Georges Charles Brassens (; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and articulate, diverse lyrics. He is considered one of France's most accomplished postwar poets. He has also set to music poems by both well-known and relatively obscure poets, including

Louis Aragon Louis Aragon (, , 3 October 1897 – 24 December 1982) was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. He co-founded with André Breton and Philippe Soupault the surrealist review ''Littérature''. He ...

('),

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

(''La Légende de la Nonne'', ''Gastibelza''),

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the '' fin de siècle'' in international and ...

Jean Richepin Jean Richepin (; 4 February 1849 – 12 December 1926) was a French poet, novelist and dramatist. Biography Son of an army doctor, Jean Richepin was born 4 February 1849 at Médéa, French Algeria. At school and at the École Normale Supé ...

François Villon François Villon ( Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these e ...

(''La Ballade des Dames du Temps Jadis''), and Antoine Pol (''Les Passantes''). During World War II, he was forced by the Germans to work in a

labor camp A labor camp (or labour camp, see spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons (espec ...

at a BMW aircraft engine plant in Basdorf near Berlin in Germany (March 1943). Here Brassens met some of his future friends, such as Pierre Onténiente, whom he called ''Gibraltar'' because he was "steady as a rock." They would later become close friends. After being given ten days' sick leave in France, he decided not to return to the labor camp. Brassens took refuge in a small

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

called "Impasse Florimont," in the

14th arrondissement of Paris The 14th arrondissement of Paris ( ), officially named ''arrondissement de l'Observatoire'' (; meaning "arrondissement of the Observatory", after the Paris Observatory), is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. It is situa ...

, a popular district, where he lived for several years with its owner, Jeanne Planche, a friend of his aunt. Planche lived with her husband Marcel in relative poverty: without gas, running water, or electricity. Brassens remained hidden there until the end of the war five months later, but ended up staying for 22 years. Planche was the inspiration for Brassens's song ''Jeanne''. He wrote and sang, with his guitar, more than a hundred of his poems. Between 1952 and 1976, he recorded fourteen albums that include several popular French songs such as ''Les copains d'abord'', ''Chanson pour l'Auvergnat'', ''La mauvaise réputation'', and ''Mourir pour des idées''. Most of his texts are tinged with black humour and are often

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessar ...

-minded. In 1967, he received the Grand Prix de Poésie of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

. Apart from Paris and Sète, he lived in

Crespières Crespières () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Twin towns Along with Chavenay, Feucherolles and Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Crespières is twinned with Rösrath, Germany. See also *Com ...

(near Paris) and in

Lézardrieux Lézardrieux (; br, Lezardrev) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. The village is situated near the mouth of the estuary of the Trieux river - the suspension bridge ( Pont de Lézardrieux) across th ...

(Brittany).

Biography

Childhood and education

Brassens was born in

Sète Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises ...

, a '' commune'' in the

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.department of the Occitanie

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

, to a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

father and an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

mother from the town of

Marsico Nuovo Marsico Nuovo ( Lucano: ) is a town and '' comune'' of the province of Potenza in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. It was the seat of the bishops of Grumentum. It is an agricultural centre in the Agri river valley. History The city's ...

(in the

province of Potenza The Province of Potenza ( it, Provincia di Potenza; Potentino: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza. Geography It has an area of and a total population of 369,538 (as of 2017). There are ...

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

). Brassens grew up in the family home in

with his mother, Elvira Dagrosa, father, Jean-Louis, half-sister, Simone (daughter of Elvira and her first husband, who was killed in World War I), and paternal grandfather, Jules. His mother, whom Brassens labeled a "missionary for songs" (''militante de la chanson''), came from southern Italy (

), was a devout Roman Catholic, while his father was an easy-going, generous, openminded, anticlerical man. Brassens grew up between these two starkly contrasting personalities, who nonetheless shared a love for music. His mother, Simone, and Jules, were always singing. This environment imparted to Brassens a passion for singing that would come to define his life. At the time he listened constantly to his early idols:

Charles Trenet Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics to nearly a thousand songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These include ...

Tino Rossi Constantin "Tino" Rossi (29 April 1907 – 26 September 1983) was a French singer and film actor of Corsican origin. Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, Rossi was gifted with a voice well suited for opera. He became a tenor in the French cabaret style. ...

, and Ray Ventura. He was said to love music above all else: it was his first passion and the path that led him to his career. He told his friend André Sève, " t isa kind of internal vibration, something intense, a pleasure that has something of the sensual to it." He hoped to enroll at a music conservatory, but his mother insisted that he could only do so if his grades improved. Consequently, he never learned to read music. A poor student, Brassens performed badly in school. Alphonse Bonnafé, Brassens's ninth-grade teacher, strongly encouraged his apparent gift for poetry and creativity. Brassens had already been experimenting with songwriting and poetry. Bonnafé aided his attempts at poetry and pushed him to spend more time on his schoolwork, suggesting he begin to study classical poetry. Brassens developed an interest in verse and rhyme. By Brassens's admission, Bonnafé's influence on his work was enormous: "We were thugs, at fourteen, fifteen, and we started to like poets. That is quite a transformation. Thanks to this teacher, I opened my mind to something bigger. Later on, every time I wrote a song, I asked myself the question: would Bonnafé like it?" By this point, music had taken a slight backstage to poetry for Brassens, who now dreamed of being a writer. Nonetheless, personal friendships and adolescence still defined Brassens in his teens. At age seventeen, he was implicated in crimes that would prove to be a turning point in his life. To get money, Georges and his gang started to steal from their families and others. Georges stole a ring and a bracelet from his sister. The police found and caught him, which caused a scandal. The young men were publicly characterized as "high school mobsters" or "scum" — ''voyous''. Some of the perpetrators, unsupported by their families, spent time in prison. While Brassens's father was more forgiving and immediately picked up his son, Brassens was expelled from school. He decided to move to Paris in February 1940, following a short trial as an apprentice mason in his father's business after World War II had already broken out.

Wartime

Apprenticeships

Brassens lived with his aunt Antoinette in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, where he taught himself to play piano. He began working at a

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

car factory. In May 1940 the factory was bombed, and France was invaded by Germany. Brassens returned to the family home in Sète. He spent the summer in his home town, but soon returned to Paris, feeling that this was where his future lay. He did not work, since employment would serve only to profit the occupying enemy. Saddened by the lack of poetic culture, Brassens spent most of his days in the library. It was then that he set a pattern of rising at five in the morning, and going to bed at sunset – a pattern he maintained the greater part of his life. He meticulously studied the great masters: Villon,

Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited fro ...

Verlaine Verlaine (; wa, Verlinne) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Verlaine had a total population of 3,507. The total area is 24.21 km2 which gives a population density Population d ...

and Hugo. His approach to poetry was almost scientific. Reading, for instance, a poem by Verlaine, he dissected it image by image, attentive to the slightest change in rhythm, analyzing the rhymes and the way they alternated. He drew on this enormous literary culture as he wrote his first collection of poems, ''Des coups d’épée dans l’eau'', the conclusion of which foreshadowed the anarchism of his future songs: P1090717_Paris_XIV_impasse_Florimont_Georges-Brassens_rwk

P1090717_Paris_XIV_impasse_Florimont_Georges-Brassens_rwk

:''Le siècle où nous vivons est un siècle pourri.'' :''Tout n'est que lâcheté, bassesse,'' :''Les plus grands assassins vont aux plus grandes messes'' :''Et sont des plus grands rois les plus grands favoris.'' :''Hommage de l'auteur à ceux qui l'ont compris,'' :''Et merde aux autres.'' :''The century we live in is a rotten century.'' :''Everything is but cowardice and baseness.'' :''The greatest murderers attend the highest Masses'' :''And are the greatest favourites of the greatest kings.'' :''Compliments from the author to those who understood this,'' :''And to hell with the others (shit to the others).'' Brassens also published ''À la venvole'' in 1942, thanks to the money of his family and friends, and with the surprising help of a woman named Jeanne Planche, a neighbour of Antoinette, probably the first Brassens fan. Brassens later commented on his early works: "In those times, I was only regurgitating what I had learned reading the poets. I hadn't transformed it into honey yet."

Exile

In March 1943, Brassens was requisitioned for the STO ('' Service du travail obligatoire'') forced labour organisation in Germany. He found time to write ''Bonhomme'' and ''Pauvre Martin'', along with more than a hundred other songs, that were later either burned or frequently altered before they reached their final form (''Le Mauvais sujet repenti''). He also wrote the beginning of his first novel, ''Lalie Kakamou''. In Germany, he met some of his best friends like Pierre Onténiente, whom he nicknamed "Gibraltar", because he was "firm as a rock." Onténiente later became his right-hand man and his private secretary. A year after he arrived in Basdorf, Brassens was granted a ten-day furlough. It was obvious to him and his new friends that he wouldn't come back. In Paris, he had to find a hideout, but he knew very few people. Finally, Jeanne Planche came to his aid and offered to put him up as long as necessary. Jeanne lived with her husband Marcel in a hovel at 9 impasse Florimont, with no gas, water or electricity. Brassens accepted and stayed there for twenty-two years. He once said on the radio: "It was nice there, and I have gained since then quite an amazing sense of discomfort." According to Pierre Onténiente: "Jeanne had a crush on Georges, and Marcel knew nothing, as he started to get drunk at eight in the morning."

Anarchist influences

Once put up at Jeanne Planche's, Georges had to stay hidden for five months, waiting for the war to come to an end. He continued writing poems and songs. He composed using as his only instrument a small piece of furniture that he called "my drum" on which he beat out the rhythm. He resumed writing the novel he started in Basdorf, for only now did he consider a career as a famous novelist. The end of World War II and the freedom suddenly regained didn't change his habits much, except that he got his library card back and resumed studying poetry. The end of the war meant the homecoming of the friends from Basdorf, with whom Brassens planned to create an

-minded paper, ''Le Cri des Gueux'' (''The villains' cry''), which stopped after the first edition due to a lack of money. At the same time, he set up the "Prehistoric Party" with Emile Miramont (a friend from Sète nicknamed "Corne d'Auroch" – the horn of an

Aurochs The aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') ( or ) is an extinct cattle species, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. With a shoulder height of up to in bulls and in cows, it was one of the largest herbivores in the Holocene ...

, an ancient large bovine species) and André Larue (whom he met in Basdorf), which advocated the return to a more modest way of life, but whose chief purpose was to ridicule the other political parties. After the failure of ''Le Cri des Gueux'', Brassens joined the Anarchist Federation and wrote some virulent, black humour-tinged articles for ''Le Libertaire'', the Federation's paper. But the extravagance of the future songwriter wasn't to everybody's taste, and he soon had to leave the Federation, albeit without resentment. Brassens said in an interview: "An anarchist is a man who scrupulously crosses at the zebra crossing, because he hates to argue with the agents". He also said: "I'm not very fond of the law. As Léautaud would say, I could do without laws ..I think most people couldn’t."

Career

His friends who heard and liked his songs urged him to go and try them out in a cabaret, café or concert hall. He was shy and had difficulty performing in front of people. At first, he wanted to sell his songs to well-known singers such as

Les Frères Jacques Les Frères Jacques were a French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation ...

. The owner of a cafe told him that his songs were not the type he was looking for. But at one point he met the singer Patachou in a very well-known cafe, Les Trois Baudets, and she brought him into the music scene. Several famous singers came into the music industry this way, including

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

and

Léo Ferré Léo Ferré (24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993) was a French-born Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer, whose career in France dominated the years after the Second World War until his death. He released so ...

. He later on made several appearances at the

Paris Olympia The Olympia (; commonly known as L'Olympia or in the English-speaking world as Olympia Hall) is a concert venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France, located at 28 Boulevard des Capucines, equally distancing Madeleine church and Opéra ...

under Bruno Coquatrix' management and at the Bobino

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Br ...

theater. He toured with Pierre Louki, who wrote a book of recollections entitled ''Avec Brassens'' (éditions Christian Pirot, 1999, ). After 1952, Brassens rarely left France. A few trips to Belgium and Switzerland; a month in Canada (1961, recording issued on CD in 2011) and another in North Africa were his only trips outside France – except for his concerts in Wales in 1970 and 1973 (

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

). His concert at Cardiff's Sherman Theatre in 1973 saw Jake Thackray — a great admirer of his work – open for him.

Songs

Georges Brassens (1964) by Erling Mandelmann - 2

Brassens accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. Most of the time the only other accompaniment came from his friend

Pierre Nicolas Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

with a

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, and sometimes a second guitar (Barthélémy Rosso, ). His songs often decry hypocrisy and self-righteousness in the conservative French society of the time, especially among the religious, the well-to-do, and those in law enforcement. The criticism is often indirect, focusing on the good deeds or innocence of others in contrast. His elegant use of florid language and dark humor, along with bouncy rhythms, often give a rather jocular feel to even the grimmest lyrics. Some of his most famous songs include: * "''Les copains d'abord''," about a boat of that name, and

friendship Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept of ...

, written for a movie ''Les copains'' (1964) directed by Yves Robert; (translated and covered by

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...

as "''Friendship First''" and by a Polish

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...

as "''Kumple to grunt''" and included on their 2007 eponymously titled CD). * "''Chanson pour l'

Auvergnat or (endonym: ) is a northern dialect of Occitan spoken in central and southern France, in particular in the former administrative region of Auvergne. Currently, research shows that there is not really a true Auvergnat dialect but rather a va ...

''," lauding those who take care of the downtrodden against the pettiness of the

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. ...

and the harshness of law enforcement. * "

Brave Margot "Brave Margot" is a 1953 song by Georges Brassens, about a young woman who breastfeeds a young kitten. It is one of his best known and most controversial songs. Lyrics The lyrics describe a young, well-meaning but naïve shepherdess, Margot, who f ...

," about a young girl who gives a young kitten the breast, which attracts a large group of male onlookers. * "''La Cane de Jeanne''," for Marcel and Jeanne Planche, who befriended and sheltered him and others. * "''La mauvaise réputation''" – "the bad reputation" – a semi-autobiographical tune with its catchy lyric: "Mais les braves gens n'aiment pas que l'on suive une autre route qu'eux" (But the good folks don't like it if you take a different road than they do.)

Pierre Pascal Pierre Pascal (16 April 1909 – 13 January 1990) was a French poet, essayist, Iranologist and translator. He was the only son of chemist Paul Pascal. Biography In 1933 he began publishing the review ''Eurydice'' and founded the publishing firm ...

adapted part of the lyrics to Spanish under the title "La mala reputación", which was later interpreted by Paco Ibañez. * "''Les amoureux des bancs publics''" – about young lovers who kiss each other publicly and shock self-righteous people. * "'' Pauvre Martin''," the suffering of a poor peasant. * "''

Le Gorille "Le Gorille" is a 1952 song by Georges Brassens, found on his album ''La Mauvaise Réputation''. It was also released as a single, with ''La Chasse Aux Papillons'' as B-side. Lyrics The song describes how a group of women in a zoo observe the gen ...

''" – tells, in a humorous fashion, of a

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four ...

with a large

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males d ...

(and admired for this by ladies) who escapes his cage. Mistaking a robed judge for a woman, the beast forcefully sodomizes him. The song contrasts the wooden attitude that the judge had exhibited when sentencing a man to death by the

guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at t ...

with his cries for mercy when being assaulted by the gorilla. This song, considered pornographic, was

banned A ban is a formal or informal prohibition of something. Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some bans in commerce are referred to as embargoes. ''Ban'' is also used as a verb similar in meanin ...

for a while. The song's

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the v ...

(''Gare au gori – i – i – i – ille'', "beware the gorilla") is widely known; it was translated into English by Jake Thackray as ''Brother Gorilla'', by Greek singer-songwriter Christos Thivaios as Ο Γορίλλας ("The Gorilla"), by Spanish songwriter

Joaquín Carbonell Joaquín Carbonell Martí (12 August 1947 – 12 September 2020) was a Spanish singer-songwriter, journalist and poet. Biography Carbonell was born in Alloza, Teruel, the son of a Republican teacher. He studied in a Salesian institute in Ba ...

as "El Gorila" ("The Gorilla"), by Italian songwriter

Fabrizio De André Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter, the most prominent ''cantautore'' of his time. His 40-year career reflects his interests in concept albums, literature, poetry, political pr ...

as "Il Gorilla" ("The Gorilla" – De André included this translation into his 1968 album "Volume III"), by the Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny as "Goryl" and by Israeli writer Dan Almagor as "הגורילה". * "''Fernande''" – a 'virile

antiphon An antiphon ( Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are the Psalms. Their form was favored by St Ambrose and they feature prominentl ...

' about the women lonely men think about to inspire self-gratification (or to nip it in the bud). Its infamous

(''Quand je pense à Fernande, je bande, je bande...'', 'When I think about Fernande, I get hard') is still immediately recognized in France, and has essentially ended the use of several female first names. * "'' Supplique pour être enterré à la plage de Sète''" , a long song (7:18) describing, in a colourful, "live" and poetic way, his wish to be buried on a particular sandy beach in his hometown, "Plage de la Corniche". * "''Mourir pour des idées''," describing the recurring violence over ideas and an exhortation to be left in peace (translated into Italian by Italian singer-songwriter

as "Morire per delle idee" and included in De André's 1974 album ''Canzoni'' and by the Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny as "Śmierć za idee" and included on their 2007 CD ''Kumple to grunt''). Tombe de Georges Brassens

Death

Brassens died of cancer in 1981, in Saint-Gély-du-Fesc, having suffered health problems for many years, and rests at the in Sète.

Legacy

Many artists from Japan, Israel, Russia, the United States (where there is a Georges Brassens fan club), Italy and Spain have made cover versions of Brassens's songs. His songs have been translated into 20 languages, including

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communic ...

. Many singers have covered Georges Brassens' lyrics in other languages, for instance

Pierre de Gaillande Pierre de Gaillande is a French-born American singer, guitarist and composer. In the early 1990s, de Gaillande played trumpet in San Diego hardcore band Creedle, bass in New York power pop bands The Morning Glories and southern California indie ba ...

, who translates Brassens' songs and performs them in English, Luis Cilia in Portuguese, Koshiji Fubuki in Japanese,

(in

), Alberto Patrucco (in

), and Nanni Svampa (in

and

Milanese Milanese (endonym in traditional orthography , ') is the central variety of the Western dialect of the Lombard language spoken in Milan, the rest of its metropolitan city, and the northernmost part of the province of Pavia. Milanese, due to ...

Graeme Allwright Graeme Allwright (7 November 1926 – 16 February 2020) was a New Zealand-born French singer and songwriter. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s as a French language interpreter of the songs of American and Canadian songwriters such as Le ...

and Jake Thackray (in English), Sam Alpha (in creole),

Yossi Banai Yosef "Yossi" Banai ( he, יֹוסֶף "יֹוסִי" בַנָאי; April 13, 1932 – May 11, 2006) was an Israeli performer, singer, actor, and dramatist. Biography Banai was born in Jerusalem during the Mandate era, and grew up in the neighb ...

(in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

Arsen Dedić Arsenije "Arsen" Dedić ( sr-Cyrl, Арсеније "Арсен" Дедић, ; 28 July 1938 – 17 August 2015) was a Croatian singer-songwriter. He wrote and performed chansons, as well as film music. He was also an award-winning poet, and was o ...

(in Croatian), Jiří Dědeček (in Czech), Mark Freidkin (in Russian), Loquillo,

Joaquín Sabina Joaquín Ramón Martínez Sabina (born 12 February 1949) is a Spanish musician, singer, composer, and poet. His songs usually treat about love, heartbreaks and society with a large usage of literary figures similarly to the baroque-literature st ...

Paco Ibáñez Francisco "Paco" Ibáñez (born 20 November 1934 in Valencia) is a Spanish singer and musician. He never composed his own lyrics, but used famous poems, like those of Federico García Lorca, Luis Cernuda, Rafael Alberti or Miguel Hernández. He ...

, Javier Krahe,

and (in Spanish), Jacques Ivart (in

esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communic ...

), Franz Josef Degenhardt and Ralf Tauchmann (in German),

Mani Matter Mani Matter (4 August 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee – 24 November 1972 in Kilchberg, Zurich, officially Hans-Peter Matter) was a popular Swiss singer-songwriter. Biography Mani Matter was born on 4 August 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee, Canton of Bern. ...

in Bernese dialect, Zespół Reprezentacyjny (they released 2 CDs of Brassens' songs in Polish) and Piotr Machalica (in Polish),

Cornelis Vreeswijk Cornelis Vreeswijk (; ; 8 August 1937 – 12 November 1987) was a Dutch-born Swedish singer-songwriter, poet and actor. He emigrated to Sweden with his parents in 1949 at the age of twelve. He was educated as a social worker and hoped to becom ...

(Swedish) and Tuula Amberla (in Finnish). Dieter Kaiser, a Belgian-German singer who performs in public concerts with the French-German professional guitarist Stéphane Bazire under the name Stéphane & Didier has translated into German language and gathered in a brochure 19 Brassens songs. He also translated among others the poem "Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux" of the French contemporary poet Louis Aragon. Franco-Cameroonian singer Kristo Numpuby also released a cover-album with the original French lyrics but adapted the songs to various African rhythms. An international association of Georges Brassens fans exists and there is also a fan club in Berlin-Basdorf which organizes a Brassens festival every year in September. Brassens composed about 250 songs, of which 200 were recorded, the other 50 remaining unfinished. Renée Claude, an important Québécois singer, dedicated a tribute-album to him, ''J'ai rendez-vous avec vous'' (1993). ''Le Dîner de Cons'', 1998's top-grossing film in France, used Brassens' song ''"Le Temps Ne Fait Rien a l'Affaire"'' as its opening title music. His songs have a major influence on many French singers across several generations, including

Maxime Le Forestier Maxime Le Forestier (; born 10 February 1949 as Bruno Le Forestier) is a French singer-songwriter. Life and career Bruno Le Forestier was born on 10 February 1949 in Paris to father Robert Le Forestier and mother Genevieve (née Lili 1917–2010 ...

Renaud Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (), known as Renaud (), born 11 May 1952, is a French singer, songwriter and actor. His characteristically 'broken' voice makes for a very distinctive vocal style. Several of his songs are popular classics in F ...

Bénabar Bruno Nicolini (born 16 June 1969), better known by his stage name Bénabar, is a French songwriter and singer, who could be compared to Vincent Delerm and other singers from his generation. As many of them he was influenced by Georges Brassens ...

and others. In 2008, the English folk-singer

Leon Rosselson Leon Rosselson (born 22 June 1934, Harrow, London, Harrow, Middlesex, England) is an English songwriter and writer of children's books. After his early involvement in the folk music revival in Britain, he came to prominence, singing his own sat ...

included a tribute song to Brassens, entitled " The Ghost of Georges Brassens", on his album '' A Proper State''. The song "À Brassens" ("To Brassens") from Jean Ferrat's album '' Ferrat'' was dedicated to Brassens. In 2014, Australian-French duo Mountain Men released a live tribute album ''Mountain Men chante Georges Brassens''.''Mountain Men Chante Georges Brassens''
/ref> " 6587 Brassens" is an asteroid discovered in 1984 and named in honour of the French poet and songwriter.

Heritage sites

Many schools, theatres, parks, public gardens, and public places are dedicated to Georges Brassens and his work, including: * L'Espace Brassens in his hometown of

, a museum to his life. * A park built on the site of the former Vaugirard horse market & slaughterhouses, was named ''

Parc Georges-Brassens Parc Georges-Brassens is a public park located in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, between rue des Morillons and rue de Périchaux. Opened in 1984, it occupies 7.74 hectares on the site of a former fish market, horse market and slaughterhouse ...

''. Brassens lived a large part of his life about hundred metres from the slaughterhouses, at 9, impasse Florimont and then at 42, rue Santos-Dumont. The park was inaugurated in 1975. * A nearby station of Tram line 3 in Paris is also named in Brassens' honour. * The ''Place du Marché'' of

Brive-la-Gaillarde Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of oc, Briva la Galharda) is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the agglomeration was 7 ...

was renamed ''Place Georges-Brassens'' as a tribute to his well-known song ''Hécatombe'', which name-drops the market. * In the

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (french: Métro de Paris ; short for Métropolitain ) is a rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architec ...

station Porte des Lilas ( Line 11) there is a mural portrait of Brassens along with a quote from his song "Les Lilas", written for the 1957 film '' Porte des Lilas'' by

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

. In this film, Brassens had a supporting role, practically playing himself.

Discography

Georges Brassens (1964) by Erling Mandelmann

All of Georges Brassens' studio albums are untitled. They are referred either as self-titled with a number, or by the title of the first song on the album, or by the most well-known song.

Studio albums

* 1952: ''La Mauvaise Réputation'' * 1953: ''Le Vent'' (or ''Les Amoureux des bancs publics'') ** including '' Pauvre Martin'' * 1954: ''Les Sabots d'Hélène'' (or ''Chanson pour l'Auvergnat'') * 1956: ''Je me suis fait tout petit'' * 1957: ''Oncle Archibald'' * 1958: ''Le Pornographe'' * 1960: ''Les Funérailles d'antan'' (or ''Le Mécréant'') * 1961: ''Le Temps ne fait rien à l'affaire'' * 1962: ''Les Trompettes de la renommée'' * 1964: ''Les Copains d'abord'' * 1966: ''Supplique pour être enterré à la plage de Sète'' * 1969: ''Misogynie à part'' (or ''La Religieuse'') * 1972: ''Fernande'' * 1976: ''Trompe la mort'' (or ''Nouvelles chansons'') * 1979: ''Brassens-Moustache jouent Brassens en jazz'' (with

Moustache A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ...

and les Petits français, jazz versions of previously released songs; re-released in 1989 as ''Giants of Jazz Play Brassens'') * 1982: ''Georges Brassens chante les chansons de sa jeunesse'' (cover album of old songs)

Live albums

* 1973: ''Georges Brassens in Great Britain'' * 1996: ''Georges Brassens au TNP'' (recorded in 1966) * 2001: ''Georges Brassens à la Villa d'Este'' (recorded in 1953) * 2001: ''Bobino 64'' * 2006: ''Concerts de 1959 à 1976'' (box set featuring concerts from 1960, 1969, 1970, 1973 and 1976)

References

External links

* *
Espace Brassens museum in Sète
*
Georges-Brassens.com
* *

from the Daily Bleed's Anarchist Encyclopedia *
Project Brassens
Brassens's complete production with English and Italian translations. Toutes les chansons de Georges Brassens avec les traductions des textes en anglais et italien - Tutte le canzoni di Georges Brassens con i testi tradotti in inglese e italiano. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brassens, Georges 1921 births 1981 deaths People from Sète French male guitarists French male singer-songwriters French people of Italian descent French anarchists French satirists 20th-century French poets Members of the French Anarchist Federation 20th-century guitarists 20th-century French male singers French World War II forced labourers