Jacques Brel

Mathilde
1964, written by J. Brel, G. Jouannest

Ma mère arrête tes prières
Ton Jacques retourne en enfer
Mathilde m'est revenue

Mother, stop your prayers
Your Jacques returns to the fires of hell
Mathilde came back to me



Jacques Brel was a belgian composer/chansonier who lived between 1929 and 1978. Hated as well as loved by many, he gave the word intense a new meaning with his stage performances. It is rumored that during a one-hour performance Brel lost almost one kilo of body weight because of excessive sweating. His lyrics were poetic, but their subjects often were far from romantic. He sung about the old, the drunk, the cheating and the hypocrits. His "Ne me quitte pas" counts amongst the legendary love songs and his work has been translated and performed by many artists, such as David Bowie and Frank Sinatra.

Though I consider Ne me quitte pas one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful love songs ever made, I chose Mathilde because of its intensity and its story. His lost lover is returning to him, and she is no good. He bids his mother farewell, almost begging those around him to please stop him, as he knows he is heading for complete heartbreak. He reminds himself to stay calm, his hands to stop shaking and that she is only a whore, but in the end his longing wins. And he heads off for destruction, screaming at the skies once more in anger.