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.
L'ange Déchu
Jacques Brel Lyrics
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Portent les amours des amants déçus
Tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
Portent les mensonges des anges déchus
Amour du matin
Frais comme la rose
Amour qu’on étreint
Tu étais si jolie, les lèvres mi-closes
Me penchant vers toi, je t’ai dit toujours
Mais tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
Portent les amours des amants déçus
Mais tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
Portent les mensonges des anges déchus
Amour de midi
Brûlant de clarté
Amour que l’on vole
Au vol de la vie
Le vent qui jalousait le chant de nos baisers
Nous disait d’être sages et nous en avons ri
Mais tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
Portent les amours des amants déçus
Mais tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
Portent les mensonges des anges déchus
Amour de la nuit
Brasier sans lumière
Amour qui espère
L’espoir qu’on attend
Tu avais dans les yeux un bouquet de prières
Je t’ai dit demain, j’ai pensé, je mens
Car tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
Portent les amours de mon cœur déçu
Car tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
N’ont pu faire de moi qu’un ange déchu
The lyrics of Jacques Brel's song "L'ange Déchu" reflect on the disappointments and deceptions encountered in love. The song begins by stating that all the roads that lead to Rome carry the loves of disappointed lovers and the lies of fallen angels. It suggests that love, represented by the different times of the day – morning, noon, and night – can be both beautiful and fleeting.
The first verse speaks of a morning love, fresh like a rose, that one embraces as they embrace the day. The singer describes this love as lovely, with slightly closed lips, and tells the beloved that they are always there for them. However, despite this expression of commitment, the singer acknowledges that all roads leading to Rome carry the loves of disappointed lovers, implying that their love may also be destined for disappointment.
The second verse focuses on a love at noon, burning brightly. It is described as something stolen from the flight of life, suggesting a sense of urgency and transience. The wind, jealous of the couple's passionate kisses, advises them to be wise, but they laugh it off. Again, the singer reminds us that all roads leading to Rome carry the loves of disappointed lovers, emphasizing the prevalence of heartbreak.
Finally, the last verse describes a love of the night, a love without light. This love is filled with hope for the future, as symbolized by a bouquet of prayers in the beloved's eyes. However, the singer admits that when they said "tomorrow," they were actually lying. The roads leading to Rome have made them a fallen angel, someone whose heart has been disappointed by love.
Overall, "L'ange Déchu" explores the themes of love, deception, and the inevitable heartbreak that often accompanies intimate relationships. The lyrics capture the complexities and contradictions of love, from its initial beauty to its eventual disillusionment.
Line by Line Meaning
Tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
All the paths that lead to Rome
Portent les amours des amants déçus
Carry the loves of disappointed lovers
Tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
All the paths that lead to Rome
Portent les mensonges des anges déchus
Carry the lies of fallen angels
Amour du matin
Morning love
Frais comme la rose
Fresh as the rose
Amour qu’on étreint
Love that one embraces
En étreignant le jour
While embracing the day
Tu étais si jolie, les lèvres mi-closes
You were so pretty, lips slightly closed
Me penchant vers toi, je t’ai dit toujours
Leaning towards you, I said always
Mais tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
But all the paths that lead to Rome
Portent les amours des amants déçus
Carry the loves of disappointed lovers
Mais tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
But all the paths that lead to Rome
Portent les mensonges des anges déchus
Carry the lies of fallen angels
Amour de midi
Midday love
Brûlant de clarté
Burning with clarity
Amour que l’on vole
Love that one steals
Au vol de la vie
In the flight of life
Le vent qui jalousait le chant de nos baisers
The wind that envied the song of our kisses
Nous disait d’être sages et nous en avons ri
Told us to be wise and we laughed at it
Mais tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
But all the paths that lead to Rome
Portent les amours des amants déçus
Carry the loves of disappointed lovers
Mais tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
But all the paths that lead to Rome
Portent les mensonges des anges déchus
Carry the lies of fallen angels
Amour de la nuit
Night love
Brasier sans lumière
Ember without light
Amour qui espère
Love that hopes
L’espoir qu’on attend
The hope that one awaits
Tu avais dans les yeux un bouquet de prières
You had in your eyes a bouquet of prayers
Je t’ai dit demain, j’ai pensé, je mens
I told you tomorrow, I thought, I lie
Car tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
Because all the paths that lead to Rome
Portent les amours de mon cœur déçu
Carry the loves of my disappointed heart
Car tous les chemins qui mènent à Rome
Because all the paths that lead to Rome
N’ont pu faire de moi qu’un ange déchu
Could only make me a fallen angel
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Jacques BREL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.