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.
The Middle Class
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Et moi, moi qui étais le plus fier
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 boire 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 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
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient c
The song "Bourgeois" by Jacques Brel is a criticism of the upper class and their perceived lack of intelligence, as well as a commentary on the youthful rebellion against societal norms. The lyrics describe the singer's experiences drinking with friends at a bar owned by a woman named Adrienne de Montalant. The group includes Jojo and Pierre, who view themselves as intellectual figures like Voltaire and Casanova, respectively. The singer, however, takes pride in being himself.
The lyrics also mention "notaires" or notaries, who are seen as representatives of the bourgeoisie. When they pass by the bar, the group mocks them by showing them their behinds and singing the chorus: "Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons / Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient bête" (Translation: "The bourgeois are like pigs / The older they get, the stupider they become"). The song ends with the singer continuing to talk about himself while the notaries exit the bar and are once again confronted with the same provocative performance by the group of young rebels.
Line by Line Meaning
Le cœur bien au chaud, les yeux dans la bière
We drank heavily at Adrienne de Montalant's place with our eyes fixed on our drinks
Chez la grosse Adrienne de Montalant
Adrienne de Montalant's place
Avec l'ami Jojo, et avec l'ami Pierre
Jojo and Pierre were with me
On allait boire nos vingt ans
We were drinking to celebrate our youth
Jojo se prenait pour Voltaire
Jojo thought he was smart and sophisticated like Voltaire
Et Pierre pour Casanova
Pierre imagined himself as a ladies' man like Casanova
Et moi, moi qui étais le plus fier
And I, who was the proudest of us all
Moi, moi je me prenais pour moi
I was self-absorbed and only thought of myself
Et quand vers minuit passaient les notaires
At midnight, when the notaries passed by
Qui sortaient de l'hôtel des, "Trois Faisans"
As they left the "Trois Faisans" hotel
On leur montrait notre cul et nos bonnes manières
We showed them our backsides and bad manners
En leur chantant
And sang to them
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
Bourgeois are like pigs
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient bête
The older they get, the stupider they become
Le cœur au repos, les yeux bien sur terre
Years later, we meet at the "Trois Faisans" hotel and drink calmly with our eyes on the ground
Avec maître Jojo, et avec maître Pierre
Jojo and Pierre, now successful notaries, were with me
Entre notaires on passe le temps
As notaries, we pass the time together
Jojo parle de Voltaire, et Pierre de Casanova
Jojo talks about Voltaire and Pierre about Casanova
Et moi, moi qui suis resté le plus fier
And I, who am still the proudest of us all
Moi, moi je parle encore de moi
I talk only about myself
Et c'est en sortant vers minuit Monsieur le Commissaire
As we leave at midnight, the police commissioner passes by
Que tous les soirs de chez la Montalant
And every night, the same group of young, disrespectful troublemakers taunts us from Adrienne de Montalant's doorstep
De jeunes 'Peigne-culs' nous montrent leur derrière
They show us their behinds, mocking us
En nous chantant
And sing to us
Les bourgeois c'est comme les cochons
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
Bourgeois are like pigs
Plus ça devient vieux plus ça devient c
The older they get, the more they reveal their true colors
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, SIDONIE
Written by: JACQUES BREL, J CORTINOVI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.