A NON-CLASSICAL MUSICAL OBSESSION

posted by James Reel

At another blog, I stumbled upon a video of Jacques Brel singing his terrific song “Ne me quitte pas.” As you’d expect, Brel superbly brings out many of the song’s dark elements—but there’s a version by someone else I’ve always liked even more. First, get the song from the composer’s mouth (and seeing his face is tremendously important here):

If you can believe it, there’s an even more devastating version by Frida Boccara from 1970; by the end of the song, she sounds like she’s a candidate for the Suicide Hotline. This clip doesn’t show Frida singing; it’s just a montage of stills. But listen to her intense, disturbing performance: