As for the Brel song, I hadn't heard that cover before. However, I've heard it done that way before. You have to appreciate that in France, it's almost de rigeur to do this song and people treat it in an almost reverential way. I've heard it on campsites and in bars.
One absolutely surprising rendition was by a French guy called Thierry Amiel on the French version of "Pop Idol" a few years back. Now Cowell et al, is just an insipid saccharin show, all marshalled and corralled to "fit" a tight pattern with very little artistic merit – after all, all they do is covers!

However, I came across this track on YouTube some years back and listened to it with very low expectations…. It's starts much as you'd expect. The rent-a-crowd are doing their thing; swaying in their girly ways, whooping, cheering, waving banners, etc…. But then, you start to hear the guy's perfect voice and you think, "will he make it?", "what will he do now?"… (Remember, everyone in France knows this song. They know what to expect. It's part of their psyche)

Then, the crowd stop swaying so much, when normally they'd all have been whipped into a choreographed frenzy.

Some in the crowd have "that look" on their face, the look when they are swallowed up by a performance and realise that they are witness to something really special, really great, that may not be so easily repeated. The camera rapidly swings off these people because it doesn't fit with the programmed hysteria that they like to project.

As you can gather, I'm not a fan of these shows, but this is special. See what you think.

httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=53a6bIjI8zk

She does quite a few Brel covers and a great version of 'Hurt' by Nine Inch Nails.

Needs to be seen live to be fully appreciated though. :)

I love the power and the intensity – it's a pure art that we see very rarely in these xFactored days. The angst-ridden gestures of most 'pop' stars have nothing, absolutely nothing on this immaculate, emotional piece.

Please contact Jillian Greenwood (Greenwood) about this, as she did the newer translation, which, although not having the same cadence as the original, is probably a more accurate translation due to her skills in that area, which are immense.

Thank you for the excellent translation

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