Brel was born on 8th April 1929 in Schaarbeek, a district of Brussels, and lived half of his life in Paris. He died of lung cancer on 9th October 1978 in Bobigny in the suburbs of Paris, and is buried in the Marquesas Islands.
Although the Brels spoke French, they were of Flemish descent, with some of the family originating from Zandvoorde, near Ieper. Brel's father was co-owner of a cardboard factory and Brel started his professional life at that firm, apparently destined to follow in his father's footsteps. However he had no interest in it, showing instead an interest in the arts, having joined the Catholic-humanist youth organisation Franche Cordée, where he did some singing and acting. At Franche Cordée he met Thérèse Michielsen ('Miche'), and they married in 1950.
In the early 1950s Brel achieved some minor success in Belgium, singing his own songs. A 78rpm record ("La foire"/"Il y a") was released as a result. From 1954 Brel seriously pursued a singing career. He quit his job and moved to Paris, writing music and singing in the city's cabarets and music-halls.. In January 1955 he supported in the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels the performances of the Belgian pop and variety pioneer Bobbejaan Schoepen. After some success his wife and daughters joined him from Belgium. By 1956 he was touring Europe and he recorded the song "Quand on n'a que l'amour", which brought him his first major recognition. He appeared in a show with Maurice Chevalier and Michel Legrand.
By the end of the 1950s Miche and Brel's three daughters moved to Brussels. He and his family led separate lives from then on. 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 is not limited to one style. He was as proficient in comic compositions ("Le lion", "Comment tuer l'amant de sa femme...") as in more emotional ones ("Voir un ami pleurer", "Fils de...", "Jojo"). He composed and recorded his songs almost exclusively in French, and is widely recognised in French-speaking countries as one of the best French-language composers of all time.
Brel himself occasionally included parts of his songs in Flemish (Dutch), one of the three official languages of Belgium, as in Marieke. He also recorded eight other Flemish versions of songs, such as Mijn vlakke land (Le plat Pays), Laat Me Niet Alleen (Ne me quitte pas), Rosa, De Burgerij (Les Bourgeois), and De Nuttelozen van de Nacht (Les paumés du petit matin). Since his own command of the language was poor, these were translated by Ernst van Altena, renowned translator of French song. Although France was Brel's "spiritual home" and he expressed contradictory statements about his native Belgium, some of his best compositions pay tribute to Belgium.
A very successful theatrical review of his songs, "Jacques Brel is Alive and Living in Paris," was launched in 1968. It featured English translations of his songs, and it was late made into a film.
To English-speaking listeners, Brel's best-known song is probably "Seasons in the Sun," a hit for Terry Jacks in 1973. Its English lyrics are a translation by Rod McKuen of Brel's "Le Moribond."
For twenty years he was a major star gaining recognition beyond French audiences. In 1973 he retreated to French Polynesia, remaining there until 1977 when he returned to Paris and recorded his well-received final album.
A heavy smoker, it was discovered in 1973 that Brel had lung cancer. He died in 1978 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia only a few yards away from painter Paul Gauguin.
La Quête
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Porter le chagrin des départs
Brûler d'une possible fièvre
Partir où personne ne part
Aimer jusqu'à la déchirure
Aimer, même trop, même mal,
Tenter, sans force et sans armure,
D'atteindre l'inaccessible étoile
Telle est ma quête,
Suivre l'étoile
Peu m'importent mes chances
Peu m'importe le temps
Ou ma désespérance
Et puis lutter toujours
Sans questions ni repos
Se damner
Pour l'or d'un mot d'amour
Je ne sais si je serai ce héros
Mais mon cœur serait tranquille
Et les villes s'éclabousseraient de bleu
Parce qu'un malheureux
Brûle encore, bien qu'ayant tout brûlé
Brûle encore, même trop, même mal
Pour atteindre à s'en écarteler
Pour atteindre l'inaccessible étoile.
In "La Quête," Jacques Brel sings about his desire to reach an impossible star that's out of his reach, yet he's determined to try anyway. His quest involves dreaming of an impossible dream, carrying the pain of leaving, enduring the possibility of failure, and abandoning everything he's ever known. He claims his heart would be at peace if he could reach the star, and he would go to any lengths to accomplish this.
The lyrics reveal a man who is willing to do whatever it takes to give his life meaning and purpose, even if it means risking everything. Brel's powerful and emotive performance, coupled with his lyrics, express the essence of human experience and ambition, in a way that's both captivating and inspiring.
Overall, "La Quête" can be interpreted as a song about perseverance, the power of hope, and the human spirit's quest to reach for the stars. Through his words and music, Jacques Brel reminds us to follow our dreams, no matter how difficult or impossible they may seem, and to never give up in the pursuit of our goals.
Line by Line Meaning
Rêver un impossible rêve
To dream an impossible dream
Porter le chagrin des départs
To bear the grief of departures
Brûler d'une possible fièvre
To burn with a possible fever
Partir où personne ne part
To go where nobody goes
Aimer jusqu'à la déchirure
To love until it hurts
Aimer, même trop, même mal,
To love, even too much, even badly
Tenter, sans force et sans armure,
To try, without strength and without armor
D'atteindre l'inaccessible étoile
To reach the unattainable star
Telle est ma quête,
Such is my quest,
Suivre l'étoile
To follow the star
Peu m'importent mes chances
My chances matter little to me
Peu m'importe le temps
Time matters little to me
Ou ma désespérance
Or my despair
Et puis lutter toujours
And then always fight
Sans questions ni repos
Without questions or rest
Se damner
To damn oneself
Pour l'or d'un mot d'amour
For the gold of a word of love
Je ne sais si je serai ce héros
I do not know if I will be that hero
Mais mon cœur serait tranquille
But my heart would be peaceful
Et les villes s'éclabousseraient de bleu
And the cities would be splashed with blue
Parce qu'un malheureux
Because an unhappy man
Brûle encore, bien qu'ayant tout brûlé
Still burns, even though he has burned everything
Brûle encore, même trop, même mal
Still burns, even too much, even badly
Pour atteindre à s'en écarteler
To reach until he is torn apart
Pour atteindre l'inaccessible étoile.
To reach the unattainable star.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOE DARION, MITCHELL LEIGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.