she wrote and recorded ''La Chanson de Gainsbourg'' as a tribute to the composer of some of her biggest hits.

His lyrics are collected in the volume ''Dernières nouvelles des étoiles''.

Film adaptation

A feature film titled ''Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)'' was released in France in January 2010, which is based on the graphic novel by the writer-director of the film, Joann Sfar. Gainsbourg is portrayed by Eric Elmosnino and Kacey Mottet Klein.

Covers and tributes

In 1964, Gainsbourg himself did covers of Babatunde Olatunji's drum-heavy tunes "Kiyakiya (Why Do You Run Away?)", "Akiwowo (Chant to the Trainman)" and "Jin-go-lo-ba" which are featured on Olatunji's acclaimed ''Drums of Passion'' LP (1959). They appeared, with new French lyrics but otherwise identical in rhythm, melody and overall sound, as "Joanna", "New York – U.S.A." and "Marabout", respectively, on the "Gainsbourg Percussions" album – without any credit given to Olatunji.

One of the celebrating events of the Year of France in Brazil was a concert in September 2009 called "Gainsbourg Imperial", an event celebrating the music of Serge Gainsbourg. It was performed by Brazilian Samba Big Band Orquestra Imperial, having French maestro Jean-Claude Vannier, English singer Jane Birkin and Brazilian musician and singer Caetano Veloso as special guests.

Belinda Carlisle covered "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Contact" on her 2007 French language album ''Voila''.

Giddle & Boyd (Giddle Partridge and Boyd Rice) covered "Bonnie and Clyde" on their 2008 EP ''Going Steady with Peggy Moffitt''.

The first English-language version of a Gainsbourg song was Dionne Warwick's 1965 version of "Mamadou".

Australian rock musician Mick Harvey released two CDs of Gainsbourg's songs translated into English. Of particular note is "To All the Lucky Kids (Aux Enfants De La Chance)" on ''Pink Elephants''.

Gainsbourg's song "Bonnie and Clyde" is featured in the burlesque show scene of ''Rush Hour 3'' and in the romantic film ''Laurel Canyon'' starring Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale.

American indie rock band Luna included a cover of "Bonnie and Clyde" as a hidden track on their 1995 album ''Penthouse,'' and their 2001 ''Luna Live album'' features a live performance of the song.

Swedish band Sambassadeur covers "La Chanson de Prevert" in French on their self-titled debut album.

Okkervil River covers "Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais" in English ("I Came Here to Say I'm Going Away").

Arcade Fire covered "Poupée de cire, poupée de Son" and also released it as a split 7" single with LCD Soundsystem.

Beirut often covers "La Javanaise" in their live sets and it is included in the live album Live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg (2009).

Australian pop singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue extensively sampled his duet with Brigitte Bardot "Bonnie and Clyde" on the song "Sensitized" off her 2007 album ''X''. In 2003, she sampled "Je t'aime... moi non plus" in a modified version of her song "Breathe" (which originally did not contain any samples) for a special one-off live performance at the Hammersmith Apollo in promotion of her album ''Body Language''.

French rapper MC Solaar sampled "Bonnie and Clyde" in his song "Nouveau Western" on his 1994 album ''Prose Combat''. Renegade Soundwave released "Renegade Soundwave" with the same sample at the same time.

Irish musician David Holmes covered "Cargo Culte" in his song "Don't Die Just Yet" on his 1997 album ''Let's Get Killed''.

American emcee Princess Superstar sampled the melody of the songs "Melody" and "Cargo Culte" in the song "You Get Mad At Napster" on her album ''Princess Superstar Is''.

The Welsh comedy-rap band Goldie Lookin Chain extensively sampled the title track of Gainsbourg's ''Cannabis'' film soundtrack for their single "Your Missus Is a Nutter".

In 1997 Tzadik records released a tribute to Gainsbourg in their Great Jewish Composers series. The album includes covers by John Zorn, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Mike Patton, Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, Marc Ribot and Cyro Baptista.

On the HBO show ''Flight of the Conchords'', the sequence for the song "A Kiss is Not a Contract" is a tribute to Gainsbourg's video for "Ballade de Melody Nelson".

The track "Serge" on The Herbaliser's album ''Take London'' is about a chance encounter with Gainsbourg 3 days before his death.

Black Grape's "A Big Day in the North" is based on a sample taken from ''Initials B.B.'' and also features samples from "Ford Mustang".

In the film ''High Fidelity'', when a pair of punks steals from Rob Gordon's record store, one of the things they stole was a Serge Gainsbourg record.

American hip hop duo The Beatnuts sampled "Melody" on their track "Superbad" off their album ''The Beatnuts LP''.

Nick Cave sang a duet of "I love you nor do I" with his long time girlfriend Anita Lane. So did Barry Adamson with Anita in 1993 on his release ''The Negro inside Me'' with "Je t'aime ... Moi non plus".

Trumpet player Erik Truffaz did a jazz remake of "Je t'aime, moi non plus".

Australian Psychedelic band Tame Impala covered "Bonnie and Clyde" in their 2011 tour of Europe.

American hip hop band De La Soul sampled "Les Oubliettes" and "En Melody" on their second album De La Soul Is Dead released in 1991.

In 2005, the album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited was released by Virgin Records. The album consisted of specially-recorded English-language cover versions of Gainsbourg's songs, recorded by artists as diverse as Franz Ferdinand, Portishead, Placebo, Marc Almond, Michael Stipe, Cat Power, Karen Elson, Jarvis Cocker, Kid Loco, Faultline, Françoise Hardy, Tricky, Marianne Faithfull, Sly and Robbie, Gonzales, Feist, Dani, Trash Palace, The Rakes, The Kills, Carla Bruni, James Iha, Kazu Makino, Nina Persson and Nathan Larson.

Discography

Albums

1958: ''Du chant à la une''

1959: ''N° 2''

1961: ''L'Étonnant Serge Gainsbourg''

1962: ''N° 4''

1963: ''Confidentiel''

1964: ''Percussions''

1967: ''Anna''

1968: ''Serge Gainsbourg – Brigitte Bardot: Bonnie & Clyde'' (compilation)

1968: ''Initials B.B.'' (compilation)

1969: ''Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg''

1970: ''Cannabis'' (instrumental)

1971: ''Histoire de Melody Nelson''

1973: ''Vu de l'extérieur''

1975: ''Rock around the bunker''

1976: ''Je t'aime... moi non plus – Ballade de Johnny-Jane'' (instrumental)

1976: ''L'Homme à la tête de chou''

1977: ''Madame Claude''

1977: ''Goodbye Emmanuelle'' (instrumental)

1979: ''Aux armes et cætera''

1980: ''Je vous aime'' (only 3 pieces sung by Gainsbourg)

1980: ''Enregistrement public au Théâtre Le Palace'' (live)

1981: ''Mauvaises nouvelles des étoiles''

1984: ''Love On The Beat''

1986: ''Live (Casino de Paris)''

1986: ''Putain de film ! – B.O.F. Tenue de soirée''

1987: ''You're Under Arrest''

1988: ''Le Zénith de Gainsbourg'' (live)

1994: ''De Gainsbourg à Gainsbarre'' (11 CD box set)

Tribute albums and posthumous releases

1997: ''Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg'' (tribute album)

1997: ''Comic Strip''

2001: ''Gainsbourg Forever'' (integral box set)

2001: ''Le Cinéma de Gainsbourg'' (box set)

2001: ''I Love Serge: Electronicagainsbourg'' (remix album)

2005: ''Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited'' (tribute album)

2008: ''Classé X'' (compilation)

Singles

"Black Trombone" (1962)

"La Javanaise" (1963)

"Couleur Café" (1964)

"New York U.S.A." (1964)

"Les Sucettes" (1966)

"Hold Up" (1967)

"Initials B.B." (1967)

"Bonnie and Clyde" (1968) (Brigitte Bardot et Serge Gainsbourg)

"Je t'aime... moi non plus" (1969) (Jane Birkin avec Serge Gainsbourg)

"La Décadanse" (1971) (Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg)

"Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais" (1973)

"L'Homme à Tête de Chou" (1976)

"Marilou" (1976)

"Sea, Sex and Sun" (1978)

"Aux armes et caetera" (1979)

"Lola Rastaquouère" (1979)

"Dieu fumeur de havanes" (1980) (Catherine Deneuve & Serge Gainsbourg)

"Sorry Angel" (1984)

"Lemon Incest" (1985) (Charlotte & Gainsbourg)

"You're Under Arrest" (1987)

"Mon légionnaire" (1987)

"Requiem pour un con" (1991)

"Élisa" (1995)

"La Noyée"

;Singles written for other artists

"Les Incorruptibles" (1965) – Petula Clark

"Poupée de cire, poupée de son" (1965) – France Gall

"Baby Pop" (1966) – France Gall

"Comment te dire adieu?" (1968) – Françoise Hardy

"Dis-lui toi que je t'aime" (1990) – Vanessa Paradis

"White and Black Blues" (1990) – Joëlle Ursull (lyrics by Gainsbourg)

"La Gadoue" (1995) – Jane Birkin

Notes

References

''Serge Gainsbourg: View From The Exterior'' by Alan Clayson (1998). Sanctuary. ISBN 9781860742224

''Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes'' by Sylvie Simmons (2002). Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780306811838

External links

Serge Gainsbourg official site A tribute website to Serge Gainsbourg

The lyrics of Serge Gainsbourg in English

Category:Cabaret singers Category:French agnostics Category:French-language singers Category:French male singers Category:French poets Category:French singer-songwriters Category:Writers from Paris Category:French people of Russian descent Category:French Jews Category:Jewish poets Category:Eurovision Song Contest winners Category:Mercury Records artists Category:Jewish songwriters Category:Jewish singers Category:Twin people from France Category:1928 births Category:1991 deaths Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery

ca:Serge Gainsbourg cs:Serge Gainsbourg da:Serge Gainsbourg de:Serge Gainsbourg es:Serge Gainsbourg eo:Serge Gainsbourg eu:Serge Gainsbourg fr:Serge Gainsbourg id:Serge Gainsbourg it:Serge Gainsbourg he:סרז' גינסבורג la:Sergius Gainsbourg lt:Serge Gainsbourg hu:Serge Gainsbourg nl:Serge Gainsbourg ja:セルジュ・ゲンスブール no:Serge Gainsbourg nn:Serge Gainsbourg oc:Serge Gainsbourg pl:Serge Gainsbourg pt:Serge Gainsbourg ro:Serge Gainsbourg ru:Серж Генсбур sk:Serge Gainsbourg sr:Serž Gensbur fi:Serge Gainsbourg sv:Serge Gainsbourg tr:Serge Gainsbourg

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
Image name	Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (3).jpg
Office	First Lady of the French Republic
Term start	2 February 2008
President	Nicolas Sarkozy
Predecessor	Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz
Birth date	December 23, 1967
Birth place	Turin, Italy
Birthname	Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi
Nationality	French; Italian
Spouse	Nicolas Sarkozy (m. 2008–present)
Relations	Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (sister)Guillaume Sarkozy(brother-in-law)Olivier Sarkozy(half-brother-in-law)Jean Sarkozy (stepson)
Children	Aurélien Enthoven (with Raphaël Enthoven)
Residence	Paris
Profession	Singer-songwriter, model
Footnotes	}}

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi; 23 December 1967) is an Italo-French songwriter, singer, actress, and former model. She has been married to Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of the French Republic, since February 2008.

Early life

Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi was born in Turin, Italy, and is heiress to the fortune created by the Italian tire manufacturing company CEAT, founded in the 1920s by her grandfather Virginio Bruni Tedeschi. The company was sold in the 1970s to Pirelli (the brand lives on via its former subsidiary in India, founded in 1958). The family moved to France in 1975, reportedly to escape the threat of kidnapping by the Red Brigades, a Marxist-Leninist Revolutionary group active in Italy in the 1970s. Bruni grew up in France from age seven and attended boarding school in Switzerland. She went to Paris to study art and architecture, but left school at 19 to become a model.

She is legally the daughter of Italian concert pianist Marisa Borini and industrialist and classical composer Alberto Bruni Tedeschi. However, in 2008 Bruni told ''Vanity Fair'' that her biological father is Italian-born, Brazilian grocery magnate Maurizio Remmert, a young classical guitarist who had a six-year affair with her mother. Her sister is actress and movie director Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. She had a brother, Virginio Bruni Tedeschi (1959–4 July 2006), who died from complications of HIV/AIDS.

From her biological father, she has a half-sister, Consuelo Remmert.

Career

1987–1996: early career and modeling

Bruni signed with City Models at age 19. Paul Marciano, president and creative director of Guess? Inc., came across her picture among composite cards of aspiring models and chose her to model with Estelle Lefébure in campaigns for Guess? jeans. Bruni subsequently worked for designers and fashion houses such as Christian Dior, Givenchy, Paco Rabanne, Sonia Rykiel, Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Yves Saint-Laurent, Shiatzy Chen, Chanel and Versace. By the 1990s, Bruni was among the 20 highest-paid fashion models, earning $7.5 million a year. While modeling, Bruni dated Eric Clapton, then Mick Jagger. On 11 April 2008, a 1993 nude photograph of Bruni sold at auction for US$91,000 (€65,093) – more than 60 times the expected price. She was a modeling subject of a 1999 trompe-l'œil wool-knit dress body painting by Joanne Gair that is included in Gair's second book, ''Body Painting: Masterpieces by Joanne Gair''.

1997–2005: music career and debut album

In 1997, Bruni quit the world of fashion to devote herself to music. She sent her lyrics to Julien Clerc in 1999, based on which he composed six tracks on his 2000 album ''Si j'étais elle''.

In 2002, her debut album ''Quelqu'un m'a dit'', produced by Louis Bertignac, was released in Europe with success in Francophone countries. Three songs from the album appear in Hans Canosa's 2005 American film ''Conversations with Other Women'', the song ''Le Plus Beau du quartier'' was used in H&M;'s Christmas 2006 commercial, and the title track was featured in the 2003 movie ''Le Divorce'' and in the 2009 movie ''(500) Days of Summer''. In January 2010, her song "L'amoureuse" was featured in an episode of NBC's ''Chuck'', "Chuck vs. First Class".

In 2005, she wrote the lyrics for ten out of twelve songs for Louis Bertignac's new album ''Longtemps'', and performed two duets with him on the album, ''Les Frôleuses'' and ''Sans toi''. In 2006, Bruni recorded "Those Little Things", an English-language translation of the Serge Gainsbourg song "Ces petits riens" for the tribute album ''Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited''. She took part in the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in a parade paying tribute to the Italian flag.

2006–2008: ''No Promises'' and ''Comme si de rien n'était''

Her second album, ''No Promises'' containing poems by William Butler Yeats, Emily Dickinson, W. H. Auden, Dorothy Parker, Walter de la Mare, and Christina Rossetti, set to music, was released in January 2007.

She continued recording after her marriage. She released her third album ''Comme si de rien n'était'' on 11 July 2008. The songs are self-penned except for one rendition of "You Belong to Me" and another song featuring Michel Houellebecq's poem ''La Possibilité d'une île'' set to music. Royalties from the album will be donated to unidentified charitable and humanitarian cause.

2009–present: new studio album and other projects

Bruni sang for Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday on 18 July 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

In September 2009, she recorded a duet with Harry Connick, Jr. for the French edition of his album ''Your Songs''. They sang the Beatles song "And I Love Her". The album was released in France on 26 October 2009.

Following months of speculation, in a television interview broadcast on 23 November 2009, Bruni revealed that she had accepted a role in a forthcoming Woody Allen film. She admitted her reasoning for embarking on the Paris production; "I'm not an actress at all. Perhaps I'll be completely hopeless but I can't miss an opportunity like this one. When I'm a grandmother I'd like to be able to say I made a film with Woody Allen." The film, ''Midnight in Paris'', was released in 2011; Bruni appeared as a guide at the Musée Rodin, who discussed sculptor Auguste Rodin with the leading characters.

In September 2010, she contributed a cover of David Bowie's "Absolute Beginners" to the War Child charity record We Were So Turned On : a tribute to David Bowie (Manimal Vinyl). They also released the track as a split 7" vinyl split with UK legends, Duran Duran.

Italian singer/songwriter Simone Cristicchi’s entry in the 2010 San Remo Italian Song Festival was the song “Meno Male”, with the chorus lyrics of “Meno male che c’è Carla Bruni” (“Thank goodness for Carla Bruni”). The song supposedly mocks Bruni and her husband, but Cristicchi stated in an interview for Italian television weekly TV Sorrisi e Canzoni that the song is about “our way of being Italian, [we are] always ready to follow any type of gossip and are disinterested in real problems”. Bruni was to be a guest singer at the 2010 San Remo festival but withdrew from participating, purportedly because she was offended by Cristicchi’s song.

Personal life

"First Lady" of France

Following her marriage to Sarkozy, in February 2008, Bruni continued accompanying him on state visits, including to the United Kingdom in March 2008, which created a sensation in the international press and the public in the UK and France. She has an office and staff at her disposal in the East wing of the Élysée Palace.

There was controversy on the eve of the state visit to the UK, with the publication by Christie's auction house of a nude photograph of Bruni taken during her career as a model. The photograph sold for $91,000. There was also great interest in Bruni's wardrobe, which was Christian Dior, seen as a diplomatic choice, being a French design house designed by John Galliano, a British designer. Another controversy was the use of a popular photo of the French President and Bruni in the print advertising of Ryanair. The couple was awarded damages by a French court which they donated to ''Les Restos du Cœur'', an organisation which provides meals to the homeless.

In December 2008, Bruni sued the makers of a bag featuring a nude shot of the French first lady taken during her supermodelling youth. Clothes designer Pardon has produced 10,000 of the shopping bags emblazoned with the nude photo taken in 1993, showing Bruni staring at the camera with her crossed hands covering her crotch.

On May 17, 2011 it was announced that Carla and her husband are expecting a child in late Autumn.

Philanthropy and charity work

Involved for years in humanitarian and charity work, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy becomes world ambassador for protection of mothers and children against HIV in 2008. In April 2009, she launches the Fondation Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, to promote access to culture and knowledge for everyone.

In a letter of support to the association People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), she took position against fur in fashion.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is involved in various charity actions. She gave her royalties for her album ''Comme si de rien n’était'' to the Fondation de France, and supports different events or causes, such as the Born HIV Free campaign, animal rights, the Nelson Mandela foundation, the French association Aides for AIDS research, the French association La Chaîne de l'Espoir or the association Warchild UK. She also participated in a concert with Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin for the 91st birthday of Nelson Mandela, and recorded a song for the album ''We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie''. She is involved in the promotion of young artists, and did a duet with French singer Marc Lavoine for the Prix Constantin, an annual French music prize awarded to newer artists. Furthermore, she supported French guitarist Jean-Pierre Danel's charity album, and sold a self-portrait to the benefit of third-world children. Bruni met the Dalai Lama in August 2008 at Lerab Ling, a Buddhist temple on a hill in Languedoc, France. Bruni received Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to France in September 2008. Bruni visited New York City in September 2008 with her husband, where she attended a meeting on poverty and female mortality with Queen Rania and Wendi Murdoch, met for lunch with First Lady Laura Bush at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Symposium on Advancing Global Literacy and attended the General Assembly in the UN with her husband. She also attended state dinners with the Emir of Qatar and wife and with Iraq's president in Paris in 2009. She and Sheikha Mozah (wife of Emir of Qatar) will be working together on the topic of education promotion. Bruni visited Doha on invitation of Sheikha Mozah in November 2009. She also took cause for a woman in Iran, Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, fighting a death penalty by stoning.

In April 2009, Carla was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III on the occasion of the couple's Spanish State Visit.

In October 2009 she launched CarlaBruniSarkozy.org, a website largely dealing with her philanthropic work.

In January 2010, Carla visited Benin, her second visit as ambassador to The Global Fund. She also received Haitian orphans who survived the Haiti 2010 earthquake and were adopted by French families.

She has been critical of Pope Benedict XVI on the controversial topic of religion and AIDS. According to Le Canard Enchainé, Bruni was asked by Vatican officials not to join her husband in an official visit for fear that the Italian newspapers would reprint racy pictures dating from her modelling career.

In late August 2010, Iran's state-run daily paper Kayhan called Bruni-Sarkozy a 'prostitute' after she had condemned the stoning sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani for adultery in an open letter, along with several French celebrities. The paper later also called for Bruni to be put to death for supporting Sakineh Ashtiani, and for what the paper described as Bruni's moral corruption and having had extra-marital affairs herself. Even though Kayhan is a state-sponsored paper and it continued its tirade against Bruni along with other state-run Iranian media, Iranian officials tried to distance themselves from that violent stance and openly condemned it, while a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry criticized the comments as being 'unacceptable'. President Ahmedinejad also condemned the remark made by the paper.

Relationships

It has been claimed that Bruni was involved with Louis Bertignac, Mick Jagger (Jagger's ex-wife Jerry Hall acknowledged his affair with Bruni as a reason for their separation), Eric Clapton, Léos Carax, Charles Berling, Arno Klarsfeld, Vincent Perez and former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius.

She has said she is easily "bored with monogamy", and that "love lasts a long time, but burning desire – two to three weeks".

Bruni met the recently divorced French president Nicolas Sarkozy in November 2007 at a dinner party. After a brief romance they married on 2 February 2008 at the Élysée Palace in Paris. The marriage is Bruni's first and Sarkozy's third. Bruni obtained French nationality not long afterwards. She has since made contradictory statements as to whether she still holds Italian nationality as well. She is pregnant with Sarkozy's fourth child.

The Enthovens

While living with Jean-Paul Enthoven, Bruni fell in love and started an affair with his son, philosophy professor Raphaël Enthoven (the song "Raphäel" from Bruni's album ''Quelqu'un m'a dit'' is named after him), who was at the time married to novelist Justine Lévy, daughter of philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy. Bruni later denied ever having an affair with Raphaël's father in an interview published in Vanity Fair, "I never slept with him, not even a minute."

The affair and the end of her marriage inspired Justine's 2004 book ''Rien de Grave'' (published in English in 2005 as ''Nothing Serious''). She paints a vitriolic portrait of "Paula", the surgically-enhanced model who steals the protagonist's husband and describes her as "a praying mantis" and "a leech of a woman with a Terminator smile".

Bruni and Raphaël had a son, Aurélien, in 2001. The couple broke up in May 2007 because Raphaël thought their relationship did not have a commitment, as Bruni told ''Vanity Fair''.

Discography

Year	Album	Peak position																		French sales
		!width="35"	USA	!width="35"	!width="35"		!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"
2003	''[[Quelqu'un m'a dit">France	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"	!width="35"
2003	''[[Quelqu'un m'a dit''	—	—	12	1	—	1	9	4	27	4	5	—	—	—	—	—	14	—	1,200,900
2007		65	—	—	1	1	1	2	1	11	11	6	5	55	47	—	—	2	27	150,000
2008	''Comme si de rien n'était''	58	195	15	1	1	2	6	3	10	14	21	32		31	21	23	15	30	200,000

Filmography

! Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
1994		Herself	Uncredited
1998		Herself
2009	''Somebody Told Me About. . . Carla Bruni''	Herself	80 minute documentary film
2011	''Midnight in Paris''	Museum guide	Directed by Woody Allen

Further reading

References

External links

Official web site (personal site)

Carla Bruni official website (as singer)

Carla Bruni: from catwalk to Elysee – ''Expatica'', 11 February 2008

Who Is Carla Bruni? – slideshow by ''Life magazine''

Category:1967 births Category:Audiogram artists Category:English-language singers Category:French female models Category:French female singers Category:French-language singers Category:French people of Italian descent Category:Italian emigrants to France Category:Italian female models Category:Italian female singers Category:Italian-language singers Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of France Category:People from Turin (city) Category:Spouses of French presidents Category:Nicolas Sarkozy

ar:كارلا بروني az:Karla Bruni br:Carla Bruni-Sarkozy bg:Карла Бруни-Саркози ca:Carla Bruni cs:Carla Bruniová da:Carla Bruni de:Carla Bruni et:Carla Bruni es:Carla Bruni eo:Carla Bruni fa:کارلا برونی fr:Carla Bruni-Sarkozy gl:Carla Bruni gan:卡拉·布魯尼 ko:카를라 브루니 io:Carla Bruni id:Carla Bruni it:Carla Bruni he:קרלה ברוני ka:კარლა ბრუნი la:Carola Bruni lt:Carla Bruni hu:Carla Bruni nl:Carla Bruni ja:カーラ・ブルーニ no:Carla Bruni oc:Carla Bruni pl:Carla Bruni pt:Carla Bruni ro:Carla Bruni ru:Бруни, Карла sk:Carla Bruniová-Sarkozyová sl:Carla Bruni-Sarkozy fi:Carla Bruni sv:Carla Bruni th:คาร์ลา บรูนี tr:Carla Bruni uk:Карла Бруні vi:Carla Bruni wuu:加合拉 孛何妮 zh-yue:卡拉布盧尼 zh:卡拉·布鲁尼

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
name	Georges Brassens
background	solo_singer
born	October 22, 1921, Sète, France
died	October 29, 1981, Saint-Gély-du-Fesc
instrument	Acoustic guitar
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1940–1981
label	Universal Music
associated acts	Pierre Nicolas, sometimes Barthélémy Rosso, Joël Favreau
notable instruments	}}

Georges Brassens (), 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981, was a French singer-songwriter.

Brassens was born in Sète, a town in southern France near Montpellier. Now an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his simply orchestrated, harmonically complex, elegant songs and articulate, diverse lyrics; indeed, he is considered one of France's most accomplished postwar poets. He has also set to music poems by both well-known and relatively obscure poets, including Louis Aragon (''Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux''), Victor Hugo (''La Légende de la Nonne'', ''Gastibelza''), Jean Richepin, François Villon (''La Ballade des Dames du Temps Jadis''), and Guillaume Apollinaire, Antoine Pol (''Les Passantes'').

During World War II, he was forced by the Germans to work in a labor camp at a BMW aircraft engine plant in Basdorf near Berlin in Germany (March 1943). Here Brassens met some of his future friends, such as Pierre Onténiente, whom he called ''Gibraltar'' because he was "steady as a rock." They would later become close friends.

After being given ten days' leave in France, he decided not to return to the labour camp. Brassens took refuge in a slum called "Impasse Florimont," in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, where he lived for several years with its owner, Jeanne Planche, a friend of his aunt. Planche lived with her husband Marcel in relative poverty: without gas, running water, or electricity. Brassens remained hidden there until the end of the war five months later, but ended up staying for 22 years. Planche was the inspiration for Brassens's song ''Jeanne''.

Apart from Paris and Sète, he lived first in Crespières (near Paris) and latterly in Lezardrieux (Brittany).

Biography

Childhood

Brassens grew up in the family home in Sète with his mother, Elvira Dagrosa, father, Jean-Louis, half-sister, Simone (daughter of Elvira and her first husband, who was killed in the war), and paternal grandfather, Jules. His mother, who came from southern Italy (Basilicata province), was a devout Roman Catholic, while his father was an easy-going, generous, openminded, anticlerical man. Brassens grew up between these two starkly contrasting personalities, who nonetheless shared a love for music. His mother—whom Brassens labelled a "missionary for songs" (''militante de la chanson''), Simone and Jules, were always singing. This environment imparted to Brassens a passion for singing that would come to define his life. At the time he listened constantly to his early idols: Charles Trenet, Tino Rossi, and Ray Ventura. He was said to love music above all else: it was his first passion and the path that led him to his career. He told his friend André Sève, "[It is] a kind of internal vibration, something intense, a pleasure that has something of the sensual to it." He hoped to enrol at a music conservatory, but his mother insisted that he could only do so if his grades improved. Consequently, he never learned to read music. A poor student, Brassens performed badly in school.

Alphonse Bonnafé, Brassens's ninth-grade teacher, strongly encouraged his apparent gift for poetry and creativity. Brassens had already been experimenting with songwriting and poetry. Bonnafé aided his attempts at poetry and pushed him to spend more time on his schoolwork, suggesting he begin to study classical poetry. Brassens developed an interest in versification and rhyme. By Brassens's admission, Bonnafé's influence on his work was enormous: "We were thugs, at fourteen, fifteen, and we started to like poets. That is quite a transformation. Thanks to this teacher, I opened my mind to something bigger. Later on, every time I wrote a song, I asked myself the question: would Bonnafé like it?" By this point, music had taken a slight backstage to poetry for Brassens, who now dreamed of being a writer.

Nonetheless, personal friendships and adolescence still defined Brassens in his teens. At age seventeen, he was implicated in a crime that would prove to be a turning point in his life. In order to make a little money, Georges and his gang decided to turn to small thefts whose principal victims were their respective families. Georges stole a ring and a bracelet from his sister. The police found and caught him, which caused a minor scandal. The young men were publicly characterized as "high school mobsters" or "scum". Some of the perpetrators, unsupported by their families, spent time in prison. While Brassens's father was more forgiving and immediately picked up his son, Brassens was expelled from school. He decided to move to Paris in February 1940, following a short trial as an apprentice mason in his father's business after World War II had already broken out.

Wartime

Apprenticeship

Brassens lived with his aunt Antoinette in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, where he taught himself to play piano. He began working at a Renault car factory. In May 1940 the factory was bombed, and France invaded by Germany. Brassens returned to the family home in Sète. He spent the summer in his home town, but soon returned to Paris, feeling that this was where his future lay. He did not work, since employment would serve only to profit the occupying enemy. Saddened by the lack of poetic culture, Brassens spent most of his days in the library. It was then that he set a pattern of rising at five in the morning, and going to bed at sunset – a pattern he maintained the greater part of his life. He meticulously studied the great masters: Villon, Baudelaire, Verlaine and Hugo. His approach to poetry was almost scientific. Reading, for instance, a poem by Verlaine, he dissected it image by image, attentive to the slightest change in rhythm, analysing the rhymes and the way they alternated. He drew on this enormous literary culture as wrote his first collection of poems, ''Des coups d’épée dans l’eau'', whose conclusion foreshadowed the anarchism of his future songs:

:''Le siècle ou nous vivons est un siècle pourri.'' :''Tout n'est que lâcheté, bassesse,'' :''Les plus grands assassins vont aux plus grandes messes'' :''Et sont des plus grands rois les plus grands favoris.'' :''Hommage de l'auteur à ceux qui l'ont compris,'' :''Et merde aux autres.''

:''(The century we live in is a rotten century.'' :''Nothing but cowardice and baseness.'' :''The greatest murderers attend the greatest masses'' :''And are the greatest favourites of the greatest kings.'' :''Homage from the author to those who understood it,'' :''And shit for the others.)''

Brassens also published ''A la venvole'' in 1942, thanks to the money of his family and friends, and with the surprising help of a woman named Jeanne Planche, a neighbour of Antoinette, probably the first Brassens fan. Brassens later commented on his early works: "In those times, I was only regurgitating what I had learned reading the poets. I hadn't transformed it into honey yet."

Exile

In March 1943, Brassens was requisitioned for the STO (''Service de Travail Obligatoire'': ''Obligatory Work Service'') and was taken to Basdorf, Germany. He found time to write, but he stooped to easiness. It was nevertheless in Germany that he wrote ''Bonhomme'' and ''Pauvre Martin'', along with more than a hundred songs, that were later either burned or frequently altered before they reached their final form (''Le Mauvais sujet repenti''). He also wrote the beginning of his first novel, ''Lalie Kakamou''. In Germany, he met some of his best friends like Pierre Onténiente, whom he nicknamed "Gibraltar", because he was "firm as a rock." Onténiente later became his right-hand man and his private secretary.

A year after he arrived in Basdorf, Brassens was granted a ten day furlough. It was obvious to him and his new friends that he wouldn't come back. In Paris, he had to find a hideout, but he knew very few people. He had indeed led quite a lonely life in Paris, seeing only a friend from Sète and the girls. Finally, Jeanne Planche came to his aid and offered to put him up as long as necessary. Jeanne lived with her husband Marcel in a hovel at 9 impasse Florimont, with no gas, water or electricity. Brassens accepted... and stayed there for twenty two years. He once said on the radio: "I was nice there, and I have gained since then quite an amazing sense of discomfort." According to Pierre Onténiente: "Jeanne had a crush on Georges and Marcel knew nothing, as he started to get drunk at eight in the morning."

Anarchist influences

Once put up at Jeanne Planche's, Georges had to stay hidden for five months, waiting for the war to come to an end. He continued writing poems and songs. He composed using as his only instrument a small piece of furniture that he called "my drum" on which he beat out the rhythm. He resumed writing the novel he started in Basdorf, for only now did he consider a career as a famous novelist. The end of World War II and the freedom suddenly regained didn't change his habits much, except that he got his library card back and resumed studying poetry.

The end of the war meant the homecoming of the friends form Basdorf, with whom Brassens planned to create an anarchist-minded paper, ''Le Cri des gueux'' (''The villains' cry''), which never came into being for lack of money. At the same time, he set up the "Prehistoric Party" with Emile Miramont (a friend from Sète nicknamed "Corne d'Auroch" –auroch's horn) and André Larue (who he met in Basdorf), which advocated the return to a more modest way of life, but whose chief purpose was to ridicule the other political parties. After the failure of ''Le Cri des gueux'', Brassens joined the Anarchist Federation and wrote some virulent, black humour tinged articles for ''Le Libertaire'', the Federation's paper. But the extravagance of the future songwriter wasn’t to everybody’s taste, and he soon had to leave the Federation, albeit without resentment.

Brassens said in an interview: "I'm an anarchist, so much so that I always cross at the zebra crossing to avoid arguing with the police." He also said: "I'm not very fond of the law. As Léautaud would say, I could do without laws [...] I think most people couldn’t."

Career

His friends who heard and liked his songs urged him to go and try them out in a cabaret, café or concert hall. He was shy and had difficulty performing in front of people. At first, he wanted to sell his songs to most-known singers such as "les frères Jacques". The owner of a cafe told him that his songs were not the type he was looking for. But at one point he met the singer ''Patachou'' in a very well known cafe, ''Les Trois Baudets'', and she brought him into the music scene. Several famous singers came into the music industry this way, including Jacques Brel and Léo Ferré. He later on made several appearances at the Paris Olympia under Bruno Coquatrix' management and at the Bobino music hall theater. He toured with Pierre Louki, who wrote a book of recollections entitled ''Avec Brassens'' (éditions Christian Pirot, 1999, ISBN 2-86808-129-0). After 1952, Brassens rarely left France. A few trips to Belgium and Switzerland; a month in Canada and another in North Africa were his only trips outside France – except for his concerts in Wales in 1970 and 1973 (Cardiff).

Songs

Brassens rarely performed abroad. His lyrics are difficult to translate, though attempts have been made. He accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. Most of the time the only other accompaniment came from his friend Pierre Nicolas with a double bass, and sometimes a second guitar (Barthélémy Rosso, Joël Favreau).

His songs often decry hypocrisy and self-righteousness in the conservative French society of the time, especially among the religious, the well-to-do, and those in law enforcement. The criticism is often indirect, focusing on the good deeds or innocence of others in contrast. His elegant use of florid language and dark humor, along with bouncy rhythms, often give a rather jocular feel to even the grimmest lyrics.

Some of his most famous songs include:

''Les copains d'abord'', about a boat of that name, and friendship, written for a movie ''Les copains'' (1964) directed by Yves Robert; (translated and covered by Asleep At The Wheel as "''Friendship First''" and by a Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny as "''Kumple to grunt''" and included on their 2007 eponymously titled CD).

''Chanson pour l'Auvergnat'', lauding those who take care of the downtrodden against the pettiness of the bourgeois and the harshness of law enforcement.

''La Cane de Jeanne'' for Marcel and Jeanne Planche, who befriended and sheltered him and others.

''La mauvaise réputation'' – "the bad reputation" – a semi-autobiographical tune with its catchy lyric: "Mais les braves gens n'aiment pas que l'on suive une autre route qu'eux" (But the good folks don't like it if you take a different road than they do.)

''Les amoureux des bancs publics'' – about young lovers who kiss each other publicly and shock self-righteous people.

''Le gorille'' – tells, in a humorous fashion, of a gorilla with a large penis (and admired for this by ladies) who escapes his cage. Mistaking a robed judge for a woman, the beast forcefully sodomizes him. The song contrasts the wooden attitude that the judge had exhibited when sentencing a man to death by the guillotine with his cries for mercy when being assaulted by the gorilla. This song, considered pornographic, was banned for a while. The song's refrain (''Gare au gori – i – i – i – ille'', "beware the gorilla") is widely known; it was translated into English by Jake Thackray as ''Brother Gorilla'', by Greek singer-songwriter Christos Thivaios as Ο Γορίλλας ("The Gorilla"), by Spanish songwriter Joaquín Carbonell as "El Gorila" ("The Gorilla"), by Italian songwriter Fabrizio De André as "Il Gorilla" ("The Gorilla" – FDA included this translation into his 1968 album "Volume III"), by a Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny as "Goryl" and by Israeli writer Dan Almagor as "הגורילה".

''Fernande'' – a 'virile antiphon' about the women lonely men think about to inspire self-gratification (or to nip it in the bud). Its infamous refrain (''Quand je pense à Fernande, je bande, je bande...'', `When I think about Fernande, I get hard') is still immediately recognized in France, and has essentially ended the use of several female first names.

''Supplique pour être enterré à la plage de Sète'', a long song (7:18) describing, in a colourful, "live" and poetic way, his wish to be buried on a peculiar sandy beach in his hometown, "Plage de la Corniche".

''Mourir pour des idées'', describing the recurring violence over ideas and an exhortation to be left in peace (translated into Italian by Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André as "Morire per delle idee" and included in FDA's 1974 album "Canzoni" and by a Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny as "Śmierć za idee" and included on their 2007 CD "Kumple to grunt").

Brassens died of cancer in 1981, in Saint-Gély-du-Fesc, having suffered health problems for many years, and rests at the Cimetière le Py in Sète.

Legacy

In recent years, more than 50 doctoral dissertations have been written about Georges Brassens. Many artists from Japan, Israel, Russia, the United States (where there is a Georges Brassens fan club), Italy and Spain have made cover versions of his songs. His songs have been translated into 20 languages, including Esperanto.

Many singers have covered Georges Brassens' lyrics in other languages, for instance Pierre de Gaillande, who translates Brassens' songs and performs them in English, Fabrizio De André (in Italian), Alberto Patrucco (in Italian), and Nanni Svampa (in Italian and Milanese), Graeme Allwright and Jake Thackray (in English), Sam Alpha (in creole), Yossi Banai (in Hebrew), Jiří Dědeček (in Czech), Mark Freidkin (in Russian), Loquillo, Paco Ibáñez, Javier Krahe, Joaquín Carbonell and Eduardo Peralta (in Spanish), Jacques Ivart (in esperanto), Franz Josef Degenhardt and Ralf Tauchmann (in German), Zespół Reprezentacyjny (they released 2 CDs of Brassens' songs in Polish) and Piotr Machalica (in Polish), Cornelis Vreeswijk (Swedish) and Tuula Amberla (in Finnish). Dieter Kaiser, a Belgian-German singer who performs in public concerts with the French-German professional guitarist Stéphane Bazire under the name Stéphane & Didier has translated into German language and gathered in a brochure 19 Brassens songs. He also translated among others the poem "Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux" of the French contemporary poet Louis Aragon. Franco-Cameroonian singer Kristo Numpuby also released a cover-album with the original French lyrics but adapted the songs to various African rhythms.

An international association of Georges Brassens fans exists and there is also a fan club in Berlin-Basdorf which organizes a Brassens festival every year in September.

Brassens composed about 250 songs, of which 200 were recorded, the other 50 remaining unfinished.

Renée Claude, an important Québécois singer, dedicated a tribute-album to him, ''J'ai rendez-vous avec vous'' (1993).

His songs have a major influence on many French singers across several generations, including Maxime Le Forestier, Renaud, Bénabar and others.

In 2008, the English folk-singer Leon Rosselson included a tribute song to Brassens, entitled "The Ghost of Georges Brassens", on his album ''A Proper State''.

The song "À Brassens" ("To Brassens") from Jean Ferrat's album ''Ferrat'' was dedicated to Brassens.

Heritage sites

Many schools, theatres, parks, public gardens, and public places are dedicated to Georges Brassens and his work, including:

L'Espace Brassens in his hometown of Sète, a museum to his life.

A park built on the site of the former Vaugirard horse market & slaughterhouses, was named ''parc Georges Brassens''. Brassens lived a large part of his life about hundred metres from the slaughterhouses, at 9 impasse Florimont and then at 42 rue Santos Dumont. The park was inaugurated in 1975.

A nearby station of Tram line 3 is also named in Brassens' honour.

The ''Place du Marché'' of Brive-la-Gaillarde was renamed ''Place Georges Brassens'', as a tribute to women that had had a clash here with the French gendarmerie, a clash he evoked in one of his songs, ''Hécatombe''.

In the Paris Métro station Porte des Lilas (Line 11) there is a mural portrait of Brassens along with a quote from his song "La Porte des Lilas", written for the 1957 film "Porte des Lilas" by René Clair. In this film, Brassens had a supporting role, practically playing himself.

References

External links

Espace Brassens museum in Sète Georges-Brassens.com AnalyseBrassens.com

Category:1921 births Category:1981 deaths Category:People from Sète Category:Anarchist musicians Category:French male singers Category:French singer-songwriters Category:French-language singers Category:French people of Italian descent Category:Légion d'honneur refusals Category:French anarchists

an:Georges Brassens br:Georges Brassens ca:Georges Brassens cs:Georges Brassens de:Georges Brassens es:Georges Brassens eo:Georges Brassens eu:Georges Brassens fr:Georges Brassens gl:Georges Brassens it:Georges Brassens he:ז'ורז' ברסנס la:Georgius Brassens lb:Georges Brassens hu:Georges Brassens nl:Georges Brassens ja:ジョルジュ・ブラッサンス no:Georges Brassens oc:Georges Brassens pl:Georges Brassens pt:Georges Brassens ro:Georges Brassens ru:Брассенс, Жорж sc:Georges Brassens simple:Georges Brassens sl:Georges Brassens sv:Georges Brassens tr:Georges Brassens uk:Жорж Брассанс wa:Georges Brassens