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 Chanson De Van Horst
Jacques Brel Lyrics
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De Cracovie à San Diego, de drame en dame, passe la vie
De peu à peu, de cœur en cœur, de peur en peur, de port en port
Le temps d'une fleur et l'on s'endort, le temps d'un rêve et l'on est mort
De terre en terre, de place en place, de jeune vieille en vieille grâce
De guerre en guerre, de guerre lasse
La mort nous veille, la mort nous glace
De verre en verre, de boire en boire
Je mords encore à pleines dents, je suis un mort encore vivant.
The lyrics to Jacques Brel's song La Chanson De Van Horst are full of poignant observations on the transience of life and the inevitability of death. The song speaks of the many places that Van Horst has traveled to throughout his life, from Rotterdam to Santiago, Amsterdam to Varsovie, Cracovie to San Diego, and everywhere in between. He has encountered dramatic situations and many women, and all of this has contributed to the passage of time. The song speaks of how we move from one place to another, from one heart to another, and from fear to fear, eventually passing away after a dream or a flower.
The song also speaks of the fact that life is full of contrasts. Van Horst travels from land to land, encountering people of all ages and backgrounds, and experiencing the highs and lows of war and peace. The specter of death is ever-present, watching and waiting for its moment to take us. Yet, amidst this, we are still able to find joy and pleasure in the world. Drinking beer at fairs and festivals, enjoying oneself with friends and lovers - these are the things that keep us alive and make us feel like we are still living. Ultimately, Van Horst is a dead man who is still alive, still enjoying all that life has to offer, even as it slips away from him.
Line by Line Meaning
De Rotterdam à Santiago et d'Amsterdam à Varsovie
From Rotterdam to Santiago and from Amsterdam to Warsaw
De Cracovie à San Diego, de drame en dame, passe la vie
From Krakow to San Diego, life passes by drama and lady by lady
De peu à peu, de cœur en cœur, de peur en peur, de port en port
Little by little, heart by heart, fear by fear, from port to port
Le temps d'une fleur et l'on s'endort, le temps d'un rêve et l'on est mort
The time of a flower and we fall asleep, the time of a dream and we are dead
De terre en terre, de place en place, de jeune vieille en vieille grâce
From land to land, from place to place, from young to old age with grace
De guerre en guerre, de guerre lasse
From war to war, with tired war
La mort nous veille, la mort nous glace
Death watches over us, death freezes us
Mais de bière en bière, de foire en foire
But from beer to beer, from fair to fair
De verre en verre, de boire en boire
From glass to glass, from drink to drink
Je mords encore à pleines dents, je suis un mort encore vivant.
I still bite with full teeth, I am a dead man still alive.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: FRANCOIS RAUBER, GERARD JOUANNEST, JACQUES BREL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.