Tag Archives: Jacques Brel translations

Litanies Pour Un Retour By Jacques Brel: English Translation

Below is my poetic translation of ‘Litanies Pour Un Retour’ by Jacques Brel. Particular attention has been paid to keeping the rhyme and flow of the piece while retaining the poetic origins of the French lyric.

Jacques Brel – No. 5 (Marieke)

Two years after Brel’s fourth album, which was a striking collection of juxtaposed pieces including the hits ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’ and ‘La Valse A Mille Temps’, Brel released No. 5.

Jacques Brel – No. 4 (La Valse A Mille Temps)

Brel’s fourth ‘album’, often referred to as “La Valse A Mille Temps”, was released in 1959. It was Brel’s first album to be released after a legendary performance at the Olympia in Paris which brought Brel much critical acclaim.

Brel’s Albums Ranked Worst To Best

Here are my highly subjective thoughts about Brel’s best (and worst) albums! To rank the albums, each track was scored out of 5, and then the total score was divided by the amount of tracks on the album, and a point was taken or added depending on the album’s overall consistency.

Les Singes by Jacques Brel: English Translation

Here’s my poetic translation of the song ‘Les Singes’ from 1961… Before the hairless asses there was liberty, Even the flower and the bird were free. But now they’ve arrived all the plants have been put in pots And the birds are all in cages if they’re not already shot. Because they invented prison andContinue reading “Les Singes by Jacques Brel: English Translation”

Jacques Brel – No. 1

In Brel’s first releases, we see a pattern emerging – and the songs on this EP form the blueprints of many themes that emerge throughout Brel’s career, in particular “Grand Jacques” and “Le Diable (Ca Va)”.