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.
Men vergeet niets
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Men vergeet niemendal
Men vergeet niets of niets
Men past zich aan, c'est tout
Nooit een vaarwel aan land en thuis
Geen enkele reis ver weg van huis
Van vergezicht tot vergezicht
Geen enkele kroeg waar men zijn pijn
In drank verdrinkt om vrij te zijn
Van al dat heimwee in het hart
En alles wat de geest verwacht
Want niemand of niets ter wereld
Is er die je vergeten doet
Wat er diep in het hart gegrond zit
Da's zo waar als de wereld rond is
Men vergeet niets, neen niets
Men vergeet niemendal
Men vergeet niets of niets
Men past zich aan, c'est tout
Geen 'k hou van jou, geen voor altijd
Geen woord van trouw, geen woord van spijt
Wat ons vervolgt waar wij ook gaan
Zijn stempel drukt op ons bestaan
Geen liefde die één enkele nacht
Wat licht en hoop in 't leven bracht
Maar die in de vroege morgen uren
Een waan bleek en van korte duur
Want niemand ook of niets ter wereld
Is er die je vergeten doet
Wat er diep in het hart gegrond zit
Da's zo waar als de wereld rond is
Men vergeet niets, neen niets
Men vergeet niemendal
Men vergeet niets of niets
Men past zich aan, c'est tout
Ook niet de tijd dat het verdriet
Mij duizend rijmen schrijven liet
Zelfs niet de tijd die ons vervreemdt
En rimpels voor een glimlach neemt
En 't grote bed ook zeker niet
Dat éénmaal rust en vrede biedt
En dat ook mij op zekere dag
Met wijd gebaar ontvangen mag
Want niemand ook of niets ter wereld
Is er die je vergeten doet
Wat er diep in het hart gegrond zit
Da's zo waar als de wereld rond is
Men vergeet niets, neen niets
Men vergeet niemendal
Men vergeet niets of niets
Men past zich aan, c'est tout
The title of Jacques Brel's song, "Men Vergeet Niets" translates to "We forget nothing" in English. The lyrics speak to the idea that nothing, no one, no memory, can be truly forgotten. Even if one tries to move on or adapt ("Men past zich aan, c'est tout"), the past and its emotions and experiences carry through life.
Brel's powerful words paint a picture of a life without goodbyes or travel but with emotional baggage that never quite leaves. He speaks to the fact that the pain of heartache, love, grief, and loss will always leave imprints on our lives. Brel notes that even the passing of time or the acceptance of death cannot erase these moments from our hearts and minds.
The repetitive chorus line "Men vergeet niets, neen niets, Men vergeet niemendal" drives home the message of the song while also serving as a reminder that no matter what lies ahead, our past will always be with us.
Line by Line Meaning
Men vergeet niets, neen niets
No one forgets anything, not a single thing
Men vergeet niemendal
No one forgets anything at all
Men vergeet niets of niets
No one forgets anything or nothing
Men past zich aan, c'est tout
We adapt, that's all
Nooit een vaarwel aan land en thuis
Never a farewell to home and hearth
Geen enkele reis ver weg van huis
No trip far away from home
Van vergezicht tot vergezicht
From panorama to panorama
Van aangezicht tot aangezicht
Face to face
Geen enkele kroeg waar men zijn pijn
No bar where one drowns their sorrows
In drank verdrinkt om vrij te zijn
In alcohol to find freedom
Van al dat heimwee in het hart
Of all that homesickness in the heart
En alles wat de geest verwacht
And all that the mind expects
Want niemand of niets ter wereld
Because there is no one or nothing in the world
Is er die je vergeten doet
That can make you forget
Wat er diep in het hart gegrond zit
What is deeply rooted in the heart
Da's zo waar als de wereld rond is
That's as true as the world is round
Geen 'k hou van jou, geen voor altijd
No 'I love you', no forever
Geen woord van trouw, geen woord van spijt
No word of loyalty, no word of regret
Wat ons vervolgt waar wij ook gaan
What follows us wherever we go
Zijn stempel drukt op ons bestaan
Leaves its mark on our existence
Geen liefde die één enkele nacht
No love that lasts one night
Wat licht en hoop in 't leven bracht
That brought light and hope into life
Maar die in de vroege morgen uren
But that in the early hours of the morning
Een waan bleek en van korte duur
Proved to be a delusion and short-lived
Ook niet de tijd dat het verdriet
Nor the time when the sorrow
Mij duizend rijmen schrijven liet
Allowed me to write a thousand rhymes
Zelfs niet de tijd die ons vervreemdt
Not even the time that alienates us
En rimpels voor een glimlach neemt
And takes wrinkles for a smile
En 't grote bed ook zeker niet
And certainly not the big bed
Dat éénmaal rust en vrede biedt
That once offers rest and peace
En dat ook mij op zekere dag
And that also will welcome me one day
Met wijd gebaar ontvangen mag
With open arms
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GERARD JOUANNEST, JACQUES BREL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.