Wednesday
27th August, 2008
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A Thought for Today
Strength is not the fortress, but the bricks that build it.
This
One Does It For Me!
Dear Ken,
I'm doing a class project on Mr. McKuen and want to focus on how he
Jacques Brel came to work together.
Do you have any information in this regard?
Antoinette
The following, which
appeared in the McKuen/Brel songbook, should give you a better
understanding of the association between Rod and Jacques Brel,
Antoinette.
I've also included the
lyrics to what I consider to be one of the most powerful McKuen/Brel
collaborations, Come, Jef.
Rod McKuen Sings the McKuen Brel Songbook
I first met Jacques in 1964, but I was into his performing and singing
long before that, courtesy of Ellen Ehrlich, who used to interpret his
songs for me before I began to translate them myself. My first
experience with Brel consisted of doing an unauthorized adaptation of Le
Moribund, which I called Seasons in the Sun. Ellen, unbeknownst to me,
sent it to Jacques.
While in France that summer of '64, I went to visit a friend, Philippe
Boutet, who published some of my songs in translation for Europe. During
the course of a very pleasant afternoon, I asked him if he had any new
songs I might adapt for America. He said yes, that he did have one that
was fairly new. It had been written by Jacques Brel for the singer Jean
Sablon. He then proceeded to play for me a very rough dub of the song.
As I listened, I couldn't help feeling I'd heard the song somewhere
before, and it was only toward the end of the piece that I realized it
was my own song, The Lovers. Somewhat astounded, I pointed this out to
Philippe, who said it couldn't be. He went to the phone and called
Jacques in Brussels. Jacques confirmed that it was indeed my song and
that he had no way to send me a copy of it.
I subsequently learned that Brel had received my recording (which not
only contained his song but The Lovers as well ) after returning from a
long and tiring tour of France. He remarked that he had been so pleased
by someone doing something for him without requesting and expecting
anything that he immediately returned the compliment by adapting The
Lovers into French.
Brel allowed as how he was coming to Paris to see his dentist, and could
I stay over? Obviously I could and did. From that meeting has grown a
continuing friendship, and the songs in this album. Listening to it, I
am struck with the many references to death, the accumulative political
overtones - especially from two men who don't give a damn about polities
but who both love our countries passionately, and that oddly - even
though we both have a reputation for writing love songs - there is
hardly a conventional love song here.
If You Go Away and To You are pleas for a new start to an affair that is
drawing to an end. The Statue takes apart hypocrisy. The Women is about
the incredible hold females have always had on us mere men - I had an
unusual experience with this song once. Glenn Yarbrough was recording it
at a session and three generations of females in his life sat in stony
silence during the playback. A daughter who was just being quiet, a
former wife who glared at a current girlfriend, and Glenn's mother, who
said to me, "Are we really like that ?" To which I replied, "Yes, and
more." Glenn was very uncertain about putting the song in the album and
it continues to be the most controversial song of mine he has ever sung.
Les Bourgeois is humorous and nibbles at the so-called aristocrats. This
version of Zangra includes a comment I made to an unsuspecting
photographer who nearly blinded me with a flashbulb while I was
performing the song live at London's Royal Albert Hall. I hope in a
subsequent McKuen / Brel album to include the first recording I made of
the song, which is a bit different than the way I perform it now.
Come Jef is an attempt to dissuade a friend from suicide as he stands on
a bridge above a river. The Far West, the western part of my country, in
its French lyrics refers to Brel's homeland - the hills, meadows, and
flatlands of Belgium. Amsterdam is meant to depict any seaport. I'm Not
Afraid has only Jacques' melody in common with my lyrics; his song is
totally different. Jacques condensed The Lovers by eliminating the
bridges in my music. I expanded The Women by adding bridges. Both
Seasons in the Sun and The Far West take in the entire spectrum of a
man's life.
These songs are not translations; we think of them as collaborations.
Brel, though retired from performing, remains for me the most brilliant
performer I have ever had the privilege to see. As a writer he is
intelligent and concise, as an actor he is fluid and able to be precise
and abandoned at the same time. As a friend he is a clown and a bit
crazy. I would rather sing songs by Brel than anybody unless perhaps
they were songs by me. For me, then, this album is the best of all
possible worlds.
Rod McKuen, February, 1974
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McKUEN APPEARANCES
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Barbara Bach o
Mason Betha o
Julie Brown o
Daryl “The Captain” Dragon o
Theodore Dreiser o
C.S. Forester o
Samuel Goldwyn o
Lyndon B. Johnson o
Ira Levin o
Alex Lifeson o
Mother Theresa o
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Man Ray o
Martha Raye o
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Tommy Sands o
Alexa Vega o
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Lester Young |
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Just when the fountain of content gets
going, it springs a leak.
You get a lot more if you're willing to
settle for a lot less.
Duty is the stuff of human existence.
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Come, Jef |
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Jef, the world
is wide
we’ll get a ladder
and we’ll climb the other side.
Jef, the sky is high
though we can climb up to the top
if we’ll just try.
Don’t be afraid Jef
please don’t be afraid Jef.
Jef, another dawn comes tomorrow
and your troubles may be gone
forget about today Jef.
Jef, please Jef.
Come, come, come...
I’ll play you Spain on my guitar
I’ll take you walking to the stars.
Come Jef, come
come, we’ll walk a little more
come Jef.
Nothing’s like it seems
nothing’s bad in daylight or in dreams
come Jef, come.
Come, please don’t be afraid
don’t worry Jef
every day has an end.
Now Jef, around the corner is a big house
Madame Adolf, she has some new girls
Jef, come we’ll look at them
we’ll look them over once.
Jef, the water’s deep, black, muddy
wouldn’t you rather go on a clear day
now Jef, Jef don’t be afraid, come.
Come Jef, come, come
come, I’ll play you Spain on my guitar
I’ll take you walking to the stars
come Jef, come.
Come, we’ll go around the corner to the moon
we’ll go around the corner of the room
come Jef, come, come.
It doesn’t matter what they say
it doesn’t matter what the day’s like
Jef, come, come Jef, come.
It doesn’t matter what you think
come... please don’t be afraid Jef.
Jef, come Jef, come Jef
I’m your friend Jef
if a man has a friend he has something.
Come, come, I’ll play you Spain on my guitar
we’ll take you walking to the stars
come Jef, come.
Come, the world is wonderful and wide
and we can get a ladder, climb the other side
come Jef, come.
- from Seasons in the Sun - Rod McKuen Sings the McKuen
Brel Songbook |
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