(Login Mist001) BW Member from IP address 86.70.122.207
"Madeleine, Les Bourgeois, Le Plat Pays, La Valse à Quatre Temps, Le Port d'Amsterdam -- are as much part of the soul as Beatles tunes are for English-speakers of that generation. Non-Francophones certainly know Ne Me Quitte Pas, which was reprised by Sinatra, Nina Simone, David Bowie and many others as If You Go Away."
Bowie covering If you go away ? Seriously ? No, that can't be true ! He can't have sung that ! (Note: singing in the shower does not count though !)
What a sacriledge! what a poor translation! I don't even think I'm right to call those stupid lyrics a translation because they have absolutely nothing to do with the poignant lyrics brel wrote. I don't know who wrote those uninteresting English lyrics, I can't check now, but I can bet any money it is not Mort Schuman. How dare they spoil such a beautiful poetical song that way? The original lyrics are a bout a man begging for love, ready to sacrifice everything to convince his lover not to leave him, giving up his own self, his pride, not even demanding love in return but just begging to be a part of his lover's life, to be just a shadow but to be there. The English version is just another song for a crooner, peppered with stupid clichés.
Nah, Bowie is usually pretty clever when he decides to cover a song, I can't believe he has ever covered if you go away.
According to Wikipedia
(The English lyrics were written by Rod McKuen as part of a larger project to translate Brel's work. "If You Go Away" is considered a pop standard and has been recorded by many artists, including Greta Keller, for whom some say McKuen wrote the lyrics [1]. Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Marc Almond, Emilíana Torrini, Neil Diamond, Scott Walker, Dusty Springfield and Cyndi Lauper have also recorded versions of it, with several of the numerous versions becoming hits and achieving success on the charts.)
I happen to like the Rod McKuen lyrics.... so... sue me
Just a Paisley Rose, kissed by the highland mist
No, honestly!
I happen to like the Rod McKuen lyrics.... so... sue me
Rod McKuen ? A Scotsman ? Well brel's chansons have very little to do with Scottish folk music, I think, no wonder the result is not really brilliant.
If you're happy with it, good for you, I won't sue you for that , I'm not American :p
But if you read the wiki about that song , you must have read the Comparing English lyrics and French lyrics section : I'm not the only one to say there is quite a huge difference and when I read :"The English version is based on the alternance of what the singer prophesies would happen "if you go away" and what could happen "if you stay" I can't help thinking Wow ! how original !. You get a comparative study instead of a poetical heart breaking chanson and you're happy with it ? Fine ! Lucky for you it was covered by so many artists then.
Not the best version ever of Ne me quitte pas, but a version with nearly word-for-word English subtitles. The translation would deserve being impproved a bit but the video can give you a rough idea of the huge difference between the original version and If you go away
LOL ! I know ! but Scott Walker ....well....how can I say that politely ? I am not exactly one of his hardcore fans. Good enough for him then.
Well...many people in the UK discovered Jacques Brel via Scott Walker , that's a good point for him but If you go away does not give a right idea of Brel's talent, it is more of a deterrent than of a tribute.
What disappoints me is Marc Almond covering it. But IYGA is a famous song in the UK and in the States so it was a bit unavoidable for him to cover it. So never mind, I'm going to give hsi version of Jacky a listen and that will cheer me up.
with regard to this and your former post. Your description of the original JB song is very eloquently put, but I actually think Marc Almond's version does convey the essence of what you describe. I think it stands above the 'crooner' style and contains some lyrics (which may not necessarily be exact translation - I'll leave that bit to you! ), but do, I think, come closer to the feelings you describe in your post.
Just for the record Jack L is not a cover artist even though the name has similarity's.
He's a highly respected original artist over here but done a covers album of Brel's stuff and a show too hence my Youtube post.
Not a bump i swear.
The thing that I've noticed about Brel is that he doesn't have any props to hide behind, like a guitar or accordian. He just stood on stage by himself and gave it his best shot, so it's no wonder to me that he suffered severe stage fright before going on.
"Tis a pity that Brel turned into a slob/drunk homophobe in his later years, a wonderful career ruined by a pathetic and sickening end"
Remember him for what he was and not what he became.
He died at the age of 49. That's only three years older than me. I think he had reason to be bitter. All the pent up feelings and emotions of his life and you know you're dying, so what did he have to lose?
Enjoy him for what he was, a great performer and writer of great poetry. Neither you nor I can know what we would become in that position.
I disagree Ant. If you know your dying, what does critism have to do with anything? You just become an outcast that nobody cares about anymore, so why not just say what you're thinking? Who's going to take umbrage with a dying man who doesn't want to die? Recant his views? Why should he and in fact, why should anybody?
We've been left with a great body of work both audio and video and that suits me fine, regardless of how he'd become.
<<I disagree Ant. If you know your dying, what does critism have to do with anything? You just become an outcast that nobody cares about anymore, so why not just say what you're thinking? Who's going to take umbrage with a dying man who doesn't want to die? Recant his views? Why should he and in fact, why should anybody?>>
Just because someone is dying it doesn't give them the right to be nasty to certain groups of people, as I said there is such a thing as diginity and knowing where to draw the line at insulting behaviour, Dying does not give anybody the right to be nasty.
Let's say for arguments sake that Brel when he was dying (through his own lifestyle I might add Lung cancer from being a heavy smoker) had been nasty towards the Scottish people, calling them horrible names and making fun at them, would you still say he had this right because he was dying?
<<We've been left with a great body of work both audio and video and that suits me fine>>
It suits me but sticks in my throat at his pathetic insulting end, the man tainted his work by his rants and homophobic behaviour, I could never excuse that over art.
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