Search - Jacques Brel :: Ne Me Quitte Pas

Tender and Touching music!

10/13/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jaques Brel is perhaps the best songwriter that ever lived. The music is great, but the lyrics are even better- especially the words to his song Ne Me Quitte Pas. Never have I heard a song so moving. The only drawback is that the words are in French, and if you do not understand that language, you will miss something. However, don't let that stop you- the quality of the music alone is enough reason to purchase this CD."

Great music for Jacque Brel fans.

07/30/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can I say? Why aren't millions of people listening to this? You don't have to understand a word of French (or Flemish) to love this music. The perfect antidote to New Age sterility."

5 Brel Treasures among 11 songs total including "Les Prenoms

J.S. | California, United States | 11/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD contains 11 songs total, of which 5 are among the very best chansons ever written by singer/songwriter Jacques Brel.



If you are using Jacques Brel songs to help you study French as I do, you might want to pick up a book of all his original French lyrics, such as "L'Oeuvre Integrale" (ISBN: 2221088492) or "Tout Brel" (ISBN: 2264033711). In addition, buy the Infiniment 2-CD set published by DRG Records (ASIN: B0002PUHGU) to get wonderful (but abridged) translations into English of 40 Brel songs created by Amazon.com reviewer Thelma F. Blitz.



A terrific French-English dictionary to use in studying Brel's chansons is the "Collins Robert French Unabridged Dictionary, 7th Edition" (ISBN: 0060748931). This French/English, English/French dictionary is the best one I have ever used over the past 30 years, it's truly magnificent.



"Ne me quitte pas" (Don't Leave Me) is Brel's most famous torch song, in which he uses exquisite imagery to press his suit with a girl who has already left him, descending in the end into abject desperation as he struggles to maintain a link, any link at all, with the object of his love. Frank Sinatra was moved to sing an English version of this song ("If you go away"), which unfortunately doesn't do justice to the stunning poetry of the French original. This is my favorite song of the entire Jacques Brel repertoire because of the power and the haunting beauty of the lyrics, Brel's impassioned voice and the evocative music!



"Marieke" is a nostalgic song about a first love that played out on the beaches of Belgium one summer in his teen years. It alternates charmingly between Flemish and French, the two national languages of Belgium.



"Les Prenoms de Paris" (The First Names of Paris) is a terrific, light-hearted song about being young and in love in Paris. It is rarely included in Brel's other albums, so its presence here makes just one more good reason to buy this CD.



"Quand On N'a Que L'amour" (When We Have Only Love) is Brel's quintessential theme song (circa 1960) for idealistic young lovers who believe that love conquers all, in stark contrast to Brel's later more jaded songs, ranging from "Le Prochain Amour" (also on this CD) in 1961 to "La Chanson des Vieux Amants" (Song of the Old Lovers, not on this CD) in 1967. "Quand On N'a Que L'amour" strikes a similar tone of optimism as another Brel song, "Au Printemps", which is also not included in this collection.



"Le Prochain Amour" (The Next Lover) is Brel's world-wisened and world-weary evaluation of love: "...it's good to be in love... I know just the same that the next love will be my next defeat..."

Other highly recommended Jacques Brel CDs you can find on Amazon.com include:



Title (ASIN#) No. of Songs



Quand On N'a Que L'amour (B00000IYC9) 49 songs with 32 pages of photos and essay on Brel's life and songs (3-CD set)

Infiniment (B0002PUHGU) 40 songs with wonderful English translations (2-CD set)

Olympia '61 and '64 (B000BJ7D96) 30 songs with great English translations (2-CD set)

Ne Me Quitte Pas (B0000AKOLJ) 11 songs

Volume 1 - Grand Jacques (B00000DXQY) 15 songs including "Sur La Place"

Les Flamandes (B000006UOA) 21 songs

Les Bonbons (B0000AKOLD) 14 songs

Ballades Et Mots D'amour (B00003Q56T) 30 songs

Vol. 1-Special Edition (ASIN: B000042OFF) 16 songs

Master Series: Jacques Brel (B0000046O5) 16 songs (same songs as on Vol. 1-Special Edition, but at half the price)

Grand Jacques Integrale 172 Titres (B000025BD8) 172 songs (10-CD set)



What's even more fabulous than the CDs, however, is the 3 volume DVD set released in 2003: Jacques Brel: Comme quand on etait beau. (ASIN: B0000AQJPR). The set includes 7.5 hours of live and staged performances as well as interviews and home video footage. Everything that the heart of a Jacques Brel fan desires to capture the essence of this very theatrical artist in a way that an audio-only recording can not.



Also of tremendous interest: the VHS video "Jacques Brel" (ASIN: B0001P1XG4), a video biography on the life and music of Jacques Brel. Full length documentary features extensive live footage and interviews with Brel himself as well as his daughter and associates. It is also available on DVD, but only from Films Media Group."