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.
Les Bourgeois
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Les yeux dans la bière
Chez la grosse Adrienne de Montalant
Avec l'ami Jojo
Et avec l'ami Pierre
On allait boire nos vingt ans
Jojo se prenait pour Voltaire
Et Pierre pour Casanova
Moi, moi je me prenais pour moi
Et quand vers minuit passaient les notaires
Qui sortaient de l'hôtel des "Trois Faisans"
On leur montrait notre cul et nos bonnes manières
En leur chantant
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient bête
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient c-
Le cœur bien au chaud
Les yeux dans la bière
Chez la grosse Adrienne de Montalant
Avec l'ami Jojo
Et avec l'ami Pierre
On allait brûler nos vingt ans
Voltaire dansait comme un vicaire
Et Casanova n'osait pas
Et moi, moi qui restait le plus fier
Moi j'étais presque aussi saoul que moi
Et quand vers minuit passaient les notaires
Qui sortaient de l'hôtel des "Trois Faisans"
On leur montrait notre cul et nos bonnes manières
En leur chantant
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient bête
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient c-
Le cœur au repos
Les yeux bien sur terre
Au bar de l'hôtel des "Trois Faisans"
Avec maître Jojo
Et avec maître Pierre
Entre notaires on passe le temps
Jojo parle de Voltaire
Et Pierre de Casanova
Et moi, moi, moi qui suis resté le plus fier, moi
Moi je parle encore de moi
Et c'est en sortant vers minuit, monsieur le Commissaire
Que tous les soirs de chez la Montalant
De jeunes "peigne-culs" nous montrent leur derrière
En nous chantant
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient bête
Disent-ils, monsieur le Commissaire
Les bourgeois, plus ça devient vieux et plus ça devient
Les paroles de "Les bourgeois" de Jacques Brel racontent l'histoire de trois jeunes amis, Jojo, Pierre et le narrateur qui passent leur temps à boire de la bière dans le bar d'Adrienne de Montalant. Ils se prennent chacun pour des personnages célèbres - Voltaire, Casanova - ou pour eux-mêmes. Ils s'amusent notamment à montrer leur postérieur aux notaires bien habillés qui sortent de l'hôtel des "Trois Faisans". Le refrain répété tout au long de la chanson exprime le mépris des jeunes gens pour les bourgeois, qu'ils considèrent comme de plus en plus stupides en vieillissant.
Le thème de la critique sociale est très présent dans les chansons de Jacques Brel, et "Les bourgeois" ne fait pas exception. La chanson évoque la jeunesse qui rejette la bourgeoisie, considérée comme incapable de s'amuser avec la même insouciance et spontanéité. Brel, lui-même un ancien bourgeois, a critiqué cette classe sociale à plusieurs reprises dans ses chansons et a exprimé sa colère face aux inégalités sociales, à l'injustice et à l'hypocrisie.
Line by Line Meaning
Le cœur bien au chaud
Our hearts are warm, comfortable and happy
Les yeux dans la bière
We are staring into our drinks, lost in our thoughts
Chez la grosse Adrienne de Montalant
We are at Adrienne's place, who is known for being overweight
Avec l'ami Jojo
With our friend Jojo, who fancies himself as Voltaire
Et avec l'ami Pierre
And with our other friend Pierre, who fancies himself as Casanova
On allait boire nos vingt ans
We were celebrating our youth by drinking
Jojo se prenait pour Voltaire
Jojo thinks he's as intelligent and witty as Voltaire
Et Pierre pour Casanova
Pierre thinks he's as charming and seductive as Casanova
Et moi, moi qui étais le plus fier
And me, who was the proudest of us all
Moi, moi je me prenais pour moi
I was proud to be myself and didn't try to be anyone else
Et quand vers minuit passaient les notaires
And when the lawyers passed by around midnight
Qui sortaient de l'hôtel des "Trois Faisans"
Who were leaving the Three Pheasants Hotel
On leur montrait notre cul et nos bonnes manières
We would show them our butts and our good manners
En leur chantant
While singing to them
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
The bourgeois are like pigs
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient bête
The older they get, the stupider they become
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
The bourgeois are like pigs
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient c-
The older they get, the more vulgar they become
Le cœur bien au chaud
Our hearts are still warm, comfortable and happy
Les yeux dans la bière
We are still lost in thought, staring into our drinks
Chez la grosse Adrienne de Montalant
We are still at Adrienne's place
Avec l'ami Jojo
Still with our friend Jojo
Et avec l'ami Pierre
And with our other friend Pierre
On allait brûler nos vingt ans
We were still celebrating our youth by drinking
Voltaire dansait comme un vicaire
Voltaire was dancing like a priest
Et Casanova n'osait pas
Casanova was too afraid to dance
Et moi, moi qui restait le plus fier
And me, who still remained the proudest of us all
Moi j'étais presque aussi saoul que moi
I was almost as drunk as myself
Et quand vers minuit passaient les notaires
And when the lawyers passed by around midnight
Qui sortaient de l'hôtel des "Trois Faisans"
Who were leaving the Three Pheasants Hotel
On leur montrait notre cul et nos bonnes manières
We would show them our butts and our good manners
En leur chantant
While singing to them
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
The bourgeois are like pigs
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient bête
The older they get, the stupider they become
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
The bourgeois are like pigs
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient c-
The older they get, the more vulgar they become
Le cœur au repos
Our hearts are now at peace and calm
Les yeux bien sur terre
We are now staring straight ahead
Au bar de l'hôtel des "Trois Faisans"
We are now at the bar of the Three Pheasants Hotel
Avec maître Jojo
With our friend Jojo, who is now a lawyer
Et avec maître Pierre
And with our other friend Pierre, who is also a lawyer
Entre notaires on passe le temps
We are now spending time with other lawyers
Jojo parle de Voltaire
Jojo is now talking about Voltaire as a colleague
Et Pierre de Casanova
And Pierre is now talking about Casanova as a colleague
Et moi, moi, moi qui suis resté le plus fier, moi
And me, who still remains the proudest of us all
Moi je parle encore de moi
I am still talking about myself
Et c'est en sortant vers minuit, monsieur le Commissaire
And as we were leaving around midnight, Mr. Commissioner
Que tous les soirs de chez la Montalant
That every night at Montalant's place
De jeunes "peigne-culs" nous montrent leur derrière
Young troublemakers show us their butts and disrespect us
En nous chantant
While singing to us
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
The bourgeois are like pigs
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient bête
The older they get, the stupider they become
Disent-ils, monsieur le Commissaire
They say, Mr. Commissioner
Les bourgeois, plus ça devient vieux et plus ça devient
The bourgeois, the older they get, the more they become
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SIDONIE, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jacques Brel, Jean Cortinovis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.