JACQUES BREL - AN EQUIVALENT OF FREDDIE MERCURY IN ART


Jacques Brel, 1929-1978, borned to a Flemish but French-speaking family in Brussel

Once I found this text of how Jacques Brel, one of the greatest chanson singers of all times, looked like: "Everyone who saw him had to remember his face: high forehead, intelligent and bright eyes, big teeth, strong chin. It wasn't beautiful, but it was an interesting face, there was something helpless about it, and in the same time it was full of energy and ambition."

This is how Jacques Brel, an artist, who is equivalent of Freddie Mercury in popularity he gained, and artistic strength he was effecting people, looked like. For example, when people found out Jacques Brel was recording his new album (it was his last in 1977), one milion of them ordered it in advance.
He gained popularity of such dimension because he was always giving his best (as all true artist do) and with his poems he was consternating people. Therefore it is not surpising that his song "Ne me quitte pas" was chosen as a song of the century in 1999 in France, isn't of any surprise to us.



Don't regret the time to get the recordings of Brel's songs, your effort will be reworded. And as an example of his artistic strenght, here are the lines form his song called "Fernand":

FERNAND

To say Fernand is dead
To say, he is dead, Fernand
To say I'm in front all alone
To say he's in front all alone
He in his last beer
Me in my mist
He on his funerale wagon
Me in my desert.
There is nothing but a white horse in front,
There is nothing but me crying in the back.
To say there is not even a wind there
Which would move my flowers,
If I were God
I would probably have a guilty consiousness.
To say it is raining now
To say Fernad is dead,
To say we are walking through Paris
Early in the morning,
To say we are walking through Paris
Which looks like Berlin,
You don't know you are sleeping
But it is sad to die
To have a duty to leave
When Paris is still asleep.
I die of desire
To wake up the people,
I shall call my family
Just to your funerale
And then, if I were merciful God
I probably would't be too proud.
I know, we are doing what we can
But it is a way,
You know I'll be back
I will be back often
To that damn field
Where you have to rest.
I will be your shadow in summer
We shall suck in the silence
To the helth of Mrs. Death
Who is feeling well in your shadow.
And the adults, they are such...
Because they will fight against us.
So, I shall come in peace
To sleep on your grave.
And now, merciful God
Now you'll have a good laugh
And now, merciful God,
Now I'm going to cry


FERNAND

Dire que Fernand est mort
Dire qu'il est mort Fernand
Dire que je suis seul derriere
Dire qu'il est seul devant
Lui dans sa derniere biere
Moi dans mon brouillard
Lui dans son corbillard
Et moi dans mon désert
Devant il n'y a qu'un cheval blanc
Derriere il n'y a que moi qui pleure
Dire qu'il n'y a meme pas de vent
Pour agiter mes fleurs
Moi, si j'étais le bon Dieu
Je crois que j'aurais des remords
Dire que maintenant il pleut
Dire que Fernand est mort
Dire qu'on traverse Paris
Dans le tout petit matin
Dire qu'on traverse Paris
Et qu'on dirait Berlin
Toi tu sais pas tu dors
Mais c'est triste a mourir
D'etre obligé de partir
Quand Paris dort encore
Moi je creve d'envie
De réveiller des gens
Je t'inventerai une famille
Juste pour ton enterrement
Et puis si j'étais le bon Dieu
Je crois que je s'rais pas fier
Je sais on fait ce qu'on peut
Mais y a la maniere
Tu sais je reviendrai
Je reviendrai souvent
Dans ce putain de champ
Ou tu dois te reposer
L'été je te ferai de l'ombre
On boira du silence
A la santé de Constance
Qui se fout bien de ton ombre
Et puis les adultes sont tellement...
Qu'ils nous feront bien une guerre
Alors je viendrai pour de bon
Dormir dans ton cimetiere
Et maintenant bon Dieu
Tu vas bien rigoler
Et maintenant bon Dieu
Maintenant e vais pleurer.