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.
Flamandes
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sans rien dire aux dimanches sonnants
Les Flamandes dansent sans rien dire
Les Flamandes ça n'est pas causant
Si elles dansent, c'est parce qu'elles ont vingt ans
Et qu'à vingt ans il faut se fiancer
Se fiancer pour pouvoir se marier
Et se marier pour avoir des enfants
Le bedeau et même son Eminence
L'Archiprêtre qui prêche au couvent
Et c'est pour ça, et c'est pour ça qu'elles dansent
Les Flamandes, les Flamandes
Les Fla, les Fla, les Flamandes
Les Flamandes dansent sans frémir
Sans frémir aux dimanches sonnants
Les Flamandes dansent sans frémir
Les Flamandes ça n'est pas frémissant
Si elles dansent c'est parce qu'elles ont trente ans
Et qu'à trente ans il est bon de montrer
Que tout va bien, que poussent les enfants
Et le houblon et le blé dans le pré
Elles font la fierté de leurs parents
Du bedeau et de son Eminence
L'Archiprêtre qui prêche au couvent
Et c'est pour çan et c'est pour ça qu'elles dansent
Les Flamandes, les Flamandes
Les Fla, les Fla, les Flamandes
Les Flamandes dansent sans sourire
Sans sourire aux dimanches sonnants
Les Flamandes dansent sans sourire
Les Flamandes, ça n'est pas souriant
Si elles dansent, c'est qu'elles ont septante ans
Qu'à septante ans il est bon de montrer
Que tout va bien, que poussent les p'tits-enfants
Et le houblon et le blé dans le pré:
Toutes vêtues de noir comme leurs parents
Comme le bedeau et comme son Eminence
L'Archiprêtre qui radote au couvent
Elles héritent et c'est pour ça qu'elles dansent
Les Flamandes, les Flamandes
Les Fla, les Fla, les Flamandes
Les Flamandes dansent sans mollir
Sans mollir aux dimanches sonnants
Les Flamandes dansent sans mollir
Les Flamandes, ça n'est pas mollissant
Si elles dansent, c'est parce qu'elles ont cent ans
Et qu'à cent ans il est bon de montrer
Que tout va bien qu'on a toujours bon pied
Et bon houblon et bon blé dans le pré
Elles s'en vont retrouver leurs parents
Et le bedeau et même Son Eminence
L'Archiprêtre qui radote au couvent
Et c'est pour ça qu'une dernière fois elles dansent
Les Flamandes, les Flamandes, les Fla, les Fla
Les Flamandes, les Flamandes, les Flamandes
Les Fla, les Fla, les Flamandes
Les Flamandes, les Flamandes, les Flamandes
Les Fla, les Fla, les Flamandes
"Les Flamandes" is a satirical song by Jacques Brel that depicts the lives of Flemish women in Belgium, particularly in the countryside. The song portrays them as conformists who dance at every age upon the expectations of their families or society, without questioning their own desires or thoughts. Brel's choice to sing in French, instead of Flemish or Dutch, the official languages of Flanders, can be seen as an ironic comment on the assimilation of the Flemish by the French-speaking Belgians, who dominated the country's linguistic and political landscape. The song presents an image of subservient, provincial women leading unfulfilling lives, ruled by tradition, hierarchy, and materialistic aspirations, without any critical awareness.
The lyrics are divided into four parts, each describing the different stages in the life of Flemish women, from their twenties to their hundredth. The first part informs us that the young women dance quietly without speaking because they need to get engaged, married, and have children, as this is what their parents and religion dictate. In the second part, the women are in their thirties, and they dance without trembling because they must show that they have fulfilled their familial and societal roles; being good wives and mothers and productive farmers living in the countryside. In the third part, the women are in their seventies, dressed in black and dancing without smiling because they hope to receive their parents' inheritance and secure their late-life prosperity. In the final part, the women are in their hundredth year, yet still, dance vigorously, showing that they still have energy and vitality, which is evidence that they have lived good lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Les Flamandes dansent sans rien dire
The Flemish women dance without saying anything.
Sans rien dire aux dimanches sonnants
Without saying anything to the ringing Sundays.
Les Flamandes ça n'est pas causant
Flemish women are not talkative.
Si elles dansent, c'est parce qu'elles ont vingt ans
If they dance, it's because they're twenty years old.
Et qu'à vingt ans il faut se fiancer
And at twenty, you have to get engaged.
Se fiancer pour pouvoir se marier
Get engaged so you can get married.
Et se marier pour avoir des enfants
And get married to have children.
C'est ce que leur ont dit leurs parents
That's what their parents told them.
Le bedeau et même son Eminence
The sacristan and even His Eminence.
L'Archiprêtre qui prêche au couvent
The archpriest who preaches at the convent.
Et c'est pour ça, et c'est pour ça qu'elles dansent
And that's why they dance.
Les Flamandes dansent sans frémir
The Flemish women dance without trembling.
Les Flamandes ça n'est pas frémissant
Flemish women do not tremble.
Si elles dansent c'est parce qu'elles ont trente ans
If they dance, it's because they're thirty years old.
Et qu'à trente ans il est bon de montrer
And at thirty, it's good to show.
Que tout va bien, que poussent les enfants
That everything is fine, that the children are growing.
Et le houblon et le blé dans le pré
And the hops and wheat in the meadow.
Elles font la fierté de leurs parents
They make their parents proud.
Du bedeau et de son Eminence
Of the sacristan and His Eminence.
L'Archiprêtre qui prêche au couvent
The archpriest who preaches at the convent.
Et c'est pour ça et c'est pour ça qu'elles dansent
And that's why they dance.
Les Flamandes dansent sans sourire
The Flemish women dance without smiling.
Les Flamandes, ça n'est pas souriant
Flemish women are not smiling.
Si elles dansent, c'est qu'elles ont septante ans
If they dance, it's because they're seventy years old.
Qu'à septante ans il est bon de montrer
That at seventy, it's good to show.
Que tout va bien, que poussent les p'tits-enfants
That everything is fine, that the grandchildren are growing.
Et le houblon et le blé dans le pré
And the hops and wheat in the meadow.
Toutes vêtues de noir comme leurs parents
All dressed in black like their parents.
Comme le bedeau et comme son Eminence
Like the sacristan and His Eminence.
L'Archiprêtre qui radote au couvent
The archpriest who rambles at the convent.
Elles héritent et c'est pour ça qu'elles dansent
They inherit and that's why they dance.
Les Flamandes dansent sans mollir
The Flemish women dance without weakening.
Les Flamandes, ça n'est pas mollissant
Flemish women do not weaken.
Si elles dansent, c'est parce qu'elles ont cent ans
If they dance, it's because they're one hundred years old.
Et qu'à cent ans il est bon de montrer
And at one hundred, it's good to show.
Que tout va bien qu'on a toujours bon pied
That everything is fine and we're still able.
Et bon houblon et bon blé dans le pré
And good hops and wheat in the meadow.
Elles s'en vont retrouver leurs parents
They go to reunite with their parents.
Et le bedeau et même Son Eminence
And the sacristan and even His Eminence.
L'Archiprêtre qui radote au couvent
The archpriest who rambles at the convent.
Et c'est pour ça qu'une dernière fois elles dansent
And that's why they dance one last time.
Les Flamandes, les Flamandes, les Fla, les Fla
The Flemish women, the Flemish women, the Fla, the Fla.
Les Flamandes, les Flamandes, les Flamandes
The Flemish women, the Flemish women, the Flemish women.
Les Fla, les Fla, les Flamandes
The Fla, the Fla, the Flemish women.
Les Flamandes, les Flamandes, les Flamandes
The Flemish women, the Flemish women, the Flemish women.
Les Fla, les Fla, les Flamandes
The Fla, the Fla, the Flemish women.
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Jacques Brel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Poldereaux
Je suis belge francophone , d'origine flamande par mon père, comme Brel .
C'est vrai ce qu'il dit . Nous étudiions ses textes au collège. Je me rappelle l'immense émotion d'un collégien à l'annonce de son décès, un collégien wallon . Il dit septante dans la chanson , et je rends hommage à cette belle âme.
@genevieveyevdochenko9300
Merci a l'humour de mr jacques brel
Retenez les paroles avec tendresse 😘🎶💐🎶🍀❤️
@denissimon4862
Les flamands et les wallons sont toujours en biz biz mais toujours derrière l équipe de foot de la Belgique. Je vous aime.
@mauriceberthier3529
J'adore cette chanson
@tabarachte
j' ecoute en boucle depuis 2h
@astrolol3532
Toujours cet humour en sourdine, ça a dû faire jaser....
@titi63clermont
Oui un immense interprète. Il vivait ses chansons. Le plus grand qui nous manque. Mon grand Jacques, je t aime toujours. Tu es parti trop tôt. Il nous reste ces vidéos que je vois avec plaisir et tes albums. Je t aime 💗💗💗2
@fadhelamir3424
le premier rappeur :)
@michelzenitud5524
Magnifique j'adore il manque à la chanson française
Un grand, très grand 👍👍👍👍👍👍
@stevenvanhoute3049
Notre Roi 🇧🇪🇧🇪