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 Fenetres
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quand notre cœur s'arrête
En croisant Louisette
Pour qui brûlent nos chairs
Les fenêtres rigolent
Quand elles voient la frivole
Qui offre sa corolle
A un clerc de notaire
Quand à l'aube falote
Un enterrement cahote
Jusqu'au vieux cimetière
Mais les fenêtres froncent
Leurs corniches de bronze
Quand elles voient les ronces
Envahir leur lumière
Les fenêtres murmurent
Quand tombent en chevelure
Les pluies de la froidure
Qui mouillent les adieux
Les fenêtres chantonnent
Quand se lève à l'automne
Le vent qui abandonne
Les rues aux amoureux
Les fenêtres se taisent
Quand l'hiver les apaise
Et que la neige épaisse
Vient leur fermer les yeux
Mais les fenêtres jacassent
Quand une femme passe
Qui habite l'impasse
Où passent les messieurs
La fenêtre est un œuf
Quand elle est œil-de-bœuf
Qui attend comme un veuf
Au coin d'un escalier
La fenêtre bataille
Quand elle est soupirail
D'où le soldat mitraille
Avant de succomber
Les fenêtres musardent
Quand elles sont mansardes
Et abritent les hardes
D'un poète oublié
Mais les fenêtres gentilles
Se recouvrent de grilles
Si par malheur on crie
"Vive la liberté"
Les fenêtres surveillent
L'enfant qui s'émerveille
Dans un cercle de vieilles
A faire ses premiers pas
Les fenêtres sourient
Quand quinze ans trop jolis
Et quinze ans trop grandis
S'offrent un premier repas
Les fenêtres menacent
Les fenêtres grimacent
Quand parfois j'ai l'audace
D'appeler un chat un chat
Les fenêtres me suivent
Me suivent et me poursuivent
Jusqu'à c'que peur s'ensuive
Tout au fond de mes draps
Les fenêtres souvent
Les fenêtres souvent
Les fenêtres souvent
Traitent impunément
De voyous des enfants
Qui cherchent qui aimer
Les fenêtres souvent
Soupçonnent ces manants
Qui dorment sur les bancs
Et parlent l'étranger
Les fenêtres souvent
Se ferment en riant
Se ferment en criant
Quand on y va chanter
Ah, je n'ose pas penser
Qu'elles servent à voiler
Plus qu'à laisser entrer
La lumière de l'été
Non je préfère penser
Qu'une fenêtre fermée
Ça ne sert qu'à aider
Les amants à s'aimer
Non je préfère penser
Qu'une fenêtre fermée
Ça ne sert qu'à aider
Les amants à s'aimer
In "Les Fenêtres," Jacques Brel personifies windows as watchful and judgmental entities that observe and react to the events and people they see. Through the lyrics, Brel highlights the duality of windows, how they can both provide light and life to a space while also creating a barrier that separates and isolates those inside.
The song begins by describing how the windows watch as Louisette walks by, igniting a passion in the singer, and also observe as a young woman's flirty behavior is seen by a notary clerk, causing them to laugh. The windows sob at the sight of a funeral procession, and frown when weeds begin to cover their panes. They whisper as rain falls and sing in the autumn breeze, but they fall silent when winter arrives and covers them with snow.
Throughout the song, the windows serve as a metaphor for people's emotions and reactions to life. They are judgmental, protective, and even hostile towards those outside, but they also provide a glimpse into the world beyond, offering light and access to the beauty of life. Overall, "Les Fenêtres" is a beautiful and poetic exploration of how windows can represent the human experience, and the light and darkness that coexist within it.
Line by Line Meaning
Les fenêtres nous guettent
The windows keep watch over us
Quand notre cœur s'arrête
When our heart stops
En croisant Louisette
While passing by Louisette
Pour qui brûlent nos chairs
For whom our desires burn
Les fenêtres rigolent
The windows laugh
Quand elles voient la frivole
When they see the frivolous one
Qui offre sa corolle
Who offers her flower
A un clerc de notaire
To a notary clerk
Les fenêtres sanglotent
The windows sob
Quand à l'aube falote
When, at the pale dawn
Un enterrement cahote
A funeral procession stumbles
Jusqu'au vieux cimetière
To the old cemetery
Mais les fenêtres froncent
But the windows frown
Leurs corniches de bronze
Their bronze ledges
Quand elles voient les ronces
When they see the brambles
Envahir leur lumière
Invading their light
Les fenêtres murmurent
The windows murmur
Quand tombent en chevelure
When the rains fall like a mane
Les pluies de la froidure
The rains of the coldness
Qui mouillent les adieux
That soak the farewells
Les fenêtres chantonnent
The windows sing
Quand se lève à l'automne
When the autumn rises
Le vent qui abandonne
The wind that abandons
Les rues aux amoureux
The streets to the lovers
Les fenêtres se taisent
The windows quiet down
Quand l'hiver les apaise
When the winter soothes them
Et que la neige épaisse
And the thick snow
Vient leur fermer les yeux
Closes their eyes
Mais les fenêtres jacassent
But the windows chatter
Quand une femme passe
When a woman walks by
Qui habite l'impasse
Who lives in the dead-end street
Où passent les messieurs
Where the gentlemen go
La fenêtre est un œuf
The window is an egg
Quand elle est œil-de-bœuf
When it is a bull's eye window
Qui attend comme un veuf
Waiting like a widower
Au coin d'un escalier
At the corner of a staircase
La fenêtre bataille
The window fights
Quand elle est soupirail
When it is a ventilation
D'où le soldat mitraille
Where the soldier fires
Avant de succomber
Before succumbing
Les fenêtres musardent
The windows wander
Quand elles sont mansardes
When they are attic windows
Et abritent les hardes
And shelter the rags
D'un poète oublié
Of a forgotten poet
Mais les fenêtres gentilles
But the friendly windows
Se recouvrent de grilles
Are covered with bars
Si par malheur on crie
If by misfortune we shout
"Vive la liberté"
"Long live freedom"
Les fenêtres surveillent
The windows watch over
L'enfant qui s'émerveille
The child who marvels
Dans un cercle de vieilles
In a circle of old women
A faire ses premiers pas
Taking his first steps
Les fenêtres sourient
The windows smile
Quand quinze ans trop jolis
When fifteen years too pretty
Et quinze ans trop grandis
And fifteen years too grown
S'offrent un premier repas
Offer themselves a first meal
Les fenêtres menacent
The windows threaten
Les fenêtres grimacent
The windows grumble
Quand parfois j'ai l'audace
When sometimes I have the audacity
D'appeler un chat un chat
To call a spade a spade
Les fenêtres me suivent
The windows follow me
Me suivent et me poursuivent
Follow and pursue me
Jusqu'à c'que peur s'ensuive
Until fear ensues
Tout au fond de mes draps
At the bottom of my sheets
Les fenêtres souvent
The windows often
Traitent impunément
Treat with impunity
De voyous des enfants
Of children as ruffians
Qui cherchent qui aimer
Who search for someone to love
Les fenêtres souvent
The windows often
Soupçonnent ces manants
Suspect these peasants
Qui dorment sur les bancs
Who sleep on the benches
Et parlent l'étranger
And speak a foreign language
Les fenêtres souvent
The windows often
Se ferment en riant
Close while laughing
Se ferment en criant
Close while shouting
Quand on y va chanter
When we go to sing there
Ah, je n'ose pas penser
Ah, I dare not think
Qu'elles servent à voiler
That they serve to veil
Plus qu'à laisser entrer
More than to let in
La lumière de l'été
The light of summer
Non je préfère penser
No, I prefer to think
Qu'une fenêtre fermée
That a closed window
Ça ne sert qu'à aider
Serves only to help
Les amants à s'aimer
Lovers to love each other
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.