French songs

glyn · Post by **glyn** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 7:59 pm

Watching Cohen do The Partisan at San Sebastien I thought what a good idea it would be for him to do a CD of French songs. My suggestions for him would be Me ne quitte pas by Brel and Je t'aime je t'amais j t'amerais (I might have this slighty wrong) by Cabrel. I'm sure the rest of you can come up with ideas until we have enough for a cd. Then all Mr Cohen has to do is record it.

Helven · Post by **Helven** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 9:53 pm

Hi Glyn,

Yes, it would be great to have a chance to listen to the LC’ version of Ne me quitte pas

!
I can say I’ve got some Brel’ albums just recently and have never heard anything of him before. And now I just can’t stop listening to this song! Though, I wonder how I contrived to miss it before

– there’re so many cover versions of it. Yesterday I’ve found a site where 36 of them were collected together and they said that list wasn’t exhaustive. I’ve downloaded some of them and found that definitely prefer Brel’s performance. And I do believe LC’ one would be amazing, as well.

TH

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 1:26 am

I am amazed at how beautiful and how imbued with the 'French spirit' Leonard's songs are when I've listened to French covers of them. Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas" by Leonard ~ where is that rapturous tears emoticon

?

Kush · Post by **Kush** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 5:58 am

Rapelle-toi Barbara : Jacques Prevert
La Boheme : Charles Aznavour

You can hear the latter here:
http://www.rionet.com.br/~citroen/LA-BOHEME.htm

lightning · Post by **lightning** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 6:42 am

From what I heard Cohen say in "Ladies and Gentlemen Leonard Cohen" something about making the French speak English. I got the impression that he doesn't like to speak French very much and is not much of a Francophile. His accent is not very authentic, despite being from Montreal where most, even children, are perfectly bilingual. It's best to listen to Brel sing his own songs and fight your way through the language barrier however you can. Some feel they can understand Brel without even understanding the words, such a great performer is he. He himself thought the best covers of his songs were done by Liesbeth List a Dutch singer singing translations in Neerlandais. The CD is still available. I don't think I would like to hear Cohen sing Brel anymore than I like to hear Dylan sing Hallelujah. Though Cohen is sometimes compared to Brel and thought to have been influenced by him the two are oceans apart psychologically and artistically and should maintain this distance. Most of Cohen's performances of material other than his own songs have been of less significance than his presentation of his own material.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 8:32 am

Hi Lightning ~

I agree that Brel is worth grappling with the language barrier, or simply allowing the message to osmose. Even though my favourite songs by Leonard are ones that he's written and composed himself, I would still love to hear his rendering of that particular song of Brel's.

I love the way you expressed your thoughts on the issue:

Though Cohen is sometimes compared to Brel and thought to have been influenced by him the two are oceans apart psychologically and artistically and should maintain this distance.

~ Lizzy

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 8:36 am

Kush ~

Is this your official staking of claim of your spot on Mars

? You realize, of course, that you got the best rock

.

If it could be used for Live, environmental backdrop, the lighting there [from the ground] would result in beautiful photographs of people. I love its glow.

~ Lizzy

Kush · Post by **Kush** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 6:26 pm

Yeah....well actually I took the photo last time I was there.

Spirit will find my little campsite soon.
My take on covers is a little different...I think once a song is out there it is up to the artiste singing it to interpret it in any way he/she wants. Indeed, that is how music transcends boundaries. And sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt, maybe it does for some people and not for others - that's fine. If someone is singing a song I forget (or try to) who wrote it or sang it first or what their psychology is - the song stands on its own. Indeed, it is interesting to see how Cohen would vocally interpret Ne Me Quitte Pas - I don't want to hear another copy of Brel !!! I think it might be a softer, mellower version.
I was gonna make a comment on Willie Nelson on the other thread but never got around to it. Nelson and Norah Jones - he was an inspiration to her - have made a number of stunning duet recordings although you'd think they are miles apart stylistically. (She also sang on his 70th birthday celebrations "If I had a candle for each time you inspired me, the cake would be the size of Texas")
I think it would be very interesting for me to have them do a duet recording of an entire album of Cohen's songs. Nelson's voice is like a tightly strung guitar with a "resonant" quality 'that is unmistakeably his own'. And Norah Jones has that sexy smoky quality.....
Ok now back to the French CD.....

p.s. I think LC should do a concert on Mars.
p.ps. .......singing exclusively Brel songs.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 7:23 pm

Re: your p.s. and p.p.s. ~ Laughing, yet I still soooo agree. What an ethereal, surreal quality it would be, a photo of Leonard on the Marscape.....and singing Brel amidst the rocks, sublime.

Byron · Post by **Byron** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 7:52 pm

If the camera had panned around a little more to the right we would have got a clear and uninterupted view of Paula's Martian Thickets. Spooky or what? Do crumpets float on Mars? If they do, it might mean that you never feel hungry because the crumpet stays floating in one's tummy button area.

Helven · Post by **Helven** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 8:38 pm

Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas" by Leonard ~ where is that rapturous tears emoticon ?

Oh, Elizabeth, I wish I could use those emoticons I used before! Though, maybe it’s impossible to find an appropriate one even amongst that great variety of them

…
But could you tell me, please, what were those French covers of LC’ songs you wrote about? It would be very interesting to listen to them; maybe I’ll find them somewhere.

Some feel they can understand Brel without even understanding the words, such a great performer is he.

Yes, Lightning, that’s true. At least, I feel something like that, too. It isn’t so, of course, that I can understand the meaning without any translations but it looks like my heart still knows somehow what the songs are about even when I don’t glance at them

.

Kush, what a GREAT idea regarding Mars!!!

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 10:09 pm

Dear Helven ~

The French covers were gifted to me and, as soon as I'm able, I'll gift them on to you

. When I received the gift, there'd have been a whole line of rapturous emoticons, had even one been available. However, I had to rely on [what felt] the inadequacy of words to express my gratitude. To say I was stunned, overjoyed, and overwhelmed is an understatement. I was given a whole slew of things

! I was card-carrying, certified rapturous.

Ha! I miss those emoticons of yours.....surely you'd have found something appropriate

!

~ Elizabeth

Helven · Post by **Helven** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 11:18 pm

Dear Elizabeth,

Thank you very, very much

!!! [And now I put here – in my imagination – the “guy” that jumps filled with happiness.] As it looks like our preferences coincide in many respects I’m just sure I’d love those amazing versions

!

Yours,
TH

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 12:03 am

Ahhhh, you're welcome my dear

! It's just a couple projects down the line from where I'm at right now, so by year's end

, you'll have it

. Seriously, I'm progressing better than that, though some might want to take me to task on that

.

Love,
Elizabeth

lightning · Post by **lightning** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 1:09 am

I think you can find French Leonard Cohen covers at the French Leonard Cohen site, by Patrice Clos ( through Jarkko's site). Jean Louis Murat's Avalanche is on I'm Your Fan, the tribute album. Formidable!

Kush: I'd like to name your rock "Hudson" for the star of "Martian Chronicles", a movie made from Ray Bradbury's '50's sci fi masterpiece. It is a diary of the colonization of Mars by Earth. Eerily, in 2004 things were starting to go to hell. From the book: "......then the sophisticates came in from the Earth. They came on parties and vacations, on little shopping trips for trinkets and photographs and the "atmosphere." ; they came to study and apply sociological laws; they came with stars and badges and rules and regulations, bringing some of the red tape that had crawled across the Earth like an alien weed, and letting it grow on Mars wherever it could take root. They began to plan peoples lives and libraries; they began to instruct and push about the very people who had come to Mars to get away from being instructed and ruled and pushed about."
Don't let them near your rock, Kush. Don't let them near "Hudson". And if there are no wise philosophic Martians to be found we can have Leonard Cohen stand on the rock and cover Peggy Lee's "Is that all there is?" Then maybe we can use the damn thing for a cemetery since the rocks come pre-installed. I think the defense department already has more nefarious plans though.