Jacques Brel (8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and songw… Read Full Bio ↴Jacques Brel (8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in Belgium and France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson. Although he recorded most of his songs in French, he became a major influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers such as David Bowie, Alex Harvey, Leonard Cohen, Marc Almond and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many top performers in the United States, including Ray Charles, Judy Collins, John Denver, the Kingston Trio, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, and Andy Williams. In French-speaking countries, Brel was also a successful actor, appearing in ten films. He also directed two films, one of which, Le Far West, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973. Jacques Brel has sold over 25 million records worldwide, and is the third best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time.

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 Biere
Jacques Brel Lyrics

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Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Dieu! Qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Donne-moi la main

C'est plein d'Uylenspiegel
Et de ses cousins et d'arrière-cousins
De Bruegel l'Ancien
C'est plein d'vent du nord
Qui mord comme un chien
Le port qui dort, le ventre plein

Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Dieu! Qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Donne-moi la main

C'est plein de verres pleins
Qui vont à kermesse comme vont à messe
Vieilles au matin
C'est plein de jours morts
Et d'amours gelés
Chez nous y a qu'l'été
Que les filles aient un corps

Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Dieu! Qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Donne-moi la main

C'est plein d'finissants
Qui soignent leurs souvenirs
En mouillant de rires
Leurs poiluchons blancs
C'est plein de débutants
Qui soignent leur vérole
En caracolant de "Prosit!" en "Skoll!"

Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Dieu! Qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Donne-moi la main

C'est plein de "Godferdomme"
C'est plein d'Amsterdam
C'est plein de mains d'hommes
Aux croupes des femmes
C'est plein de mémères
Qui ont depuis toujours
Un sein pour la bière
Un sein pour l'amour

Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Dieu! Qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière
Donne-moi la main

C'est plein d'horizons
A vous rendre fous
Mais l'alcool est blond
Le diable est à nous
Les gens sans Espagne
Ont besoin des deux
On fait des montagnes
Avec ce qu'on peut

Ça sent la bière
De Londres à Berlin

Ça sent la bière
Donne-moi la main

Overall Meaning

The song La Biere by Jacques Brel is a celebratory ode to the joys of beer-drinking across different cities, from London to Berlin. Throughout the song, Brel extols the virtues of beer in uniting people of different backgrounds and social classes. The repeated refrain of "Ça sent la bière" (it smells like beer) reinforces the sense of community and conviviality that comes with drinking beer.

Brel also alludes to various cultural and historical figures and motifs, such as Uylenspiegel, a popular folk hero in Belgian and Dutch literature, and Bruegel l'Ancien, the renowned Renaissance painter. The lyrics also touch on darker themes, such as lost loves and the fleeting nature of life, but ultimately return to the theme of the redemptive power of beer.

The song's upbeat tempo and vivacious style further emphasize the celebratory mood, making it a beloved classic among fans of Brel and French chanson.

Line by Line Meaning

Ça sent la bière
The distinct smell of beer is in the air

De Londres à Berlin
From London to Berlin

Dieu! Qu'on est bien
God! How good it feels

Donne-moi la main
Give me your hand

C'est plein d'Uylenspiegel
It's full of Uylenspiegel (a Flemish folk character) and his relatives

Et de ses cousins et d'arrière-cousins
And his cousins and distant cousins

De Bruegel l'Ancien
Of the ancient painter Bruegel

C'est plein d'vent du nord
It's full of northern winds

Qui mord comme un chien
That bite like a dog

Le port qui dort, le ventre plein
The sleeping port, belly full

C'est plein de verres pleins
It's full of full glasses

Qui vont à kermesse comme vont à messe
That go to the fair like they go to mass

Vieilles au matin
Old ladies in the morning

C'est plein de jours morts
It's full of dead days

Et d'amours gelés
And frozen loves

Chez nous y a qu'l'été
Where we are, there's only summer

Que les filles aient un corps
That's when the girls have a body

C'est plein d'finissants
It's full of graduates

Qui soignent leurs souvenirs
Who tend to their memories

En mouillant de rires
By drenching them with laughs

Leurs poiluchons blancs
Their white hair

C'est plein de débutants
It's full of beginners

Qui soignent leur vérole
Who tend to their ails

En caracolant de "Prosit!" en "Skoll!"
By swirling from "Prosit!" to "Skoll!"

C'est plein de "Godferdomme"
It's full of "God damn it!"

C'est plein d'Amsterdam
It's full of Amsterdam

C'est plein de mains d'hommes
It's full of men's hands

Aux croupes des femmes
On the women's butts

C'est plein de mémères
It's full of old ladies

Qui ont depuis toujours
Who always have

Un sein pour la bière
One breast for beer

Un sein pour l'amour
One breast for love

C'est plein d'horizons
It's full of horizons

A vous rendre fous
That could drive you insane

Mais l'alcool est blond
But the alcohol is blonde

Le diable est à nous
The devil is ours

Les gens sans Espagne
People without Spain

Ont besoin des deux
Need both

On fait des montagnes
We make mountains

Avec ce qu'on peut
With what we have

Ça sent la bière
The distinct smell of beer is in the air

De Londres à Berlin
From London to Berlin

Ça sent la bière
The distinct smell of beer is in the air

Dieu! Qu'on est bien
God! How good it feels

Ça sent la bière
The distinct smell of beer is in the air

De Londres à Berlin
From London to Berlin

Ça sent la bière
The distinct smell of beer is in the air

Donne-moi la main
Give me your hand

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Louis_Olga

49w↑2

Paroles: Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, Dieu qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, donne-moi la main
C'est plein d'Uilenspieghel
Et de ses cousins et d'arrière-cousins de Breughel l'Ancien
C'est plein de vent du nord qui mord comme un chien
Le porc qui dort le ventre plein
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, Dieu qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, donne-moi la main
C'est plein de verres pleins
Qui vont à kermesse comme vont à messe vieilles au matin
C'est plein de jours morts et d'amours gelés
Chez nous y a que l'été que les filles aient un corps
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, Dieu qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, donne-moi la main
C'est plein de finissants qui soignent leurs souvenirs
En mouillant de rires leurs poiluchons blancs
C'est plein de débutants qui soignent leur vérole
Qui soignent leur vérole en caracolant de Prosit en Skoll
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, Dieu qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, donne-moi la main
C'est plein de "Godferdom"
C'est plein d'Amsterdam
C'est plein de mains d'hommes aux croupes des femmes
C'est plein de mèmères qui ont depuis toujours
Un sein pour la bière, un sein pour l'amour
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, Dieu qu'on est bien
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, donne-moi la main
C'est plein d'horizons à vous rendre fous
Mais l'alcool est blond et le diable est à nous
Les gens sans Espagne ont besoin des deux
On fait des montagnes avec ce qu'on peut
Ça sent la bière de Londres à Berlin
Ça sent la bière, donne-moi la main

All comments from YouTube:

Louis_Olga

49w↑2

virginie magnier

4y↑3

Top cet homme. Un géant 👍🙂💖

Sanji°Bs

5y↑13

Un monument.!!!

Bastien

J'ai toujours adoré cette chanson, et toujours pensé que Jacques aurait pu dire " De Bruxelles à Dublin" pour la deuxième strophe, avant d'immediatement fermer ma bouche devant un tel monument.