As a French speaker, I can confirm : the lyrics in French are incredibly raw, emotional, and nothing can prepare you for this song when you're never heard it before.
There is a concept called "Crescendo Brelien", which is a dramatic progression in writing and performance, because Brel used to write his songs this way. You can clearly hear it in Amsterdam: the beginning is really soft, but the more the song progresses, the louder and dramatic it becomes
It's really a thing. Just listen to "Marieke", "Le plat pays", "Zangra" and "La valse á mille temps". And there are many more examples of that crescendo.
@@jellal9550 Well you clearly a dont understand Francais ou Wallon and made me laugh as even Jacques is on record having said so. I have chosen two live performances for you in the first she starts in English !!!! ruclips.net/video/kLH5xBbIBnY/видео.html ruclips.net/video/KoYHWgj1Gcs/видео.html
Brel was the greatest performer, the master. After all these years, nobody can perform like him. He is unique. I have all Brel's 33 rpm vinyl records, a treasure that my son will inherit and after him my grand-daughter.
I've seen countless people with even better voices doing covers of Brel's songs, and yet none of them give me the chills and emotions like he does. There is something so true, so personal, so deep when he sings, even decades later you feel like he is talking directly to you. Just seeing his eyes moves me for some reason, he carried so much pain and so much humanity in his soul, we are really blessed that he decided to share it in his music. In my opinion he was the perfect artist in the sense that he was doing everything with his heart, with a meaning, and without ever trying to deceive his audience.
Untrue = false, he was not the only one, he was competing with the likes of Editd Piaf, Je ne regrette rien , here is a rare version of her most famous song, ruclips.net/video/rzy2wZSg5ZM/видео.htmlsi=uT910GMCFzoaQzBy and Jacques sang many of her songs ....
I HAVE AN ALBUM COMING OUT! And I have just realised my first cover on Spotify. Let me know what you think! And follow me on Spotify to hear the album as soon as it comes out. open.spotify.com/track/6qfvKbg6ukHJOGykx2MARB?si=8a2fa85792b14d15
Dear Beth, Brel was singing in French but was actually Belgian 🙂 Rrrrolling the R's was kind of an old tradition in French chanson (songs) because the real French speaking "R" (that we actually don't roll) was less clear to hear back then when the quality of recording was lower or when singers had to fill an entire theatre without microphone or amplification. This is why you can hear for instance Edith Piaf rrrrolling the R's a lot, as most of singers did before the 50's/60's. PS: If you want to know about what he was singing, Bowie covered the song in English in a quite litteral version.
@@LetsChillPage spending time in location X does not undo his nationality, origin or major focus of his work which is that his songs are heavily planted in the Belgian, Flemish and Dutch cultures and society - a focus no random Frenchman would give, have or seek unless a connection already would be in place. As the song itself being about a city in "les pays bas" bare witness to this statement, which is why he could flawlessly switch to singing in Flemish when he so wanted to. His Flemish connection can not and should not be understated, not the least as the role he has for the Belgian communities.
These days I picked up Charles Aznavour to marathon. I didn't remember (or had never noticed before) how good he was: songs, lyrics, acting, stage presence, a complete artist
Jacque Brel. Seeing him now brings some emotions of nostalgia, and some more. I spent so many many hours hearing his songs when i was younger. He was indeed a great performer, but to me he was much more than that. He was a great poet of human condition. A poet so expressive that he could share his vision of the world like few others. His songs and his singing helped me understand a little better this human existence when i was totally lost in my illusory rationality and begin to accept that emotion (even the "bad" ones) was an essential part of intelligence when trying to understand this apparent chaos we live in.
What a treat to see you react to this powerful and fascinating performer, much overlooked these days. His many magnificent songs are as masterful as the performances - 'chanson' won't quite do - he is impossible to classify into a genre - he's just Brel. Your points about his dynamics are perceptive and enlightening. We lost him to cancer way too early. You can visit his grave in the Seychelles if you're ever out that way. Go girl, one of your Betht (groan).
Hi Beth, Jacques lived what he sang. He was an actor as well as a singer, and his performances on stage showed that. Among his other hits, I'd recommend "La valse à mille temps" for its rhythmic crescendo, and "Ces gens-là" for both its filmic and stage performances.
I know for english, american for an incredible performance you want to hear big voice, people who keep notes for a long time or a show but for french it's when you sing with your soul and your guts.
My top 10 Chansonnier: 1. Jacques Brel 2. Serge Reggiani 3 Mouloudji 4. Charles Aznavour 5. Yves Montand 6. Jean Ferrat 7. George Brassens 8. Serge Gainsbourg 9. Edith Piaf 10. Charles Trenet I’m 23 years old now and I started listening to Chansons when I was 19. The poetry and passion in the music of the genre Chansons is so beautiful! ❤
I think a simple analysis doesn't do justice to this extradordinary musical powerhouse. And I also don't think simply concentrating on certain body movements or singing techniques is going to reveal that. To know Brel is to listen to him, read and understand the lyrics, cause they are such an integral part of his work. Only then can you fully comprehend the immense insight he had in the human condition, e.g. old or simple people (Les Vieux and Ces gens-la), certain types of societal elements (Les flamands, les bourgeois, les bigottes) or deeply personal themes (Ne me quitte pas, Le chanson de Jacky). He to me was the proverbial Don Quixote come to life. His gangly clown-like figure, the suit on which the sleeves would ride up always making it seem to short, his incredibly expressive face, they way he almost shyly transformed all things into sound and words and gestures. He always spoke truth to life and never exempted himself from it. Watching him way back then shows you what a tour de force he was and that there probably wil never ever be anyone else of his stature. I am so grateful for his words and music and I will carry them with me until the end, when the silver pendulum of life that accompanies us all will finally stop.
i liked most the line "There are sailors who sleep like banners, along the dreary banks, at the first light of dawn, In the thick heat of the oceanic languors" it's all visual and more
"Amsterdan" est très belle, à côté de "Ces gens là", c'est ma chanson préférée de Brel. "Amsterdan" is beautiful. Beside "Ces gens là" it's my favorite Brel's song.
Thanks, Beth, for the very informative and instructive explanation about the the body aspect of singing. That was a very powerful performance by Jacque Brel. Took French for years but I could never ever sing as well as he does in French or anything other language in a million years!
I discover so beautiful perfomances through the spectrum of my interest for the vocal world. And through your selection, this beautiful perfomances reach out to me and that's really special! I am french and I love, love music. I dig a lot, especially old french music, but I never find out about this perfomance. I want to dig more in the art of Jacques Brel, I barely now him and what he did, even if I am surrounded by his influance in my country.
When you talk about biting words. He was friends with Catherine Sauvage (she sang lot's of Léo Ferré's song) who helped him get started on stage. Brel said of her that "she doesn't sing, she bites".
If it feels harsh and uncomfortable, that's on purpose. He's not singing in a clean or pretty way, but it _is_ beautiful and absolutely art. The lyrics are liek that as well: an extremely poetic description of something harsh and sometimes gross. It's fascinating to see.
Hello, j 'espère que tu n'es pas passé à coté de toute l’émotion que cette chanson dégage, par l’énergie, l'authenticité de Brel, par cette fatale histoire de marin .
Chanson music is so emotive. I may not understand the lyrics, I don't speak French, but just closing your eyes and letting it waft over you is a great experience
Well, we can start with one word. Chanson means music! So, technically speaking, you can say to your partner that you're gonna put on some chanson and play black metal.
I would love to say your remarks are quite refreshing, from someone that do not speak French. I never think of the fact that body movement or opening up a rib cage or even toes can affect the diagram, or the way that consonnes are pronounced (those /b/, /k/, /g/ that explosent) can add to the dynamique of interpretation. What I would like to add is Brel does here is what French expression would say "habiter la chanson", or "habiter la scène" -- maybe a translation of living or incarner a song and on stage. He emits certain type of aura (émettre une aura), a way of "je-ne-sais-quoi" de fascination, that can be mysterious. When we think of charisma (le charisme), it can be "ineffable" (that is, cannot be explained by language). To return to the point of départ, your observations help to explain this form of "le charisme" that can be not linked to the langage or words. P.S. -- he is a poet, I think the text is something special. P.P.S. -- What Japanese would say this song a "kamigakari"-- that is what god express her will through someone so that a person can perform so well. Quite poetic I found.
Thank you for your reaction. Those singers are from another aera, there were no effects (but good micros), no cheating, and be recognize by the public was a crazy difficult path of courage and perseverance (and a little luck of course).
Le Moribond was translated and lyric revised by Rod McKuen....it became Seasons in the Sun...a very popular song performed by McKuen in the 1960's. Very moving rendition that is still on tape.
Merci Beth !!! I wish this Jacquot should be one of my close friends !! He sings love like if that was a battle !! Tremendous !!! The one and only best Francophone singer.❤❤❤❤❤❤😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Beyond the vocal performance this is also a theatrical performance. All the voice and body language suit to the lyrics. Of course you have to understand them. The song starts with a nice painting of Amsterdam (soft voice and static body) after each verses the voice becomes more rocky and the body moves much more to finish with a full disgusted picture of Amsterdam Harbour.
That was his last performance as a singer, his adieu in the Paris Olympia. But he can keep you busy as he wrote 80 songs. He was always fully engaged in his songs and I think he had enough, so he stopped, just like that.
Thanks for that. I've long adored this performance, which is really a possession, as we are transported to the fetid, visceral docks. The YT version I know ends before the lights come up and cutting at this point freezes you in a moment of profound finality - beyond this point what can be said? The only comparable moment I know of is Prince launcing his guitar skyward (and seeming to never return to earth) as the culmination of his blistering performance of Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
a lot of famous singers covered it. Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, David Bowie, John Denver, Lara Fabian and Isabelle Boulay. It takes courage to cover a song like that in France or Belgium because ... well covers and comparisons
Hello Beth! I suggest you react to Ney Matogrosso, a legendary singer from Brazil, performing "O Mundo é um Moinho". I'm sure you'll love it. Best regards from Brazil!
Intention, and intensity, you're not just singing music, you're singing words, you've got to believe what you sing, else you're just a singing liar. It's not just about technic, it's not just method, it's about what it means to you to sing this particular song. Many old times singers have lessons to be learn. See "Ces gens là" another song from Jacques BRel, available with translated lyrics.
The music is inspired by Greenleeves. Les moulins de mon cœur are the music of Auf dem Wasser zu singen of Schubert, listen piano version, the left hand, not the lieder. Gainsbourg take themes of Chopin, Dvorak, Tchaikovski. It's not a problem. Is this a good song ? Yes it is.
He wrote the lyrics, but the music arrangement is a variation on greensleeves. This is not a secret, brel acknowledged this himself. Brel didn’t orchestrate his music himself, he worked together with a brilliant classical musician jouannest.
It's humbling to think that even though he's clearly one of the great performers of all time the reason he retired was that "he no longer wanted to battle against vomit-inducing stage fright"
Hello, The rolled "R" remained used for a very long time in the French language; we still rolled the "R" in Paris at the start of the 20ᵉ century and until the 50s, but of course, in a less pronounced way than some singers did. Before, almost all of France rolled the "R." Gradually, from north to south, this habit ended up being lost, even if in the southwest; until the 70s, this tradition was perpetuated. Depending on where the "R" is placed, a guttural sound still accompanies the "R" pronunciation in contemporary French, especially when set in the first letters of a word. But, it's lost as soon as it is placed in the last letters of the word. We have the perfect example with "croire" or "retour" (believe, come-back). It is guttural as soon as it takes place after a consonant : "Apprendre," "être," "sombre," etc. (Learn, be, dark). Peace, folks. ☮😉
Jacques was superb. He did a song that David Bowie covered called My Death. There was a singer called Tony Mills who I believe did an even better cover than Bowie. His name is Tony Mills. It’s quite an extraordinary vocal range this guy has. Here is his version ruclips.net/video/14fXXwRnU7o/видео.htmlsi=MzZ8p_QCdXLvG59U
Gidon Kremer told once that, even if he has heard in his life a lot of great performances, the best artist he has ever seen was Jacques Brel (intetview in the german music magazine Fono Forum)
I only learned about him through David Bowie's cover on his Pinups album. Of course, after that I did sort of spread my interest in music all over, and I still have no idea what so many French artists make sound so good! Still, this is one of my ever favorite songs in Bowie's version! :) Do NOT listen to French accordion-based music, you may never get out unchanged! There, you are warned...
Arguably the first known European rapper as well! Don't know if you reacted to "Vesoul" or "La Valse a Mille Temps", but I think he raps as fast, if not faster, than Eminem ☺️ Nice reaction to one of the greatest (but probably not that well known) performers in the world of music. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🌷
Please reed till the end: In Amsterdam's port There are sailors singing The dreams that haunt them By Amsterdam's seashore In Amsterdam's port There are sailors sleeping Like banners Along the gloomy seaside In Amsterdam's port There are sailors dying Full of beers and dramas Since the very first gleams But in Amsterdam's port There are sailors getting to life In the thick heat Of the ocean's tiredness In Amsterdam's port There are sailors eating On tableclothes that are too white Off the fishes slithering They're showing you the teeth Biting the luck Till they wane the Moon Just biting the shrouds And it smells cod Far up to the french fries' core That their big hands invite To come up again Then stand up as they laugh In a storm's noises Sliding up their codpiece And go out burping In Amsterdam's port There are sailors dancing Rubbing their belly To the women's bellies And they're turning and dancing Like spitten suns In the deafening sound Of a tasteless accordion They're twirling their necks To hear them laugh better Until all of a sudden The accordion breathes out Then with a rude move Then with a proud look They bring up their flander Up to the bright light In Amsterdam's port There are sailors drinking And drinking and re-drinking And re-drinking again They're drinking for the fortune Of all Amsterdam's whores From Hamburg and elsewhere Finally they drink to the ladies Who give them their nice bodies Who give them their virtue For a golden coin And when they have well drunk And pin their nose to they sky Blowing their nose in the stars And they piss like I cry On the unfaithful wifes In Amsterdam's port In Amsterdam's port
Brel was not an author but a poet. He played as much with the meaning of words as with their sound. He mastered this to perfection. Below ⤵️ is a translation of the lyrics.
As a French speaker, I can confirm : the lyrics in French are incredibly raw, emotional, and nothing can prepare you for this song when you're never heard it before.
The act & the voice are exelent but the lirics are really the big talent of Jaques Brel.
I can confirm. it my favorite
Brel said he had to sing his songs because nobody else would
c'est vrai...
Selon moi c'est une des meilleurs chansons Francaises
There is a concept called "Crescendo Brelien", which is a dramatic progression in writing and performance, because Brel used to write his songs this way.
You can clearly hear it in Amsterdam: the beginning is really soft, but the more the song progresses, the louder and dramatic it becomes
It's really a thing. Just listen to "Marieke", "Le plat pays", "Zangra" and "La valse á mille temps". And there are many more examples of that crescendo.
Et puis... ET PUIS il YA FRIDA! Qui est BELLE comme un SOLEIL! ....
Brel is by far the most expressive singer ever.
No he is one of them and that same period had one even more famous, her name is Edith Piaf, who sang this song first ....!
edith piaf never sang this song, it's a brel song written by himself
@@charlieosstyn piaf isn t more expressive
@@jellal9550 Well you clearly a dont understand Francais ou Wallon and made me laugh as even Jacques is on record having said so. I have chosen two live performances for you in the first she starts in English !!!! ruclips.net/video/kLH5xBbIBnY/видео.html ruclips.net/video/KoYHWgj1Gcs/видео.html
he sings like a steam locomotive at full speed
Brel was the greatest performer, the master. After all these years, nobody can perform like him. He is unique. I have all Brel's 33 rpm vinyl records, a treasure that my son will inherit and after him my grand-daughter.
Brel was the greatest poet and interpreter this world has known.
(sorry, Dylan)
I've seen countless people with even better voices doing covers of Brel's songs, and yet none of them give me the chills and emotions like he does. There is something so true, so personal, so deep when he sings, even decades later you feel like he is talking directly to you. Just seeing his eyes moves me for some reason, he carried so much pain and so much humanity in his soul, we are really blessed that he decided to share it in his music. In my opinion he was the perfect artist in the sense that he was doing everything with his heart, with a meaning, and without ever trying to deceive his audience.
He was -pretty much- My neighbor (few streets around the corner)!
@@Adamaha444you lived in Monaco?
Untrue = false, he was not the only one, he was competing with the likes of Editd Piaf, Je ne regrette rien , here is a rare version of her most famous song, ruclips.net/video/rzy2wZSg5ZM/видео.htmlsi=uT910GMCFzoaQzBy and Jacques sang many of her songs ....
I HAVE AN ALBUM COMING OUT! And I have just realised my first cover on Spotify. Let me know what you think! And follow me on Spotify to hear the album as soon as it comes out. open.spotify.com/track/6qfvKbg6ukHJOGykx2MARB?si=8a2fa85792b14d15
Another case where the cover version overtakes the original! Sounds amazing!
Wow, what a hauntingly beautiful version
Thank you for granting my wish :-)
Dear Beth, Brel was singing in French but was actually Belgian 🙂
Rrrrolling the R's was kind of an old tradition in French chanson (songs) because the real French speaking "R" (that we actually don't roll) was less clear to hear back then when the quality of recording was lower or when singers had to fill an entire theatre without microphone or amplification. This is why you can hear for instance Edith Piaf rrrrolling the R's a lot, as most of singers did before the 50's/60's.
PS: If you want to know about what he was singing, Bowie covered the song in English in a quite litteral version.
Hello,
Nevertheless, he spent most of his life in France, his adopted homeland from 1953 to 1978, when he died in Bobigny.
Peace, folks. ☮😉
@@LetsChillPage spending time in location X does not undo his nationality, origin or major focus of his work which is that his songs are heavily planted in the Belgian, Flemish and Dutch cultures and society - a focus no random Frenchman would give, have or seek unless a connection already would be in place. As the song itself being about a city in "les pays bas" bare witness to this statement, which is why he could flawlessly switch to singing in Flemish when he so wanted to. His Flemish connection can not and should not be understated, not the least as the role he has for the Belgian communities.
@@pouffsie Still sing in french
@@synkeyssynk4627 Which is one of the languages used in Belgium
He started to make a song about the port of Antwerp, but the word Amsterdam suited better than Anvers, the translation of of Antwerpen. @@pouffsie
These days I picked up Charles Aznavour to marathon. I didn't remember (or had never noticed before) how good he was: songs, lyrics, acting, stage presence, a complete artist
Jacque Brel. Seeing him now brings some emotions of nostalgia, and some more.
I spent so many many hours hearing his songs when i was younger.
He was indeed a great performer, but to me he was much more than that.
He was a great poet of human condition. A poet so expressive that he could share his vision of the world like few others.
His songs and his singing helped me understand a little better this human existence when i was totally lost in my illusory rationality and begin to accept that emotion (even the "bad" ones) was an essential part of intelligence when trying to understand this apparent chaos we live in.
I couldn't agree more. Well said.
Un très grand monsieur. Il vibre ses chansons, il vit ses chansons. Et quels textes...
What a treat to see you react to this powerful and fascinating performer, much overlooked these days. His many magnificent songs are as masterful as the performances - 'chanson' won't quite do - he is impossible to classify into a genre - he's just Brel. Your points about his dynamics are perceptive and enlightening. We lost him to cancer way too early. You can visit his grave in the Seychelles if you're ever out that way. Go girl, one of your Betht (groan).
Méconnu de nos jours....ce sont des incultes, désolée
He died in the Marquesas Islands for the rest, I'm just OK
@@daniellegrand4566 Thanks Danielle, I stand corrected.
@@lifelover515 And my name is "Daniel" Thanks.
🙂
im a sailor in the north Atlantic and North Sea. he perfectly captures the energy of sailing in a winter storm
The lyrics are AWESOME! So real, so human, so poetic at the same time. The life, the life, the life...
Hi Beth, Jacques lived what he sang. He was an actor as well as a singer, and his performances on stage showed that.
Among his other hits, I'd recommend "La valse à mille temps" for its rhythmic crescendo, and "Ces gens-là" for both its filmic and stage performances.
" Ces gens là " Ecellent choice
ruclips.net/video/O6MGGh8WUco/видео.html&ab_channel=InaChansons
I know for english, american for an incredible performance you want to hear big voice, people who keep notes for a long time or a show but for french it's when you sing with your soul and your guts.
My top 10 Chansonnier:
1. Jacques Brel
2. Serge Reggiani
3 Mouloudji
4. Charles Aznavour
5. Yves Montand
6. Jean Ferrat
7. George Brassens
8. Serge Gainsbourg
9. Edith Piaf
10. Charles Trenet
I’m 23 years old now and I started listening to Chansons when I was 19.
The poetry and passion in the music of the genre Chansons is so beautiful! ❤
I think a simple analysis doesn't do justice to this extradordinary musical powerhouse. And I also don't think simply concentrating on certain body movements or singing techniques is going to reveal that. To know Brel is to listen to him, read and understand the lyrics, cause they are such an integral part of his work. Only then can you fully comprehend the immense insight he had in the human condition, e.g. old or simple people (Les Vieux and Ces gens-la), certain types of societal elements (Les flamands, les bourgeois, les bigottes) or deeply personal themes (Ne me quitte pas, Le chanson de Jacky). He to me was the proverbial Don Quixote come to life. His gangly clown-like figure, the suit on which the sleeves would ride up always making it seem to short, his incredibly expressive face, they way he almost shyly transformed all things into sound and words and gestures. He always spoke truth to life and never exempted himself from it. Watching him way back then shows you what a tour de force he was and that there probably wil never ever be anyone else of his stature. I am so grateful for his words and music and I will carry them with me until the end, when the silver pendulum of life that accompanies us all will finally stop.
He is belge , (I'm french) Brel is genious,.He is one of my favorite singer....
i liked most the line "There are sailors who sleep like banners, along the dreary banks, at the first light of dawn, In the thick heat of the oceanic languors" it's all visual and more
"Amsterdan" est très belle, à côté de "Ces gens là", c'est ma chanson préférée de Brel.
"Amsterdan" is beautiful. Beside "Ces gens là" it's my favorite Brel's song.
Mine too!
Thanks, Beth, for the very informative and instructive explanation about the the body aspect of singing. That was a very powerful performance by Jacque Brel. Took French for years but I could never ever sing as well as he does in French or anything other language in a million years!
The accent is purely belgian, and the way the "r" are rolling like a laugh makes Jaques Brel unique.
A brilliant performance. His delivery reminded me a bit of Joe Strummer from The Clash, I wonder if Jacques Brel was an influence on him.
I discover so beautiful perfomances through the spectrum of my interest for the vocal world. And through your selection, this beautiful perfomances reach out to me and that's really special! I am french and I love, love music. I dig a lot, especially old french music, but I never find out about this perfomance. I want to dig more in the art of Jacques Brel, I barely now him and what he did, even if I am surrounded by his influance in my country.
When you talk about biting words. He was friends with Catherine Sauvage (she sang lot's of Léo Ferré's song) who helped him get started on stage. Brel said of her that "she doesn't sing, she bites".
He was such an Artist, truly remarkable!
If it feels harsh and uncomfortable, that's on purpose. He's not singing in a clean or pretty way, but it _is_ beautiful and absolutely art. The lyrics are liek that as well: an extremely poetic description of something harsh and sometimes gross. It's fascinating to see.
Hello, j 'espère que tu n'es pas passé à coté de toute l’émotion que cette chanson dégage, par l’énergie, l'authenticité de Brel, par cette fatale histoire de marin .
I love Jacques Brel!
Chanson music is so emotive. I may not understand the lyrics, I don't speak French, but just closing your eyes and letting it waft over you is a great experience
Well, we can start with one word. Chanson means music! So, technically speaking, you can say to your partner that you're gonna put on some chanson and play black metal.
Chanson means "song". The french word for music is musique. @@Artaxo
You can litterally "pictures" the lyrics, see the images of thoses lyrics.. that's just incredible..
Thanks! Belgian Brel rocked.
The first Grunge song ever written, just by the lyrics, the rest is history
Rod McKuen did this as an encore to his first Carnigie Hall Concert in English! He did it as an encore.
I should have suscribed a long time ago, such good analysises. Done :)
Leo Ferré was a great singer too. His song "Avec le temps" make me almost cry every time..
I would love to say your remarks are quite refreshing, from someone that do not speak French. I never think of the fact that body movement or opening up a rib cage or even toes can affect the diagram, or the way that consonnes are pronounced (those /b/, /k/, /g/ that explosent) can add to the dynamique of interpretation. What I would like to add is Brel does here is what French expression would say "habiter la chanson", or "habiter la scène" -- maybe a translation of living or incarner a song and on stage. He emits certain type of aura (émettre une aura), a way of "je-ne-sais-quoi" de fascination, that can be mysterious. When we think of charisma (le charisme), it can be "ineffable" (that is, cannot be explained by language). To return to the point of départ, your observations help to explain this form of "le charisme" that can be not linked to the langage or words. P.S. -- he is a poet, I think the text is something special. P.P.S. -- What Japanese would say this song a "kamigakari"-- that is what god express her will through someone so that a person can perform so well. Quite poetic I found.
Thank you for your reaction.
Those singers are from another aera, there were no effects (but good micros), no cheating, and be recognize by the public was a crazy difficult path of courage and perseverance (and a little luck of course).
Le Moribond was translated and lyric revised by Rod McKuen....it became Seasons in the Sun...a very popular song performed by McKuen in the 1960's. Very moving rendition that is still on tape.
Merci Beth !!! I wish this Jacquot should be one of my close friends !! He sings love like if that was a battle !! Tremendous !!! The one and only best Francophone singer.❤❤❤❤❤❤😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Beyond the vocal performance this is also a theatrical performance. All the voice and body language suit to the lyrics. Of course you have to understand them. The song starts with a nice painting of Amsterdam (soft voice and static body) after each verses the voice becomes more rocky and the body moves much more to finish with a full disgusted picture of Amsterdam Harbour.
So do you know too "Ne me quittes pas" or "Ces gens là" ?
That was his last performance as a singer, his adieu in the Paris Olympia. But he can keep you busy as he wrote 80 songs.
He was always fully engaged in his songs and I think he had enough, so he stopped, just like that.
Thanks for that. I've long adored this performance, which is really a possession, as we are transported to the fetid, visceral docks. The YT version I know ends before the lights come up and cutting at this point freezes you in a moment of profound finality - beyond this point what can be said? The only comparable moment I know of is Prince launcing his guitar skyward (and seeming to never return to earth) as the culmination of his blistering performance of Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
It was (and maybe still is) the closing song of my student bar
Brel is one of a Belgian Pearl that's incredible.
a lot of famous singers covered it. Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, David Bowie, John Denver, Lara Fabian and Isabelle Boulay. It takes courage to cover a song like that in France or Belgium because ... well covers and comparisons
Hello Beth! I suggest you react to Ney Matogrosso, a legendary singer from Brazil, performing "O Mundo é um Moinho". I'm sure you'll love it. Best regards from Brazil!
We have great artists in Belgium Jacque Brel and Lara Fabian are the perfect example
Un immense chanteur
I had no idea you did French songs, and what's more, you're sampling Belgium's pool of talents :p
Intention, and intensity, you're not just singing music, you're singing words, you've got to believe what you sing, else you're just a singing liar.
It's not just about technic, it's not just method, it's about what it means to you to sing this particular song.
Many old times singers have lessons to be learn.
See "Ces gens là" another song from Jacques BRel, available with translated lyrics.
Scott Walker made remakes of some of Brel's songs. He is also a talented vocalists.
Including this song
@@Nick-Gye Cool! I haven't heard this one covered by Walker. Thanks!
French Spanish Portuguese and Italian are a huge family.
Did you ever get into the yé-yé genre during your French kick? I found it recently and am constantly returning to it
Brel wrote his songs himself so is not based on another song !
The music is inspired by Greenleeves. Les moulins de mon cœur are the music of Auf dem Wasser zu singen of Schubert, listen piano version, the left hand, not the lieder. Gainsbourg take themes of Chopin, Dvorak, Tchaikovski. It's not a problem. Is this a good song ? Yes it is.
All musics, all songs, are inspired by other musics, other songs. That the road of life.
He wrote the lyrics, but the music arrangement is a variation on greensleeves. This is not a secret, brel acknowledged this himself. Brel didn’t orchestrate his music himself, he worked together with a brilliant classical musician jouannest.
It's humbling to think that even though he's clearly one of the great performers of all time the reason he retired was that "he no longer wanted to battle against vomit-inducing stage fright"
It's exhausting watching Jacques Brel!
Que canción tan melancólica. Con ese acento francés y un final épico bien Beth 👏👏🍀🍀
ÉPIQUE! ICONIQUE! CLASSIQUE!
Ces gens là by MR Brel
Amazing performance
Good choice...le grand JACQUES ! 👍
Hello,
The rolled "R" remained used for a very long time in the French language; we still rolled the "R" in Paris at the start of the 20ᵉ century and until the 50s, but of course, in a less pronounced way than some singers did.
Before, almost all of France rolled the "R."
Gradually, from north to south, this habit ended up being lost, even if in the southwest; until the 70s, this tradition was perpetuated.
Depending on where the "R" is placed, a guttural sound still accompanies the "R" pronunciation in contemporary French, especially when set in the first letters of a word. But, it's lost as soon as it is placed in the last letters of the word. We have the perfect example with "croire" or "retour" (believe, come-back). It is guttural as soon as it takes place after a consonant : "Apprendre," "être," "sombre," etc. (Learn, be, dark).
Peace, folks. ☮😉
Ce jeu. Cette voix.inemitable
Jacques was superb. He did a song that David Bowie covered called My Death. There was a singer called Tony Mills who I believe did an even better cover than Bowie. His name is Tony Mills. It’s quite an extraordinary vocal range this guy has. Here is his version
ruclips.net/video/14fXXwRnU7o/видео.htmlsi=MzZ8p_QCdXLvG59U
John Denver, of all people, performed an hilarious cover of this song in several of his concerts (in English, of course).
I love this singer. Please react to "ce gens ca" (or something like that). The lyrics are mind-blowing. Greetings from Peru
Great!! Absolutely great!!
Hi Beth, such a beautiful song! David Bowie did an awesome version in English in his early years. You should really check it out!
Agreed
Fantastic ! But of course, now you have to do Avec le temps de Ferré... many more tears... 😯
You have the French, rolling R, but he accentuates it. And being a good poet he collected words with R in the text which make the "R"aw sound.
Funny you mention "french rolly R" because in french we don't roll Rs :), Jacques Brel just has a unique pronounciation
Gidon Kremer told once that, even if he has heard in his life a lot of great performances, the best artist he has ever seen was Jacques Brel (intetview in the german music magazine Fono Forum)
David Bowie did an english translation of it , if you're curious.
I only learned about him through David Bowie's cover on his Pinups album. Of course, after that I did sort of spread my interest in music all over, and I still have no idea what so many French artists make sound so good! Still, this is one of my ever favorite songs in Bowie's version! :)
Do NOT listen to French accordion-based music, you may never get out unchanged! There, you are warned...
Greatest performer ever.
you are moved but you don"t speak French
imagine if you spoke French...
goose bumps
This song was translated in English by Mort Schumann and is one of the best of David Bowie.
Grand Jacques était tellement énorme !
Pas étonnant que les anglophones se penchent sur son cas !
Thank you 🙏
listening to the way he pronounces his 'r' it sounds like waves
for me its the best version of amsterdam do you havea link ? its quite difficult to get
The passion!!!!
Brel for ever ❤
Hey, I’ve just discovered your RUclips channel, I love it ! Can we suggest you some songs to analyse ? Thanks 🙏
Arguably the first known European rapper as well!
Don't know if you reacted to "Vesoul" or "La Valse a Mille Temps", but I think he raps as fast, if not faster, than Eminem ☺️
Nice reaction to one of the greatest (but probably not that well known) performers in the world of music.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🌷
Please reed till the end:
In Amsterdam's port
There are sailors singing
The dreams that haunt them
By Amsterdam's seashore
In Amsterdam's port
There are sailors sleeping
Like banners
Along the gloomy seaside
In Amsterdam's port
There are sailors dying
Full of beers and dramas
Since the very first gleams
But in Amsterdam's port
There are sailors getting to life
In the thick heat
Of the ocean's tiredness
In Amsterdam's port
There are sailors eating
On tableclothes that are too white
Off the fishes slithering
They're showing you the teeth
Biting the luck
Till they wane the Moon
Just biting the shrouds
And it smells cod
Far up to the french fries' core
That their big hands invite
To come up again
Then stand up as they laugh
In a storm's noises
Sliding up their codpiece
And go out burping
In Amsterdam's port
There are sailors dancing
Rubbing their belly
To the women's bellies
And they're turning and dancing
Like spitten suns
In the deafening sound
Of a tasteless accordion
They're twirling their necks
To hear them laugh better
Until all of a sudden
The accordion breathes out
Then with a rude move
Then with a proud look
They bring up their flander
Up to the bright light
In Amsterdam's port
There are sailors drinking
And drinking and re-drinking
And re-drinking again
They're drinking for the fortune
Of all Amsterdam's whores
From Hamburg and elsewhere
Finally they drink to the ladies
Who give them their nice bodies
Who give them their virtue
For a golden coin
And when they have well drunk
And pin their nose to they sky
Blowing their nose in the stars
And they piss like I cry
On the unfaithful wifes
In Amsterdam's port
In Amsterdam's port
I remember JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS
Es una de las mejores canciones en la historia de la música.
gracias.
React to Julieta Venegas.
If you can learn french language... I guarantee you will be addicted to the Great Artist Jacques Brel
I ask this in all respect. How is you're french? Cause is word play and just his raw émotion... it comes through really...
There were many singers that could sing better than Brel, but there weren't many that could tell a story like him
He is in his retirement years indeed: Jacques Brel (sadly) died in 1978!
❤ reminder that Brel was Flemish, the rrrrrr is in our'e dialect.
Please listen to Tamino with the song Habibi.
Jcques Brel the great ... I' m belgian french speaking of course ...
David Bowie did an English version of this and La Mort in the early 70s!
Spine tingling.
Are you telling me you aren’t gonna listen to the lyrics??!?! Brel said he sang his songs because nobody else would
He is a belgian singer firsttt 🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪
Brel was not an author but a poet. He played as much with the meaning of words as with their sound. He mastered this to perfection.
Below ⤵️ is a translation of the lyrics.