I’ve been looking at some French songs on youtube and seeing some lame English versions but remembering some songs that were famous in their English versions but originally French.
eg.
I Will Follow Him
Seasons in the Sun
anyone know anymore or discuss or something
My older daughter had confiscated my cd of “Jaques Brel is Alive and Well” to copy over to her mp3 gadget.
(Seasons in the Sun is a maudlin, glurgy song regardless of the language.)
Scott Walker did lots of Jacques Brel’s songs in English.
Scott Walker - My Death
These versions aren’t bad but some of Brel’s songs have never been translated adequately in my opinion. Quand on n’a que l’amour’s english versions suck.
Ne Me Quitte Pas, another Brel song, had an English version with much less moving lyrics called If You Go Away.
Michel Legrand’s song from Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (not sure of the French title, possibly the same as the film?) has an English version called I Will Wait For You.
I don’t think that an English translation of Alouette would go over very well, except among the Dexter and Hannibal Lecter types.
Of course, you also have the reverse :
Penny Lane,
Doo Wah Diddy or even Les portes du pénitencier (House of the Rising Sun)
Jacque Prevert’s Les Feuilles mortes did rather well as an English translation sung by Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, among others: “Autumn Leaves”
Vikki Carr’s “It Must Be Him” was originally the French song “Seul Sur Son Etoile”
“I Wish You Love”
Written by Léo Chauliac, with French lyrics under the title “Que reste-t-il de nos amours?” by Charles Trenet.
“She” by Elvis Costello, off the "Notting Hill soundtrack, is based on a French song. I think it was originally performed by Charles Aznavour.
I’m sure there’s a few by Celine Dion that are better known in English but have French versions. I have English and French versions of If That’s What it Takes, I don’t know and Fly. I’m fairly sure the French versions came out first, but not certain.
'Tis the season, I believe my favorite carol is “O Holy Night” which was a french writer and a different french composer.
That wasn’t worded correctly. “O Holy Night” is my favorite carol and it has French origins.
The Canadian national anthem.
As indicated in Wikipedia, the anthem has its roots firmly in Quebec, with the English lyrics not appearing until some decades has passed. Also as noted in Wikipedia, the French and English lyrics are vastly different, the English being far less expressively and expansively poetical French lyrics.
The popular Anthrax song “Antisocial” was originally recorded by the French band Trust.