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.
la dame patronesse
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il faut avoir l'œil vigilant
Car, comme le prouvent les événements
Quatre-vingt-neuf tue la noblesse
Car, comme le prouvent les événements
Quatre-vingt-neuf tue la noblesse
Et un point à l'envers
Un point pour saint Joseph
Un point pour saint Thomas
Pour faire une bonne dame patronnesse
Il faut organiser ses largesses
Car, comme disait le duc d'Elbeuf
"C't'avec du vieux qu'on fait du neuf"
Car, comme disait le duc d'Elbeuf
"C't'avec du vieux qu'on fait du neuf"
Et un point à l'envers
Et un point à l'endroit
Un point pour saint Joseph
Un point pour saint Thomas
Pour faire une bonne dame patronnesse
Il faut être bonne, mais sans faiblesse
Ainsi, j'ai dû rayer de ma liste
Une pauvresse qui fréquentait un socialiste
Ainsi, j'ai dû rayer de ma liste
Une pauvresse qui fréquentait un rouge!
Et un point à l'envers
Et un point à l'endroit
Un point pour saint Joseph
Un point pour saint Thomas
Pour faire une bonne dame patronnesse, mesdames
Tricotez tout en couleur caca d'oie
Ce qui permet, le dimanche, à la grand-messe
De reconnaître ses pauvres à soi
Ce qui permet, le dimanche, à la grand-messe
De reconnaître ses pauvres à soi
Et un point à l'envers
Et un point à l'endroit
Un point pour saint Joseph
Un point pour saint Thomas!
The lyrics to Jacques Brel's song "La Dame Patronnesse" ("The Patronizing Lady") describe the expectations and actions of a woman who is assumed to be of high social standing serving as a patron to the poor. She is expected to be vigilant, as the events of the French Revolution (1789) have shown that ignoring the plight of the poor can lead to the destruction of the wealthy (or noblesse). The lyrics repeat the phrase "Quatre-vingt-neuf tue la noblesse", which means "1789 kills the nobility", indicating that the woman must be aware of the social and political implications of her actions and choices.
The next verse advises the woman to be charitable, but also to be frugal: "It is with old things that one makes new things." The implication is that the woman should not waste her resources, but rather use what she already has to help others. The repeated phrase "Et un point à l'envers, et un point à l'endroit" ("And a stitch backwards, and a stitch forwards") emphasizes the domestic and mundane nature of the woman's work, and the importance of paying attention to details.
The final verse highlights the woman's need to be "good, but without weakness". She must be discerning in choosing who to help, as she had to remove a poor woman who associated with socialists from her list. The use of the term "rouge" (meaning "red") in this context suggests that the woman is politically conservative and disapproves of left-wing politics. The verse ends with the woman being advised to knit in a certain color ("caca d'oie", or goose poop) so that she can recognize her own poor people at church.
Overall, the song satirizes the wealthy and powerful's patronizing attitude towards the poor, highlighting the ways in which charity can be condescending and self-serving. It also touches on political themes and critiques the limitations of traditional gender roles.
Line by Line Meaning
Pour faire une bonne dame patronnesse
To make a good lady patroness
Il faut avoir l'œil vigilant
One must have a vigilant eye
Car, comme le prouvent les événements
For, as events prove
Quatre-vingt-neuf tue la noblesse
Eighty-nine kills the nobility
Et un point à l'envers
And a stitch in reverse
Et un point à l'endroit
And a stitch in place
Un point pour saint Joseph
A stitch for Saint Joseph
Un point pour saint Thomas
A stitch for Saint Thomas
Pour faire une bonne dame patronnesse
To make a good lady patroness
Il faut organiser ses largesses
One must organize their generosity
Car, comme disait le duc d'Elbeuf
For, as the Duke of Elbeuf said
"C't'avec du vieux qu'on fait du neuf"
"It's with what's old that we make what's new"
Et un point à l'envers
And a stitch in reverse
Et un point à l'endroit
And a stitch in place
Un point pour saint Joseph
A stitch for Saint Joseph
Un point pour saint Thomas
A stitch for Saint Thomas
Pour faire une bonne dame patronnesse
To make a good lady patroness
Il faut être bonne, mais sans faiblesse
One must be good, but without weakness
Ainsi, j'ai dû rayer de ma liste
Thus, I had to strike off my list
Une pauvresse qui fréquentait un socialiste
A pauper who frequented a socialist
Ainsi, j'ai dû rayer de ma liste
Thus, I had to strike off my list
Une pauvresse qui fréquentait un rouge!
A pauper who frequented a red!
Et un point à l'envers
And a stitch in reverse
Et un point à l'endroit
And a stitch in place
Un point pour saint Joseph
A stitch for Saint Joseph
Un point pour saint Thomas
A stitch for Saint Thomas
Pour faire une bonne dame patronnesse, mesdames
To make a good lady patroness, ladies
Tricotez tout en couleur caca d'oie
Knit everything in goose poop color
Ce qui permet, le dimanche, à la grand-messe
Which allows at Sunday mass
De reconnaître ses pauvres à soi
To recognize one's own poor
Ce qui permet, le dimanche, à la grand-messe
Which allows at Sunday mass
De reconnaître ses pauvres à soi
To recognize one's own poor
Et un point à l'envers
And a stitch in reverse
Et un point à l'endroit
And a stitch in place
Un point pour saint Joseph
A stitch for Saint Joseph
Un point pour saint Thomas!
A stitch for Saint Thomas!
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Jacques Brel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mohammed Frarni
Un grand Monsieur qui a donné ses lettres de noblesse à la chanson francophone. Repose en paix l'artiste!
Newlifer
Tout y est déjà, du talent original, et hors norme, du grand Brel. Merci pour ce grand moment, déjà...
Mimi Ourmi
Excellent : du grand Grand Jacques !
Max mixe
💖💖💖💖💖
Jean-François manu
Et 1 point pour Brel...
Marc-Antoine Pelletier
Grand ! Jacques
Thomas Donau
Tres drole. Very funny.
Jerome Bonef
@gbernsdorff "89 tue la noblesse", référence à la révolution française de 1789.
crepel annie michele
Cela me rappelle les bigottes qui me faisaient le catéchisme !
Quel horrible
souvenir !
wallersayn 79
Ça va c'est pas horrible non plus faut pas exagérer