The legend of Jacques Brel

This week I discovered Jacques Brel. He’s Brussels’ most famous singer songwriter. 

Like good music? Mais oui

In the 1960s England produced that strutting prick Jagger and the easily-accessible, toe-tapping pop of pompous Paul McCartney. Belgium, on the other hand, got the suave, passionate and thoughtful music of Jacques Brel.

He’s credited as the master of the modern chanson and has influenced singers from David Bowie to Bob Dylan.

Sadly, in the UK he’s probably best known for Seasons in the Sun - but more about that later.

What can I say? The man liked a fag

BREL VS JAGGER

For absolutely no purpose whatsoever (other than my love of polemics) here are three reasons why Jacques Brel is cooler than Mick Jagger

1) CATHOLIC FANATIC
Brel worked in his father’s cardboard factory. The work was tedious but Brel didn’t conform to teenage cliches of alienation and rebellion. Instead, he joined the local Catholic youth organisation for kicks. He was so brilliant they even made him their president. During his presidency he staged an adaptation of Exupery’s Le Petit Prince, raising a modest sum for a very good cause. I accept, by the same age Mick Jagger had held a number one album in the UK charts for 12 weeks... but by all accounts it was a very good play.

2) LOYAL
Unlike the philandering antics of our London lothario, Brussels’ Brel married just once, to his local sweetheart. They had many children together and he remained faithful to the end. Now if Jagger had the same attitude rather than chasing after ev... STOP PRESS - I’ve just read a bit more of Brel’s biography, it turns out he met some dancer in the Caribbean on the set of one of his films. He ran off with her. Big up the B-dog.

Jacques Brel...fanny magnet

3) FABULOUS DARLING
Brel was a fabulous actor, which is more than we can say about Jagger (I’m thinking Freejack, 1992). Brel starred in 10 films and directed two. You might remember him from such roles as the rapey primary school teacher with the hilariously understated title, Risky Business (1967).

Oooh, you're hard. Jagger as cyberpunk Victor Vacendak

Other people who thought Brel was as good as I do

* David Bowie - who performed Brel’s hit Amsterdam on his BBC live recordings

Bowie's version of Amsterdam is very good. In fact, Sam would probably prefer it... but then he thinks Bowie's Man Who Sold the World is better than Nirvana's cover. I think he's only saying it. I mean nobody really believes Bowie's version is better, not even Bowie.

* Westlife - those eejuts might not know it but their Christmas number one Seasons in the Sun is actually Brel’s much darker hit Le Moribond. The same song was also a number one for Terry Jacks in the 70s.

Here's Westlife pissing on Jacques Brel's grave all the way to the bank

* Marc Almond is a Brel fanatic and recorded and released an entire album of covers called Jacques

The Music

1) Ne Me Quitte Pas
Probably his most famous song. This is a heartfelt, sweat-soaked recording. Check out his delivery at 0:45 - it's as much theatre as it is singing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za_6A0XnMyw

2) Bruxelles
A great performance for Dutch television... I even see a bit of Ian Curtis in Brel. It’s a bouncy rose-tinted number about Brussels during his childhood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KOt4Owaoxc

3) Amsterdam
David Bowie’s favourite Brel song and another passionate, theatrical performance from our man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMzAmrNS164

Here’s Bowie’s equally excellent cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uPZIG5BHD4

Live by the Zippo

Brel died of lung cancer in 1978.