The first is by a naughty boy in Russia, an earthy chap with huge cred across the country and yet controversial, ochen narodni or a man of the people. In this song, his woman has left him again - byez teb-ye i dom poo-stoy [without you and the house is empty] and he can't handle it. I imagine near the end, she'll reappear in the doorway and make as if nothing happened.
Was going to post the lyrics but noticed he's changed them in the version above - here's the intro and chorus:
Гарью, дымом да быльем
Все судьба куражится
Или вьюга бьется в дом
Или только кажется
Без тебя и дом пустой
Без тебя мне мается
Дроля мой, ах Дроля мой
Где же ты шатаешься?
Дроля мой, ах Дроля мой
Где же ты шатаешься?
The earthy style suits him to a tee and when he turns his hand to a fairly soft French ditty, he imparts an edge to it, a sense of pathos that no other version has - also, the accordion is an instrument well suited to both France and Russia as we know - sense of earthy hopelessness:
Similar mood in that song, English translation here.
Tombe la neige
Tu ne viendras pas ce soir
Tombe la neige
Et mon cœur s'habille de noir
Ce soyeux cortège
Tout en larmes blanches
L'oiseau sur la branche
Pleure le sortilège
Tu ne viendras pas ce soir
Me crie mon désespoir
Mais tombe la neige
Impassible manège
In this next song, a German French band try their hand at the French cafe song, again with that Piaf sense of loss and pathos - quite a bizarre cultural jump really:
The last is by one of France's national treasures, definitely not earthy but he is southern [for those who know their French geography and accents. From the audience reaction, you can gauge his place in the French cultural memory:
Pas besoin de faire de trop longs discours
Ça change tout dedans, ça change tout autour
Pourvu que jamais tu ne t'éloignes
Plus loin qu'un jet de sarbacane
J'ai presque plus ma tête à moi
Depuis toi
Alors te voilà bout de femme
Comme soufflée d'une sarbacane
Le ciel s'est ouvert par endroits
Depuis toi
Oh depuis toi
That song is directly related to a young lady I had dealings with at the time and the interesting phenomenon of French village life. Depuis toi ... oui.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSppKNXzgYY
ReplyDeleteMelanie Jane, won't feel the pain.
DeleteLonely, lonely, lonely eyes, lonely eyes,
lonely lonely in your place.
And I thought that I knew all that there was to
Lonely, lonely, lonely eyes, lonely eyes,
lonely lonely in your place, and
I still love you, I still love you,
lonely, lonely
The last one.
ReplyDeleteI'm aurally (but lately not visually) familiar with Francis Cabrel.
Any chance they may be related?
Not 100% sure I follow here, Torquaymada. You were previously able to see code embedded which I put in myself but not the smaller type of window window which is the Blogger autoload. Has that altered? Are you getting any vision at all? Sounds like your video card is shot.
DeleteLOL! No...I meant in real life.I can see and hear everything. It is, in fact, the one and only Francis Cabrel. I used to have a few of his early albums from late 70s early 80s. Good stuff. A little less rock and roll in those days I seem to remember.
DeleteJe comprends! Alors!
DeleteListening to Somber’s Tom Waits … Mr. Gravel.