Ces Gens-Là (song)
Encyclopedia
"Ces gens-là" is a French language
song by the late Belgian singer Jacques Brel
, published in 1966 by the Éditions Pouchenel of Brussels
, about the despair of a hopeless love. The title, meaning "those people", or, "those folks", has also been translated as "that lot there".
In it the narrator is talking to a third party (a certain "Monsieur" (Sir, or Mister)), where he describes the different members of a given family in a very harsh manner, as in gossip; a family whose existence is particularly mediocre and desperate. He criticizes in particular their immobility.
The list ends with the daughter, the beautiful Frieda whom he loves passionately, and whose love is reciprocal, but whose family does not allow the marriage, believing that the suitor is not worthy, which perhaps explains why he hates them so much. In addition: "But let me tell you, Mister, that in that family, you don't leave, Mister, you don't leave."
The subjectivity of the narrator, which could taint his judgement, has also been confirmed by Brel, who called it "faux témoin" (false witness) in an interview with Dominique Arban, without rejecting the truth of his criticism of the petite bourgeoisie
. On the other hand, although he denounces this environment throughout the song, the narrator concludes, taking leave of the caller and telling him that he must get on his way home, which can be interpreted as an admission of the fact he himself belongs to the middle class, or at least is close to.
The first part of the song is a slow 3/4 time signature
of a repetitive theme, of a somber mood, where, from the perspective of voice, tension grows moderately but steadily, and eventually explodes when the narrator evokes Frieda, reflecting his passion for her; the music then returns to its first depressed theme for the end of the song.
The song has since been covered
by French popular music bands such as Ange
, Oxmo Puccino
and Noir Désir
, although Ange may have missed the point of the song by excluding the part about Frieda; on the Cimetière des Arlequins album cover
, is mentioned: "To Jacques Brel, we didn't dare take Frieda from you".
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
song by the late Belgian singer Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson...
, published in 1966 by the Éditions Pouchenel of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, about the despair of a hopeless love. The title, meaning "those people", or, "those folks", has also been translated as "that lot there".
In it the narrator is talking to a third party (a certain "Monsieur" (Sir, or Mister)), where he describes the different members of a given family in a very harsh manner, as in gossip; a family whose existence is particularly mediocre and desperate. He criticizes in particular their immobility.
The list ends with the daughter, the beautiful Frieda whom he loves passionately, and whose love is reciprocal, but whose family does not allow the marriage, believing that the suitor is not worthy, which perhaps explains why he hates them so much. In addition: "But let me tell you, Mister, that in that family, you don't leave, Mister, you don't leave."
The subjectivity of the narrator, which could taint his judgement, has also been confirmed by Brel, who called it "faux témoin" (false witness) in an interview with Dominique Arban, without rejecting the truth of his criticism of the petite bourgeoisie
Petite bourgeoisie
Petit-bourgeois or petty bourgeois is a term that originally referred to the members of the lower middle social classes in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
. On the other hand, although he denounces this environment throughout the song, the narrator concludes, taking leave of the caller and telling him that he must get on his way home, which can be interpreted as an admission of the fact he himself belongs to the middle class, or at least is close to.
The first part of the song is a slow 3/4 time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of a repetitive theme, of a somber mood, where, from the perspective of voice, tension grows moderately but steadily, and eventually explodes when the narrator evokes Frieda, reflecting his passion for her; the music then returns to its first depressed theme for the end of the song.
The song has since been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by French popular music bands such as Ange
Ange
Ange is a French progressive rock band formed in September 1969 by the Décamps brothers, Francis and Christian .-History:...
, Oxmo Puccino
Oxmo Puccino
Oxmo Puccino is a French hip hop musician.- Life :Puccino was born in 1974 in Ségou, Mali. He came to Paris one year later, and lived in the XIXe arrondissement from the age of 5. He is the brother of basketball player Mamoutou Diarra...
and Noir Désir
Noir Désir
Noir Désir was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on numerous French musicians including Cali, Louise Attaque and Miossec...
, although Ange may have missed the point of the song by excluding the part about Frieda; on the Cimetière des Arlequins album cover
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
, is mentioned: "To Jacques Brel, we didn't dare take Frieda from you".
External links
- Alfred de GraziaAlfred de GraziaAlfred de Grazia, is a political scientist and author. He has defended the catastrophism thesis of Immanuel Velikovsky.-Education:De Grazia attended the University of Chicago, receiving an A.B...
: - List of multi-lingual covers of the song at Second Hand Songs
- Video of live performance, with (very good) English subtitles