"Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)" is a song by

Regina Spektor Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in ...

, from her 2012 album ''

What We Saw from the Cheap Seats ''What We Saw from the Cheap Seats'' is the sixth studio album by American alternative singer-songwriter Regina Spektor. On November 21, 2011, Spektor posted on her Facebook page that the album had been recorded with Mike Elizondo in Los Angeles ...

''. It was released as the album's second single on March 26, 2012. Although a handful of critics assumed this was an English-language

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of Jacques Brel's song "

Ne me quitte pas "Ne me quitte pas" (''"Don't leave me"'') is a 1959 song by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel. It has been covered in the original French by many artists and has also been translated into and performed in many other languages. A well-known ...

", Spektor's song is different in every way except the title. The chord structure, melody, and lyrics are all completely different. Brel's song was written in the key of A minor, in 3/4 time. It is a slow, haunting story of a man trying to win back his former lover—a song about the cowardice of men according to Brel. In contrast, Spektor's song is lively, in 4/4 time, and in a major key. Its lyrics evoke a carefree jaunt through various neighborhoods of New York City, the narrator describing all the beautiful and interesting things encountered along the way. Somehow the narrator ends up in the cafés and gardens of Paris, and the song ends with repeated declarations of love for Paris in the rain. The song was previously released on Spektor's 2002 album ''

Songs A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

'', simply titled "Ne Me Quitte Pas". This version of the song featured just Spektor and her piano, while the 2012 version includes a drum machine, horns and brass instruments. The song also features lyrics sung in both English and French. In June 2012, Spektor released yet another version of the song online, keeping the multi-instrument production heard on ''

'', but replacing the English verses with Russian lyrics. The new rendition was titled "Не Покидай Меня". The song can be heard at the end of the

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...

"Five Miles From Yetzer Hara" from the eighth season of '' Weeds''.

Music video

A video for the 2012 version of "Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)" was uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

on June 12, 2012. The video was directed by

Ace Norton Ace Norton (born May 24, 1982, in Venice, Los Angeles, California) is a Japanese American filmmaker and artist born and raised in Venice, California. Norton creates visuals on a variety of media platforms including music videos, commercials, fas ...

and features Spektor, alone in an apartment, interacting with various items. For example, at one point she is

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

on a table and at another she is dancing on a piano. The video is edited by Isaac Hagy and production design is by Maxwell Orgell.

Musicians

* Regina Spektor - Vocals, Piano, all Keyboards and Marimba * Aaron Sterling - Drums and Marimba *

Mike Elizondo Mike Elizondo (born October 22, 1972) is an American producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. A protege of Dr. Dre, Elizondo has worked with 50 Cent, Eminem, Carrie Underwood, Fiona Apple, Mastodon, Ry Cooder, Skylar Grey, Twenty ...

- Bass and Programming * Danny T. Levin - Trumpet * David Moyer - Baritone and Tenor Sax * Jack Dishel - Vocals

References

2012 singles Macaronic songs Regina Spektor songs Sire Records singles 2012 songs Songs written by Regina Spektor Song recordings produced by Mike Elizondo {{2010s-pop-song-stub