Language Barriers, Jacques Brel, and Modern Chanson

Ever avoided seeing a movie or show because it's in another language and as such you wouldn't enjoy it? I personally don't believe in putting on blinkers when it comes to foreign language experiences. I love languages. I grew up monolinguistic and that's probably the one thing I really regret in my life, but I don't let it put me off foreign movies, shows or music. If I restricted myself to only English viewing I'd have missed 'Seventeen Moments of Spring' the best TV drama out of the Soviet Union, or 'Goodbye Lenin!' a beautiful piece of social commentary, or the heartfelt warbles of of Edith Piaf, or Wagner's epic Ring Cycle. The world would indeed be very hollow if language was standardised. It plays such a big part in our art and culture that were we all on the same page, there'd be nothing unique in the world.

I'm going to use the Belgian chanteur Jacques Brel as an example of why we shouldn't be narrow minded in our exposure to things, and to shine some light on a brilliant artist little-known in the English-Speaking world. I'm going to employ clips, lyrics and words to try and illustrate my point and hopefully introduce you to a whole new perspective of music and hopefully language too.

Brel specialised in a singing style commonly known as modern chanson. Originating from the epic poems of ancient times, chanson (meaning 'song' in French) is a type of lyric-driven song. The vocals follow the French rhythm of speech. As a result of this some English translations have instances when vocals seem fast or awkwardly syncopated. Modern chanson is usually performed by a solo artist and sets itself apart from most contemporary French singers who write music to the pattern of English speech.

If you go away, as I know you will,
You must tell the world to stop turning till
You return again – if you ever do
 For what good is love without loving you?

- English lyrics from Jacques Brel's Ne Me Quitte Pas

I can't do justice to just how good Brel's lyrics are because English can't do them justice.  How can I understand the words of his songs if I can't understand French? It's difficult to explain but music has emotion; a song tells a story. Imagine watching Valhalla burn while the gods sing their souls to pieces in German. The language is irrelevant, we're witnessing an awesome tragedy here. I sat in the audience during the G3 2012 Australian Tour when solo guitarist Steve Vai held the crowd by the tip of his guitar pick without uttering a single word. At the time I had no idea who the guy was. It didn't matter if we weren't fans, he knew how to take us along for the ride. The tl;dr message is music is universal.

I put together a little clip as an example. The song below is 'J'Arrive', probably one of the more orchestral songs Jaques Brel recorded. You can get a sense of the emotion and movement in the music as well as in Brel's voice. When he performed he always threw his whole body into it, he became the characters he sang about. There was no difference between a packed theatre or a recording studio: if he was singing his heart was in it. He grasped the audience with both hands and didn't let go until the music fell silent.

I once saw a cabaret artist who performed several Brel songs in their original French. She translated some lyrics for her predominately monolinguistic audience, and I had tears in my eyes they were so touching. It was like someone looked deep into your soul, found the most painfully beautiful image you could comprehend, and put it into words.

I have several DVDs of Brel's live performances (with subtitles) but thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can go to YouTube and find similar fan made clips with subtitles. He wrote on a wide range of subjects, some hilarious, some heartbreaking; all worth listening to. My personal favourite is Quand on n'a que l'amour. Below is an example of one of the videos you can find. It made me realise French isn't too different to English in the grand scheme of things.

Jacques Brel was born in Belgium, made a name for himself and exploded into France with a vengeance on stage, then later in TV and film. He died in 1978 of lung cancer at the age of 49, but he crammed so much into his life that you can't help but be left awed: singing, writing, acting, composing, directing, sailing, flying (to name only a few).

The musical revue 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris' was one of the first attempts to bring Brel's songs to America in 1968. It consisted of a core selection of Brel's songs, translated and interpreted into English. The show did well Off-Broadway and inspired a film made in 1975, in which Jacques Brel makes a cameo appearance. In 1995 There was a UK production of the show. In 2006 'Jacques Brel' was revived Off-Broadway with added portions of French and Flemish lyrics, often echoing the English words. All 3 aforementioned productions have CDs available.

Brel was one of the first mainstream performers to sing about adult subjects, delve deep into the personal, dark and emotional pits of the human condition. He masticated the human race and spat it back out rather unceremoniously. A great number of his songs were anti-war or hard-hitting or filled with trauma, but there were just as many that made you laugh or cry or hug the total stranger sitting beside you, because the human race isn't so horrible after all. In France he is a legend. In Belgium there's a museum dedicated to him. Were it not for the language barrier he could have been huge in the English-Speaking world.

But sooner or later every generation eventually discovers Jacques Brel - if not by his performances, by his name. Olivia Newton-John, Tom Jones, The Seekers, David Bowie, Céline Dion, Cyndi Lauper, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond - they've all recorded songs written by Jacques Brel.

In 1970 David Bowie recorded an English version of 'Amsterdam', one of Brel's most popular songs.

 If you are interested in Brel, please, please, please listen to his songs in their original French (sometimes Flemish). That is how they were intended to be heard. To me it's a respect issue in regards to the artist. By all means go listen to the songs of 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris' if you want, but don't overlook the originals! The meaning of a poem often gets lost in translation, and that's what Brel's songs are: poetry. Language doesn't obscure talent, ignorance does.

There's no point in me even finishing this as Brel used the imagery of words so much better than I could. And so, dear reader, in parting I leave you with Brel's version of 'Amsterdam'.