Jacques Brel

Belgian singer (1929–1978)

AI overview

Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer and songwriter from 1929 to 1978 who became famous for his emotionally intense songs, many of which explored themes of love, loss, and human experience. His distinctive style and poetic lyrics made him an influential figure in European popular music and helped establish the chanson as a serious art form.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 1929
Died: 1978
Works: 24

Top works

Jacques Brel
Plus Grandes Chansons de Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel
ʻErev shire Zaḳ Brel
Jacques Brel, poète

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type: Person
Gender: Male
Origin: Belgium
Active from: 1929-04-08
Active to: 1978-10-09

belgianchansonchanson françaisechanson à texteeuropeanfrench

Discography

Official site Discogs Stream

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners: 511,286
Total plays: 11,264,241

Recent publications · Crossref

5 total works indexed

Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries
· 2021 · cited 77,736x
Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries
· 2018 · cited 53,538x
Global cancer statistics
· 2011 · cited 23,165x
Cancer incidence and mortality worldwide: Sources, methods and major patterns in GLOBOCAN 2012
· 2014 · cited 21,543x
Global cancer statistics, 2012
· 2015 · cited 18,591x

via Crossref · CC0

Quotes

“Adieu, Francoise, my trusted wife; Without you I'd have had a lonely life. You cheated lots of times but then, I forgave you in the end Though your lover was my friend.Adieu, Francoise, it's hard to die When all the birds are singing in the sky. Now that spring is in the air With your lovers ev'rywhere, Just be careful; I'll be there.”
“If we only have love Then tomorrow will dawn And the days of our years Will rise on that morn.”
“If we only have love We can reach those in pain We can heal all our wounds We can use our own names.”
“If we only have love We can melt all the guns And then give the new world To our daughters and sons.If we only have love Then Jerusalem stands And then death has no shadow There are no foreign lands.”
“If we only have love We will never bow down We'll be tall as the pines Neither heroes nor clowns. If we only have love Then we'll only be men And we'll drink from the Grail To be born once again; Then with nothing at all But the little we are We'll have conquered all time All space, the sun, and the stars!”

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Official website

Fondation Brel à Bruxelles | Le site dédié à Jacques Brel

fondationbrel.be →

Link to the official site · 10,779 chars · not written by Vinony

Wikidata facts

Official website: fondationbrel.be
Image: Jacques Brel (1962).jpg

Show 10 more facts

Commons gallery: Jacques Brel
Commons category: Jacques Brel
date of birth: 1929-04-08
birth name: Jacques Romain Georges Brel
name in native language: Jacques Brel
date of death: 1978-10-09
start of work period: 1953-00-00
end of work period: 1978-00-00
P12674: McGehee
P12749: Douilly

Sources (9)

via Wikidata · CC0

Works in European collections

1 object attributed to Jacques Brel, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

Jacques Brel still lives, 1982 Jacques Brel still lives, Jacques Brel is Jacques and well and Jacques in Paris

~40 min read

Article

Jacques Romain Georges Brel ( French: [ʒɑk ʁɔmɛ̃ ʒɔʁʒ bʁɛl] ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world. He is considered a master of the modern chanson.

Although he recorded most of his songs in French and occasionally in Dutch, he became an influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers, such as Scott Walker, David Bowie, Brett Anderson, Alex Harvey, Marc Almond, Neil Hannon, and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many performers, including Bowie, Walker, Anderson, Ray Charles, Judy Collins, John Denver, The Kingston Trio, Nina Simone, Shirley Bassey, James Dean Bradfield, Frank Sinatra, and Andy Williams.