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.
Saint Pierre
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Au fond du ciel, le bon saint Pierre
Comme un collégien se troubla
Pour une étoile au cœur de pierre
Sitôt conquise, elle s'envole
En embrasant de son regard
Le cœur, la barbe et l'auréole
Du bon saint Pierre au désespoir
Dans les rues du paradis
Qui criait et pleurait
Tout en se moquant de lui
Effeuillons l'aile d'un ange
Pour voir si elle pense à moi
Effeuillons l'aile d'un ange
Pour voir si elle m'aimera
Saint Pierre alors partit chercher
A cheval sur un beau nuage
Vainement dans la Voie Lactée
Sa jeune étoile au cœur volage
Au paradis, lorsqu'il revint
Devant la porte, il est resté
N'osant montrer tout son chagrin
A ses copains auréolés
Qui criaient et pleuraient
Dans les rues du paradis
Qui criaient et pleuraient
Tout en se moquant de lui
Effeuillons l'aile d'un ange
Pour voir si elle pense à toi
Effeuillons l'aile d'un ange
Pour voir si elle t'aimera
Mais le bon Dieu lui vint en aide
Car les barbus sont syndiqués
Il changea l'étoile en planète
Et fit de saint Pierre un portier
Et de ces anges déplumés
Par les amours du bon saint Pierre
Afin de tout récupérer
Il fit les démons de l'enfer
Ceux qui crient, ceux qui pleurent
A l'heure où naissent les nuits
Ceux qui crient, ceux qui pleurent
Dans un coin de votre esprit
Effeuillons l'aile d'un ange
Pour voir si elle pense à moi
Effeuillons l'aile d'un ange
Pour voir si elle m'aimera
The song "Saint Pierre" by Jacques Brel tells the story of Saint Peter falling in love with a celestial object, an unattainable star with a heart of stone. The lyrics depict Saint Peter as a young student, troubled and mesmerized by the star, which eventually leaves him for another journey. The song then goes on to describe Saint Peter's search for the star, riding on a cloud, but to no avail. Upon returning to heaven, he hides his sorrow from his fellow angels who jeer and mock him. However, God intervenes, and Saint Peter is made the doorkeeper of heaven. Meanwhile, the fallen angels become the demons of hell.
The lyrics convey a sense of longing and unrequited love, personifying Saint Peter as a human being who is vulnerable to heartbreak. Despite his divine status, he experiences the same emotions as any mortal. The song suggests that even in heaven, one can feel the pain of love, and that sometimes, love may lead one to a life of solitude.
This song has been interpreted in many ways, with some people associating Saint Peter's love for the star as a symbol of earthly love and desire for human companionship. Others view the song as a metaphorical representation of human limitations and imperfections, reminding us that even religious figures have their flaws and shortcomings.
Line by Line Meaning
Il y a longtemps de cela
This happened a long time ago
Au fond du ciel, le bon saint Pierre
In the depths of heaven, the good Saint Peter
Comme un collégien se troubla
Like a schoolboy, he got confused
Pour une étoile au cœur de pierre
For a star with a heart of stone
Sitôt conquise, elle s'envole
As soon as he conquered it, it flew away
En embrasant de son regard
And in blazing with its gaze
Le cœur, la barbe et l'auréole
The heart, the beard, and the halo
Du bon saint Pierre au désespoir
Of the good Saint Peter in despair
Qui criait et pleurait
Who cried and wept
Dans les rues du paradis
In the streets of paradise
Tout en se moquant de lui
While making fun of him
Effeuillons l'aile d'un ange
Let's pluck the wing of an angel
Pour voir si elle pense à moi
To see if it thinks of me
Saint Pierre alors partit chercher
Saint Peter then set off to search
A cheval sur un beau nuage
Riding on a beautiful cloud
Vainement dans la Voie Lactée
In vain, in the Milky Way
Sa jeune étoile au cœur volage
His young star with a flighty heart
Au paradis, lorsqu'il revint
When he returned to paradise
Devant la porte, il est resté
He remained in front of the door
N'osant montrer tout son chagrin
Not daring to show all his sorrow
A ses copains auréolés
To his haloed friends
Qui criaient et pleuraient
Who cried and wept
Il changea l'étoile en planète
He turned the star into a planet
Et fit de saint Pierre un portier
And made Saint Peter a doorman
Et de ces anges déplumés
And of these plucked angels
Par les amours du bon saint Pierre
By the loves of the good Saint Peter
Afin de tout récupérer
In order to recover everything
Il fit les démons de l'enfer
He made the demons of hell
Ceux qui crient, ceux qui pleurent
Those who cry, those who weep
A l'heure où naissent les nuits
At the hour when nights are born
Dans un coin de votre esprit
In a corner of your mind
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACQUES ROMAIN G. BREL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.