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.
De Apen
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Toen waren wij, en bloem en vogels, heerlijk vrij
Maar sinds zij kwamen zitten bloemen in een pot
De vogels in een kooi, beslissen zij ons lot
Want zij, zij vonden uit, de boef en het gevang
De strafregisters, en het kleine sleutelgat
En heeft hun lange schaar de pers gecensureerd
De apen, hier uit de buurt
De apen, de apen
De apen, hier uit de buurt
Lang voor hen, toen was de man een prins
De vrouw was een prinses, de liefde troetelkind
Maar sinds zij kwamen is de prins een bedelaar
Het rijk sterft uit en de prinses wordt handelswaar
Want zij, zij vonden uit de liefde die onteert
Die liefde die een zaak is, de slavinnenhandel
De gangsters met hun air van onbesproken wandel
En van toen af zijn zij gefusilleerd
De apen, de apen
De apen, hier uit de buurt
De apen, de apen
De apen, hier uit de buurt
Lang voor hen was er nog vrede op aard'
De vrijheid van persoon die was nog heel wat waard
Maar sinds zij kwamen zijn zij er toch in geslaagd
Dat de rede van staat de rede heeft verjaagd
Want zij, zij vonden uit die spitse bajonet
De napalm en atoombom, de geleide raket
De hersenspoeling hebben zij en hooggeleerd
En van toen af zijn zij geciviliseerd
De apen, de apen
De apen, hier uit de buurt
De apen, de apen
De apen, hier uit de buurt
The song "De Apen" (The Apes) by Jacques Brel was released in the year 1962. The song makes use of metaphorical language to convey the message of the loss of freedom and the destruction of humanity in the face of modern developments. The lyrics are insightful and present a poignant commentary on the state of society.
The song begins with a description of a time long before the arrival of modern society when humanity lived in harmony with nature. This idealized time is contrasted with the present where flowers are confined to pots and birds are imprisoned in cages, symbolizing the loss of freedom. The arrival of modern society is blamed for this loss of freedom and control over people's lives. The use of metaphorical language to describe the imprisonment of flowers and birds and the restriction of freedom, as well as the personification of modern society as a thief, is a powerful tool to argue that modernization is a symbol of oppression.
The second verse evokes the theme of love and relationships, which also have been impacted by the modern developments. The lyrics describe the transformation of the man who was once a prince and the woman who was once a princess into beggars and objects of commerce, respectively. The ideal of pure love is contrasted by the commercialization of love through the slave trade. Gangsters and their secretive and immoral dealings are also presented as a destructive force, leading to a brutal, risky environment for everyone.
Overall, "De Apen" is a powerful song that paints a picture of the dehumanizing impact of modernity, commercialization, and scientific progress, and leaves the listener contemplating the cost of modernization.
Line by Line Meaning
Lang voor hen, lang voor die kale lui
Before they came, before those bald people
Toen waren wij, en bloem en vogels, heerlijk vrij
We were free, like flowers and birds
Maar sinds zij kwamen zitten bloemen in een pot
But since they came, flowers are put in a vase
De vogels in een kooi, beslissen zij ons lot
The birds are in cages, they determine our fate
Want zij, zij vonden uit, de boef en het gevang
They discovered the criminal and the prison
De strafregisters, en het kleine sleutelgat
The criminal records, and the small keyhole
En heeft hun lange schaar de pers gecensureerd
And their big scissors censored the press
De apen, de apen
The apes, the apes
De apen, hier uit de buurt
The apes, from around here
Lang voor hen, toen was de man een prins
Before they came, men were princes
De vrouw was een prinses, de liefde troetelkind
Women were princesses, love was cherished
Maar sinds zij kwamen is de prins een bedelaar
But since they came, the princes are beggars
Het rijk sterft uit en de prinses wordt handelswaar
The kingdom is dying, and princesses are commodities
Want zij, zij vonden uit de liefde die onteert
They discovered love that's corrupted
Die liefde die een zaak is, de slavinnenhandel
Love has become a business, the slave trade
De gangsters met hun air van onbesproken wandel
The gangsters with their air of respectable demeanor
En van toen af zijn zij gefusilleerd
And since then, they have been executed
De apen, de apen
The apes, the apes
De apen, hier uit de buurt
The apes, from around here
Lang voor hen was er nog vrede op aard'
Before they came, there was still peace on earth
De vrijheid van persoon die was nog heel wat waard
Personal freedom used to mean a lot
Maar sinds zij kwamen zijn zij er toch in geslaagd
But since they came, they have managed
Dat de rede van staat de rede heeft verjaagd
To replace reason with the logic of the state
Want zij, zij vonden uit die spitse bajonet
They discovered the sharp bayonet
De napalm en atoombom, de geleide raket
The napalm and nuclear bombs, the guided missile
De hersenspoeling hebben zij en hooggeleerd
They are skilled at brainwashing and highly-educated
En van toen af zijn zij geciviliseerd
And since then, they have been considered civilized
De apen, de apen
The apes, the apes
De apen, hier uit de buurt
The apes, from around here
Contributed by Jack N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.