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.
A Deux
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Toi et moi
A deux!
Nous bâtirons des cathédrales
Pour y célébrer nos amours
Nous y accrocherons les voiles
Qui nous pousseront vers le jour
Aux hommes qui n'ont pas de chance
Et j'irai décrocher Saturne
Nous en ferons nos alliances
Et nous remercierons la vie
D'avoir voulu nous épargner
Nous pourrons la croquer, ma mie,
Sans jamais devoir la cracher
A deux!
Nous jetterons sur les rivières
Des ponts faits de notre amitié
Pour tous les hommes de la Terre
Afin qu'on puisse les aimer
Et de tes rires à la ronde
Tu éclabousseras l'Humanité
Moi, je pourrai lever le Monde
Avant que le monde m'ait couché
Nous partirons chaque matin
A l'aventure d'une journée
Nous avons la vie dans nos mains
Mais il nous faut la dessiner
A deux!
Nous tracerons de sur la Terre
Des chemins pavés de soleil
Nous effacerons les frontières
Car tous les enfants sont pareils
Et les histoires que l'on raconte,
Qui font qu'on semble les nier,
A deux, nous prouverons au monde
Qu'on peut les faire devenir vrais
Nos cœurs seront plein d'espérance
Nos chants seront des chants d'amour
Car à deux nous aurons la chance
De croire qu'on en a chaque jour
A deux!
Nous bâtirons des cathédrales
Pour y célébrer nos amours
The song "À deux" by Jacques Brel speaks of a powerful love shared between two people, and all the possibilities that come with it. The singer declares that together, he and his beloved can build cathedrals to celebrate their love and hang the sails that will guide them towards the light. They are willing to offer the moon to those who are unlucky, and even go as far as to capture Saturn to make it their ally. Together, they are thankful for the life they have been given, and can savor it knowing that they will never have to spit it out.
The couple is also determined to spread love to others, and they will build bridges of friendship over rivers to connect with people from all over the world. They will erase borders that separate children from each other and prove that stories can become true if they believe it. Their hearts are filled with hope, and their songs will be ones of love, as they are given the chance to believe it anew each day. Ultimately, the chorus repeats the phrase "À deux" - together - emphasizing that their love is stronger than anything they could do alone.
Overall, "À deux" conveys powerful messages about love, gratitude, and the potential of two people coming together to create a better world. It speaks to the beauty and importance of not just finding love, but using it to build something greater than themselves - a legacy of hope and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Toi, toi et moi
You and me, only us
Toi et moi
You and me, together
A deux!
As two, in unity
Nous bâtirons des cathédrales
We will build cathedrals
Pour y célébrer nos amours
To celebrate our love in them
Nous y accrocherons les voiles
We will hang sails in them
Qui nous pousseront vers le jour
Which will push us towards the day
A deux, nous offrirons la Lune
Together we will offer the moon
Aux hommes qui n'ont pas de chance
To the men who have no luck
Et j'irai décrocher Saturne
And I will go and remove Saturn
Nous en ferons nos alliances
We will make them our allies
Et nous remercierons la vie
And we will thank life
D'avoir voulu nous épargner
For wanting to spare us
Nous pourrons la croquer, ma mie,
We will be able to savor it, my love
Sans jamais devoir la cracher
Without ever having to spit it out
Nous jetterons sur les rivières
We will throw onto the rivers
Des ponts faits de notre amitié
Bridges made of our friendship
Pour tous les hommes de la Terre
For all the men of the Earth
Afin qu'on puisse les aimer
So that we can love them
Et de tes rires à la ronde
And with your laughter all around
Tu éclabousseras l'Humanité
You will splash humanity
Moi, je pourrai lever le Monde
I, myself, will be able to lift the world
Avant que le monde m'ait couché
Before the world puts me to bed
Nous partirons chaque matin
We will leave each morning
A l'aventure d'une journée
To the adventure of a day
Nous avons la vie dans nos mains
We hold life in our hands
Mais il nous faut la dessiner
But we have to draw it
Nous tracerons de sur la Terre
We will trace on the Earth
Des chemins pavés de soleil
Paths paved with sunlight
Nous effacerons les frontières
We will erase the borders
Car tous les enfants sont pareils
Because all the children are the same
Et les histoires que l'on raconte,
And the stories that we tell
Qui font qu'on semble les nier,
That make it seem like we deny them
A deux, nous prouverons au monde
Together, we will prove to the world
Qu'on peut les faire devenir vrais
That we can make them come true
Nos cœurs seront plein d'espérance
Our hearts will be full of hope
Nos chants seront des chants d'amour
Our songs will be songs of love
Car à deux nous aurons la chance
Because together we will have the chance
De croire qu'on en a chaque jour
To believe that we have it every day
A deux!
Together!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
seb lee
Il a un charisme incroyable, il parle avec son cœur.✌🏻😉
MirY'am Barnabas
Et OUI!
Lloyd VDB
" Ça respire autrement, ça se tait autrement " mais quelle phrase incroyable et qui, de notre temps, pourrait dire cela, la réponse est évidente
Je suis trop jeune pour avoir connu Mr Brel (je suis de 1997) mais qu'est ce que j'aurais aimé grandir avec Jacques et vivre son évolution
Car plus personne aujourd'hui ne peut atteindre son niveau
Formidable Mr Brel ! Respect maximum
RadicalLibre+
Un grand penseur, enfin un grand "vivant" de l'humain. Il pense en animal. Jubilatoire :)))
Leonardo Stecca
Je suis d'accord, même comme toi je ne le « connaissais pas quand il était célèbre » (je suis de 2002).
Brel comme les autres chansonniers de son époque, était un artisan de l'écriture.
L.S.
bruno van roey
Le surréalisme
Marcheur Solitaire
Quelle profondeur de pensée dans une simple discussion , non pas de bistrot , mais de bagnole .
On reste ébloui de tant d'intelligence .
Florian Levassort
Un personnage que je pourrai écouter des heures car j'aime bien son humilité, ce côté humble et réaliste
Major Tom
Cet homme est tellement fascinant à tous points de vue que j'en viendrais presque à me demander comment une telle personne à pu exister...
Benigno Tascon
"... les grenouilles ont horreur de la vivisection ; se sont les hommes qui ont inventé cela."
J'adore !
Tout le contraire d'un intello. Il est juste "vrai", Génial.