AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

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Stephan
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AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Stephan »

Back home for many people. Let's hope the number of voters stays at that record 9. :D

Bracket 2.4.9
Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon
Jacques Brel - Vesoul

Bracket 2.4.10
Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie
Georges Brassens - La Marine

Bracket 2.4.11
Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois
Wim De Craene - Tim

Bracket 2.4.12
Edith Piaf - L'Accordéoniste
Boudewijn de Groot - Testament
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Miguel
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Miguel »

Bracket 2.4.9
Jacques Brel - Vesoul

Bracket 2.4.10
Georges Brassens - La Marine

Bracket 2.4.11
Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois

Bracket 2.4.12
Edith Piaf - L'Accordéoniste
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nicolas
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by nicolas »

My ballot is exactly the same as Miguel's

Bracket 2.4.9
Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon 5
Jacques Brel - Vesoul 5

Two great great songs. "Cherchez le garçon" is probably my favorite synth pop song ever (not that I love that genre but...), but "Vesoul" (all time #22, French song #6) is almost unbeatable with its hilarious lyrics, its lively beat and accordion.

Bracket 2.4.10
Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie 2
Georges Brassens - La Marine 5

Honorio and Henrik, I hope we'll still be friends after what I'm gonnay say :D : I can't stand Benjamin Biolay. It's something you cannot realize as non-French, but with his voice and accent he (and the characters on his songs) are the exact incarnation of the Parisian "bobo" (Bourgeois bohème, which means that generation of bourgeois who pretend to be not bourgeois by wearing cool clothes, living in cool neighborhoods, going to Morocco for their vacation and voting for the left but who are still cut from evryday French people without knowing it; you know what I'm talking about, each country has its bobos). I don't really like the words of that song. the voyeurism, the sadistic details of that love affair going bad. Almost obscene. It hurts me in a certain way and I can never finish that song. Biolay is a good musician but I really don't get the man and his voice. The bad bobo man (there are good bobos, you can't blame them just for having money, lol, nut some of them are really caricatural)
And it is playing against my 13th favorite song of all times, that wonderful poem by Paul Fort sung by my favorite French singer, Brassens.


Bracket 2.4.11
Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois 5
Wim De Craene - Tim 4
"Tim" is a very good song but the fun and social satire of "Les Bourgeois" is just superior. Brel was from a bourgeois family so he knew what he was singing about.


Bracket 2.4.12
Edith Piaf - L'Accordéoniste
Boudewijn de Groot - Testament
I love that 1955 version of "L'Accordéoniste". It's a live version (with just a piano and an accordion), and just like Brel, Piaf was a fantastic live singer. Great lyrics in that song too, the story of a prostitute falling in love with an accordion player who dies in the war. At the end of the song she goes to a bar and listens to another accordion player. The chorus is about the power of the music on her. But in the end the music is so painful to her that she screams "stop the music"! and the song ends.
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Honorio »

nicolas wrote:My ballot is exactly the same as Miguel's
And mine too!!


Bracket 2.4.9
Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon (France, 1980)
Jacques Brel - Vesoul (Belgium, 1968)
"Cherchez le garçon" is a god slice of early new romantic style, but the rawness on "Vesoul" is more than remarkable. Chaud, chaud!


Bracket 2.4.10
Benjamin Biolay et Jeanne Cherhal - Brandt rhapsodie (France, 2009)
Georges Brassens - La marine (France, 1953)
Oh, no!! This can't be true. To have to chose a song here it's like chosing between Henrik and Nicolas! Or like chosing between your son and your daughter. I can't do this, moreover when I LOVE BOTH SONGS.
As I said on Round 1, "Brandt rhapsodie" did not made a true impression on me at first glance but then I read the lyrics and found it absolutely brilliant (the life of a couple told by the messages at the fridge). Now it's a favourite of mine too. But I understand the nicolas' point about the bobos too even if us cannot notice it properly (nicolas, you're not the only one on it, the last comment from the users on the You Tube link was "la vie des bobos parisiens résumée en 5 minutes", "the life of Parisian bobos summarized in 5 minutes"). There are bobos also in Spain, I know quite a few in fact. But I still love the song, nicolas, and of course we can still be friends!!
So I was planning to pass on this one till I listened again to "La marine" and, I can't help it, I have to vote for Brassens. What the hell, that was Biolay against Brassens, not Franzon against Lejeune. I love you both, my dear friends!!!


Bracket 2.4.11
Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois (Belgium, 1962)
Wim De Craene - Tim (Belgium, 1975)
"Tim" is beautiful but the Brel song about the adoption of bourgeois ways that usually comes with age is so funny and clever...


Bracket 2.4.12
Édith Piaf - L'accordéoniste (France, 1940)
Boudewijn de Groot - Testament (Netherlands, 1966)
Many thanks nicolas for the telling us the story of the sad prostitute and the accordionist, it only makes me vote even more gladly for the great Édith Piaf. Arrêtez! Arrêtez la musique!
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Miguel
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Miguel »

Honorio wrote:
nicolas wrote:My ballot is exactly the same as Miguel's
And mine too!!
:obscene-drinkingcheers:
nicolas wrote:I can't stand Benjamin Biolay. It's something you cannot realize as non-French, but with his voice and accent he (and the characters on his songs) are the exact incarnation of the Parisian "bobo" (Bourgeois bohème, which means that generation of bourgeois who pretend to be not bourgeois by wearing cool clothes, living in cool neighborhoods, going to Morocco for their vacation and voting for the left but who are still cut from evryday French people without knowing it; you know what I'm talking about, each country has its bobos).
It may not be exactly the same, but I think that is what in Spain we call a "gafapasta".
nicolas wrote: I don't really like the words of that song. the voyeurism, the sadistic details of that love affair going bad. Almost obscene. It hurts me in a certain way and I can never finish that song. Biolay is a good musician but I really don't get the man and his voice. The bad bobo man (there are good bobos, you can't blame them just for having money, lol, nut some of them are really caricatural)
Although his work seems irregular, I quite like Biolay. His album Négatif is one of my favourites of the last decade. Anyway, if I had a deeper understanding of language, society and French culture, perhaps I would think the same as Nicolas ... To me something similar happens with the Spanish singer-songwriter Christina Rosenvinge.
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nicolas
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by nicolas »

I totally understand that you like Biolay. he's a very talented musician, composer and producer and I like what he does for other people ( like Henri Salvador on Chambre avec vue).
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Dan »

Bracket 2.4.9
Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon
Jacques Brel - Vesoul

Bracket 2.4.10
Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie
Georges Brassens - La Marine

The word "Bobo" makes me giggle - it's a funny word.

Don’t know why, but I never get annoyed at the persona of a performer when I listen to music. It doesn’t matter to me if I can’t relate to the performer’s attitude and opinions, even if the lyrics aim to offend me directly (I’ve tapped my feet and swayed my shoulders to many homophobic rap songs). I tend to see music and “real life” as two separate things, despite the fact that lyrics often imitate reality and can have a profound effect on people. For me, the actual music is waaaaaay more important than the lyrics or the people who perform it.

I like some of Bad Bobo Biolay’s music (especially his Négatif album) but here he’s up against the song that’s #85 on my all-time list.

Bracket 2.4.11
Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois
Wim De Craene - Tim

Bracket 2.4.12
Edith Piaf - L'Accordéoniste
Boudewijn de Groot - Testament

But sometimes the lyrics can be the best thing about a song, and I like the story about the prostitute and accordion player in the Edith Piaf song. She gets my vote, but it was much closer than I thought it would be. The Boudewijn de Groot song makes me miss my family home in South Africa. I grew up in a home where we spoke Afrikaans, which is derived from Dutch. De Groot clearly had a strong influence on Afrikaans music as his particular singer/songwriter style reminds me of Afrikaans music that was often played in the house. I think I need to check out more of his music.
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by jamieW »

My second week of voting—and another week that makes me thankful I found AM…

Bracket 2.4.9
Winner: Pass.
Unfortunately, I received one of those “not available in your country” messages from YouTube when I tried listening to “Cherchez le garcon.” I did find a very good live version of the song, and it’s the type of synth-driven new wave that I absolutely love. Meanwhile, the energy and delivery of Brel is another example of his genius. Because I always want to know the lyrics of his songs, I found a live version of “Vesoul” with English subtitles which was stunning. I have a feeling if I would’ve been able to hear the studio version of “Cherchez le garcon,” Brel would have won a close matchup; but I will have to pass, since I want to make sure I’m hearing the intended version of each song before I vote.

Bracket 2.4.10
Winner: Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie
I’m probably going to sound ignorant in my praise for “Brandt Rhapsodie,” since, without even knowing the lyrics, I have still loved it for months now. I was blown away by the song on first listening, and instantly placed it on my all-time songs list (where it will probably continue to ascend over time). I find the music and delivery mesmerizing, and there’s an intensity and urgency to the song that I haven’t felt in quite some time. I’ve always enjoyed listening to Brassens, and “La Marine” is a solid example of why; but I can’t deny the powerful effect “Brandt Rhapsodie” has on me personally. (Although I can certainly understand and respect the points Nicolas made.)

Bracket 2.4.11
Winner: Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois
This time I do get to vote for Brel. Wim De Craene reminded me of some of my favorite singer-songwriters from the 70s, and I thought “Tim” was very good. However, it was at a disadvantage because, after listening to the studio version, I again discovered a live version of “Les bourgeois” with English subtitles, and found Brel’s lyrics to be filled with his usual wit and irony. The first time I saw a video of him performing “Amsterdam,” I couldn’t believe his stage-presence and energy, and it’s on display here, as well. I thought at the time that every one of his live performances should be required viewing for music fans, and I’ve seen nothing in the years since to change my mind.

Bracket 2.4.12
Winner: Edith Piaf - L'Accordéoniste
I liked the classical melody of “Testament;” but to me, Edith Piaf is a performance artist similar to Jacques Brel. Thanks to Nicolas for describing the story behind the song, which helped me to appreciate it even more. However, without even knowing the story, I would’ve still chosen the great voice of Piaf.
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Poliuks »

Bracket 2.4.9
Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon
Jacques Brel - Vesoul
Last synth pop album I've listened to almost made me mad, so I expected Taxi Girl to be... well, maybe not something as bad as this piece of crap, but nothing enjoyable. It was rather a pleasant surprise, but still I liked Brel's song much better.

Bracket 2.4.10
Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie
Georges Brassens - La Marine
Pass. I have a feeling that knowledge of the lyrics would greatly improve my opinion on Brandt Rhapsodie. but considering only the music, even bracket.

Bracket 2.4.11
Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois
Wim De Craene - Tim
Brel propably focuses rather on lyrics here - this is not my favourite approach, especially in foreign language. Tim is, on the other hand, possibly the best song in this part of the game.

Bracket 2.4.12
Edith Piaf - L'Accordéoniste
Boudewijn de Groot - Testament
I expected L'Accordéoniste to impress me far more than, in fact, it did. My vote goes for another pretty Dutch song.
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Kingoftonga »

Bracket 2.4.9
Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon

Bracket 2.4.10
Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie

Bracket 2.4.11
Wim De Craene - Tim

Bracket 2.4.12
Boudewijn de Groot - Testament
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Henrik »

Bracket 2.4.10
Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie
Georges Brassens - La Marine

Nicolas, I listened to Brandt Rhapsodie again with your comments in mind, and the song still has amazing staying power to me. I said before that if I was a filmmaker I would want to make a film based on this song. And, while I understand the bobo issue, I think there is something more to your concern that I haven't understood, as it seems to me that with "the voyeurism, the sadistic details of that love affair going bad. Almost obscene. It hurts me in a certain way and I can never finish that song" you reject 90% of French film, which I don't think you would.


Bracket 2.4.9
Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon
Jacques Brel - Vesoul

Bracket 2.4.11
Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois
Wim De Craene - Tim

Two wins for Brel, even if these songs are not among my absolute favourites by him. But what an amazing performer!


Bracket 2.4.12
Edith Piaf - L'Accordéoniste
Boudewijn de Groot - Testament

Piaf is of course also an amazing performer, and here again I give my vote to the French although it's not a song among my absolute favourites.
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Michel »

Bracket 2.4.9
Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon

Perhaps my favorite french song. I loved it when I was 14 and I still love it 30 years after.

Bracket 2.4.10
Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie

Biolay's song is brilliant, it really moves me.

Bracket 2.4.11
Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois

Bracket 2.4.12
Edith Piaf - L'Accordéoniste
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nicolas
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by nicolas »

Henrik wrote:Bracket 2.4.10
you reject 90% of French film, which I don't think you would.
Well, take a look at my movie list and you won't find many French movies, especially about love affairs going bad :D (except Truffaut's Domicile conjugual, but it's not sadistic at all). Paris Texes my favorite movie is a story about a couple going bad, but it's full of poetry and told in an undirect way. Love that.

So Brassens has lost :(

But there's still Brel :D
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Henrik »

nicolas wrote:So Brassens has lost :(
Has he? I count to 4-4, so it looks like it's up to Stephan to decide.

It's been a while since I read the lyrics of Brandt Rhapsodie, but I don't remember any sadism, just the way it goes in many relationships, told from post-its. For me, it's an unhappy story, spiced up with the right dose of humor to move the listener even more. I love it when I don't know if I should laugh or cry, just as in my favorite film of all time btw. It seems like a good choice that we saw "Fucking Åmål" and "The Fawlty Towers" and not "Happiness" when you visited us!!! :D
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by nicolas »

hahaha yes
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Re: AM Foreign World Cup: Round 2 - Western Europe

Post by Stephan »

Sorry I'm late again guys, wasn't able to find time earlier. I'm going with Taxi Girl, Brassens, Brel, and of course Boudewijn.

Bracket 2.4.9
Taxi Girl - Cherchez le garçon - 3
Jacques Brel - Vesoul - 6

Bracket 2.4.10
Benjamin Biolay - Brandt Rhapsodie - 4
Georges Brassens - La Marine - 5

Bracket 2.4.11
Jacques Brel - Les bourgeois - 8
Wim De Craene - Tim - 2

Bracket 2.4.12
Edith Piaf - L'Accordéoniste - 7
Boudewijn de Groot - Testament - 3

Edit: I'm glad I didn't read the post that bracket 2.4.10 was up to me before posting! What a difficult choice, both great songs.
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