Jacques Brel
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Artist:
One of the few artists who have influenced me in my life is the Belgian Jacques Brel (1929-1978). He wrote and performed his own songs with great expression in which many of them dealt with the more darker subjects of death, loss and infidelity. Even his upbeat and comedic pieces contain a certain sadness, a certain irony and it is quite an achievement to have these themes and still remain immensely popular. He has had his songs covered by numerous artists.His English translations have been performed by such singers as Rod McKuen, David Bowie, Patrik Fitzgerald, Scott Walker and Terry Jacks, to name a few. Most well-known is Jacks' Seasons In The Sun (1974) which is McKuen's translation of Brel's Le Moribond (The Dying Man). Brel walked away from performing in 1967 without a reason and turned to acting and other personal challenges. Listen now to Brel's Le Moribond (1961) below.
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Comments (2)
Eric Blau and Mort Shuman are responsible for the majority of English language translations of Brel in circulation. They did 26 of them for "Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris," long about 1968. Previously Shuman cowrote "A Teenager in Love," "Turn Me Loose," "This Magic Moment," "Save The Last Dance For Me," "Little Sister," "Can’t Get Used to Losing You," and "Viva Las Vegas," all with Doc Pomus.