Ne Me Quitte Pas

Had he lived, that marvellous master of the Gallic chanson Jacques Brel would have been eighty years old today.

In fact one of those enigmatic "famous Belgians", Jacques became naturalised in Paris in the 1950s after his melancholic talents had been eagerly promoted by Maurice Chevalier and Michel Legrand. He became a sensation in France, and his darkly ironic and melodramatic tales of low-lifes and misfits were as highly regarded as anything that Brecht and Weill or Edith Piaf had produced.

He went on to work in French theatre, translating the hit Man of La Mancha for the local audience, and directing and acting in several major plays. He was diagnosed with lung cancer while on a planned round-the-world sailing adventure and died at the age of just 49 in 1978, leaving a huge legacy of classic music to the world.

An unmistakable talent, his sublime influence has inspired many of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time such as David Bowie, Scott Walker, Judy Collins and of course Marc Almond, and it is mainly through the English versions of his beautiful songs that we remember him to this day.

A remarkable talent. Here's the man himself:

Jacques Brel - Ces Gens La

...here's the best English version of his classic Ne Me Quitte Pas sung by the glorious Dusty Springfield:

Dusty Springfield - If You Go Away

And it seems it is not only musical artists upon whom Brel leaves a lasting legacy... Alistair Campbell on Jacques Brel