Georges Brassens (French IPA: [bʀa'sɛ̃s]) (October 22, 1921 - October 29, 1981) was a French acoustic singer and songwriter. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words see here. ... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ercole de Roberti: Concert, c. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ...

Georges Brassens was born in Sète, in southern France, thirty six kilometres south of Montpellier. Now an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his simple, elegant songs and articulate, diverse lyrics; indeed, he is considered one of France's best postwar poets, and won the national poetry prize. He also set to music poems by many well-known and relatively obscure poets, including Louis Aragon (Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux), Victor Hugo, Jean Richepin, François Villon, Guillaume Apollinaire and others. Sète. ... Montpellier (Occitan Montpelhièr) is a city in the south of France. ... Louis Aragon (October 3, 1897 - December 24, 1982), French historian, poet and novelist. ... Victor-Marie Hugo (pronounced in French) (26 February 1802 — May 1885) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, essayist, visual artist, statesman and human rights campaigner, perhaps the most influential exponent of the Romantic movement in France. ... Jean Richepin (February 4, 1849 - December 12, 1926), French poet, novelist and dramatist, the son of an army doctor, was born at Medea (Algeria). ... François Villon (ca. ... Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (August 26, 1880 – November 9, 1918) was a poet, writer, and art critic. ...

During World War II, he was forced to work at a labour camp by the Germans at an aircraft engine plant of BMW in the Service du Travail Obligatoire, (STO, enforced labour), in Basdorf near Berlin in Germany (march 1943). There were many other celebrities, and celebrities to be, at the camp.^{[citation needed]} Here Brassens met some of his future friends, such as Pierre Onteniente, whom he called Gibraltar because the latter was "steady as a rock." They would become the closest of friends. Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000,000 Civilian dead: 4,000,000 Total dead 12,000,000 World War II (abbreviated WWII), or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict... A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are engaged in forced labor. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ...

After being given ten days' leave in France, he decided not to go back to the labour camp. Brassens took refuge in a little slum called "Impasse Florimont" where he lived for several years with the owner of the place, Jeanne Planche, a friend of his aunt. Jeanne lived with her husband Marcel in a dead end street without gas, running water or electricity. He remained hidden there until the end of the war five months later, but ended up staying for 22 years. Planche was the inspiration for Brassens's song La Jeanne.

The beginning of his career

His friends who heard and liked songs urged him to go and try them out in a cabaret, café or concert hall. He was modest and had difficulty performing in front of people. The owner of a cafe told him that his songs were not the type he was looking for. But at one point he met the singer Patachou in a very well-known cafe, Les Trois Baudets, and she brought him into the music scene. Several famous singers came into the music industry this way, including Jacques Brel and Léo Férré. Brel on a cover of Les Adieux à lOlympia concert album (1966) Jacques Brel (April 8, 1929 – October 9, 1978) was a respected Belgian French-speaking singer-songwriter, considered by many as a poet as well, given the power of his lyrics. ... Léo Ferré (August 24, 1916 - July 14, 1993) was a poet and a musician. ...

Songs

He rarely performed outside his own country, and his lyrics are difficult to translate, though attempts have been made. He began his career in the 1950s. He performed with an acoustic guitar; most of the time, his only accompanying musician was his friend Pierre Nicolas with a double bass, and sometimes a second guitar (Barthélémy Rosso, Joël Favreau).
Some of his most famous songs: // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Parts of the guitar. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ...

• Les copains d'abord, about a boat of that name, and friendship, written for a movie Les copains (1964) directed by Yves Robert;
• Chanson pour l'Auvergnat, lauding those who take care of the downtrodden against the pettiness of the bourgeois and the harshness of law enforcement;
• La cane de Jeanne for Marcel and Jeanne Planche, who befriended and sheltered him; and others
• La mauvaise réputation - "the bad reputation", semi-autobiography;
• Les amoureux des bancs publics - about young lovers who kiss each other publicly and shock self-righteous people;
• Le gorille – tells, in a humorous fashion, of a gorilla with a large penis (and admired for this by ladies) who escapes and, mistaking a robed judge for a woman, forcefully sodomizes him; the song contrasts the wooden attitude that the judge had when sentencing a man to death by the guillotine, with his cries of mercy when being assaulted by the gorilla; this song, considered pornographic, was banned for a while; the song's refrain (Gare au gori – i – i – i – ille, "beware the gorilla") is widely known; (translated by Jake Thackray as Brother Gorilla and Greek songwriter and singer Xristos Thivaios as Ο Γορίλας (The Gorilla)).
• Supplique pour être enterré à la plage de Sète, describing his wish to be buried by the Gulf of Lion in his hometown.
• Mourir pour des idées, describing the recurring violence over ideas and an exhortation to be left in peace

Brassens died of cancer in 1981, in Saint-Gély-du-Fesc, having suffered health problems for many years, and rests at the Cimetière le Py in Sète. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Yves Robert (June 21, 1920 – May 10, 2002) was a French actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. ... Auvergne coat of arms Auvergne (Occitan: Auvèrnha) was the name of an historically independent county in the center of France, as well as later a province of France. ... Bourgeois at the end of the thirteenth century. ... Type species Troglodytes gorilla Savage, 1847 distribution of Gorilla Species Gorilla gorilla Gorilla beringei The gorilla, the largest of the living primates, is a ground-dwelling omnivore that inhabits the forests of Africa. ... The penis (plural penises, penes) is an external male sexual organ. ... An American judge talks to a lawyer. ... Roman men having anal sex. ... The Maiden, an older Scottish design. ... Pornography (from Greek πορνογραφια pornographia — literally writing about or drawings of harlots) is the representation of the human body or human sexual behaviour with the goal of sexual arousal, similar to, but (according to some) distinct from, erotica. ... Censorship is the removal of information from the public, or the prevention of circulation of information, where it is desired or felt best by some controlling group or body that others are not allowed to access the information which is being censored. ... A refrain (from the Old French refraindre to repeat, likely from Vulgar Latin refringere) is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the chorus of a song. ... John Philip Jake Thackray (22 February 1938 – 24 December 2002), was an English poet and singer-songwriter from Leeds, Yorkshire. ... Sète. ... The Golfe du Lion (Gulf of Lion) is a wide embayment of the Mediterranean coastline of Languedoc-Roussillon, reaching from the border with Catalonia in the west to Toulon. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ...

Nowadays

He never suspected that one day he'd have an international renown. His idol, Paul Misraki, a singer who sang everywhere, never became famous among the general public. Now more than 50 doctoral dissertations have been written about Georges Brassens, and many artists from Japan, Russia, United States (where there is a Georges Brassens' fan club), Italy and Spain make cover versions of his songs. His songs have been translated into 20 languages, including Esperanto. Look up Esperanto in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Many singers have covered Georges Brassens' lyrics in other languages, for instance Fabrizio De André (in Italian), Graeme Allwright and Jake Thackray (in English), Sam Alpha (in creole), Yossi Banai (in Hebrew), Jiří Dědeček (in Czech), Mark Freidkin (in Russian), Paco Ibañez and Javier Krahe (in Spanish), Jacques Ivart (in esperanto), Franz Josef Degenhardt and Ralf Tauchmann (in German) and Zespół Reprezentacyjny and Piotr Machalica (in Polish). Nowadays, there is an international association of Georges Brassens fans. There is also a fan club in Berlin-Basdorf which organizes a Brassens festival every year in September. Fabrizio De André Fabrizio de André (February 18, 1940 - January 11, 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter. ... John Philip Jake Thackray (22 February 1938 – 24 December 2002), was an English poet and singer-songwriter from Leeds, Yorkshire. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... On the islands under French influence like Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. ... Album cover for Slow Yossi Banai (circa 1932 – May 11, 2006) was an Israeli performer, singer and dramatist. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... Look up Esperanto in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Franz-Josef Degenhardt (born December 3, 1931 in Schwelm, Westphalia) is a German poet, satirist, novelist, and -- first and foremost -- folksinger/songwriter with decidedly left-wing politics. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ...

Brassens composed about 250 songs, but only 200 were recorded. The other 50 were unfinished.

Renée Claude, an important Québecois singer, dedicates a tribute-album to him, J'ai rendez-vous avec vous (1993). In Canadian English, a Québécois (IPA: ) is a native or resident of the province of Quebec, Canada, although the term is used most usually to indicate those from the francophone population. ...

His songs have a major influence on younger French singers (Maxime Le Forestier, Renaud Séchan, Bénabar...) Maxime Le Forestier (born February 10, 1949) is a French singer. ... Renaud Séchan, known as Renaud, (born in Paris on May 11, 1952) is a popular French singer. ... Bénabar (Bruno Nicolini, b. ...

Heritage sites

Georges Brassens (plaque in Paris)

A lot of schools, theatres, parks, public gardens, and public places are dedicated to Georges Brassens and his work, and are named after him, for instance: Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 606 KB) Georges Brassens, plaque commémorative, impasse Florimont, Paris (XIVe ardt), France / Georges Brassens, commemorative tablet, Paris (14th district), France - Date: 19-06-2005 - Auteur/Author : Airair File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 606 KB) Georges Brassens, plaque commémorative, impasse Florimont, Paris (XIVe ardt), France / Georges Brassens, commemorative tablet, Paris (14th district), France - Date: 19-06-2005 - Auteur/Author : Airair File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this...

• A park built on the site of the former Vaugirard slaughterhouses, was named parc Georges Brassens. Brassens lived a large part of his life about hundred metres from the slaughterhouses, at 9 impasse Florimont and then at 42 rue Santos Dumont.

• The Place du Marché of Brive-la-Gaillarde was renamed Place Georges Brassens, as a tribute to women that had had a clash here with the French gendarmerie, a clash he evoked in one of his songs, Hécatombe.

• In the Paris subway station Porte des Lilas (line 11) there is a mural portrait of Brassens along with a quote from his song "La Porte des Lilas", written for the 1957 film "Porte des Lilas" by René Clair. In this film, Brassens had a supporting role, practically playing himself.

Brive-la-Gaillarde (Limousin dialect of Occitan language: Briva la Galharda) is a commune of France. ... A gendarmerie (pronounced ) is a military body charged with police duties among civilian populations. ... René Clair (November 11, 1898 – March 15, 1981) was a French filmmaker. ...

External links

• Georges Brassens at the Internet Movie Database
• (French) http://www.georges-brassens.com/
• (French) http://georgesbrassens.artistes.universalmusic.fr/
• (French) http://www.aupresdesonarbre.com/
• (French) http://www.analysebrassens.com/
• (French) http://www.georgesbrassens.new.fr/
• Georges Brassens Words to 40 of his best known songs
• Le parapluie, Le fossoyeur and other songs by a french composer, listenable on-line.