Que reste-t-il de nos amours?
(What Remains of our Loves?)
(What Remains of our Loves?)
Charles Trenet ("Le Fou Chantant")
Charles Trenet wrote the lyrics for this song with music he composed with his piano accompanist Léo Chauliac. Lucienne Boyer first recorded it in 1942 at Columbia Records and Trenet followed shortly in 1943 with his own recording for Columbia. The English adaptation (“I Wish You Love”) by Albert Beach (1925-1997) had its first recording much later in the US in 1957 by Keely Smith. Side-by-side lyrics by Trenet, English translation, and Beach are available here. The many differences between the French and English versions are described below.
Songs represent artistic expressions that carry layers of meaning conveyed by the music, lyrics, tempo, style and orchestration as well as the cultural baggage and experiences that listeners bring to the equation. On this website, one occasionally encounters song “adaptations” that significantly change meaning with entirely new lyrics in another language and other adjustments. Many French “chansons” have evolved into global jazz standards because of stylistic affinity. This is one of them.
We have not addressed the ways in which different interpreters who “cover” the same song in the same language can impact its presentation. They may do this for various reasons and in different ways. They may sing only part of a song, or change the tempo, style or orchestration. “Que reste-t-il…” is a song that some interpreters choose to abbreviate by recording only a segment. In this case, they commonly drop the verses and include only the chorus/refrain. The song’s structure invites such a solution since it has an unusually long and attractive refrain. Sacha Distel’s version, for example, excludes both verses. It begins with the chorus followed by an instrumental interlude and concludes with the reprise of the chorus’s picturesque final stanza invoking “Un petit village, un vieux clocher…” Such modifications mark the evolution of songs as living things that respond to commerce, esthetics, cultural values and experiences.
Over the years, “Que reste-t-il…” became a “chanson”/jazz standard with many subsequent covers in both languages. François Truffaut borrowed words from the song for the title of his 1968 movie “Baisers volés” (“Stolen Kisses”) and featured the song extensively in the film.
Songs represent artistic expressions that carry layers of meaning conveyed by the music, lyrics, tempo, style and orchestration as well as the cultural baggage and experiences that listeners bring to the equation. On this website, one occasionally encounters song “adaptations” that significantly change meaning with entirely new lyrics in another language and other adjustments. Many French “chansons” have evolved into global jazz standards because of stylistic affinity. This is one of them.
We have not addressed the ways in which different interpreters who “cover” the same song in the same language can impact its presentation. They may do this for various reasons and in different ways. They may sing only part of a song, or change the tempo, style or orchestration. “Que reste-t-il…” is a song that some interpreters choose to abbreviate by recording only a segment. In this case, they commonly drop the verses and include only the chorus/refrain. The song’s structure invites such a solution since it has an unusually long and attractive refrain. Sacha Distel’s version, for example, excludes both verses. It begins with the chorus followed by an instrumental interlude and concludes with the reprise of the chorus’s picturesque final stanza invoking “Un petit village, un vieux clocher…” Such modifications mark the evolution of songs as living things that respond to commerce, esthetics, cultural values and experiences.
Over the years, “Que reste-t-il…” became a “chanson”/jazz standard with many subsequent covers in both languages. François Truffaut borrowed words from the song for the title of his 1968 movie “Baisers volés” (“Stolen Kisses”) and featured the song extensively in the film.
"Petit village...vieux clocher"
Trenet’s lyrics are nostalgic with wistful affection for “les jours lointains” and somewhat melancholic (deeply sad) as expressed by the title/refrain’s rhetorical question: “what remains of our loves?” The song expresses sadness for the transiency of former days that leave few tangible traces like old photos and love letters but otherwise only faded memories of happiness, windswept hair, and stolen kisses.
Like Trenet’s “La mer,” the song has a lovely melody and the lyrics are lavish with evocative symbols that provide visual touchstones like a creaking house and country village with an old clocktower. The song’s sentimental echoes resonate with later pieces by Charles Aznavour (La Bohème,1965) and Léo Ferré (Avec Le Temps, 1972).
Trenet’s narrator does not appear to address anyone in particular, but speaks generally with impersonal collective pronouns “on” (“one/we”) and “nos” (“our”) that carry a universal connotation. It is as though he is rummaging alone in a house filled with mementos and memories of long-gone loves. This non-specific identity of the addressee is confirmed by the plural form of the imperative statement “dites-le-moi.”
Trenet’s song has 10 stanzas arranged simply as V/C/V/C. Each 1-stanza Verse has 6 lines and each Chorus has 4 stanzas with 4 lines each. The 2 identical choruses begin with the two melodic lines that give the song its name: Que reste-t-il de nos amours? Que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours? The 2 verses have a rhyming scheme of AABCCB. The chorus rhyming scheme with 16 lines is more complicated. There are internal rhymes as well as end-of-line rhymes and sometimes both.
Like Trenet’s “La mer,” the song has a lovely melody and the lyrics are lavish with evocative symbols that provide visual touchstones like a creaking house and country village with an old clocktower. The song’s sentimental echoes resonate with later pieces by Charles Aznavour (La Bohème,1965) and Léo Ferré (Avec Le Temps, 1972).
Trenet’s narrator does not appear to address anyone in particular, but speaks generally with impersonal collective pronouns “on” (“one/we”) and “nos” (“our”) that carry a universal connotation. It is as though he is rummaging alone in a house filled with mementos and memories of long-gone loves. This non-specific identity of the addressee is confirmed by the plural form of the imperative statement “dites-le-moi.”
Trenet’s song has 10 stanzas arranged simply as V/C/V/C. Each 1-stanza Verse has 6 lines and each Chorus has 4 stanzas with 4 lines each. The 2 identical choruses begin with the two melodic lines that give the song its name: Que reste-t-il de nos amours? Que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours? The 2 verses have a rhyming scheme of AABCCB. The chorus rhyming scheme with 16 lines is more complicated. There are internal rhymes as well as end-of-line rhymes and sometimes both.
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Ce soir le vent qui frappe á ma porte Me parle des amours mortes Devant le feu qui s' éteint. Ce soir c'est une chanson d' automne Dans la maison qui frissonne Et je pense aux jours lointains. Que reste-t-il de nos amours? Que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours? Une photo, vieille photo De ma jeunesse. Que reste-t-il des billets doux Des mois d'avril, des rendez-vous Un souvenir qui me poursuit Sans cesse. Bonheur fané, cheveux au vent Baisers volés, rêves mouvants Que reste-t-il de tout cela? Dites-le-moi. Un petit village, un vieux clocher Un paysage si bien caché Et dans un nuage le cher visage De mon passé. Les mots, les mots tendres qu'on murmure Les caresses les plus pures Les serments au fond des bois Les fleurs qu'on retrouve dans un livre Dont le parfum vous enivre Se sont envolés pourquoi? Que reste-t-il de nos amours? Que reste-t-il de ces beaux jours? Une photo, vieille photo De ma jeunesse. Que reste-t-il des billets doux, Des mois d' avril, des rendez-vous Un souvenir qui me poursuit Sans cesse Bonheur fané, cheveux au vent, Baisers volés, rêves mouvants. Que reste-t-il de tout cela ? Dites-le-moi. Un petit village, un vieux clocher, Un paysage si bien caché, Et dans un nuage le cher visage De mon passé. |
Tonight the wind that knocks at my door Speaks to me of past loves Before the waning fire. Tonight it’s an Autumn song In the shivering house And I recall days gone by. What remains of our loves? What remains of these beautiful days? A photo, old photo Of my youth. What remains of the love letters Of April months, of meetings A memory that pursues me Ceaselessly. Faded happiness, hair in the wind Stolen kisses, moving dreams What remains of all that? Tell me. A small village, an old bell tower A well-hidden countryside And in a cloud the cherished image Of my past. The words, the tender words one murmurs The purest caresses The vows made deep in the woods The flowers one recovers in a book With their intoxicating perfume Why have they flown away? What remains of our loves? What remains of these beautiful days? A photo, old photo Of my youth. What remains of the love letters, Of April months, of meetings A memory that follows me Ceaselessly. Faded happiness, hair in the wind Stolen kisses, moving dreams What remains of all that? Tell me. A small village, an old bell tower A well-hidden countryside And in a cloud the cherished image Of my past. |
NB:
des amours mortes: for reasons that are not entirely clear, the masculine noun “amour” becomes feminine when it is plural.
des amours mortes: for reasons that are not entirely clear, the masculine noun “amour” becomes feminine when it is plural.
I Wish You Love
Keely Smith
Albert Askew Beach (1924-1997, aka Lee Wilson) wrote English language lyrics for the adaptation of Trenet’s song and gave it a new title “I Wish You Love.” Fifteen years after Lucienne Boyer’s rendition of Trenet’s song in 1942, Keely Smith (née Dorothy Jacqueline Keely) (1928-2017) made the first English language recording in 1957 of Beach’s version. It was the lead song on her debut album at Capitol Records. Smith earned a Grammy nomination that year for Best Vocal Performance. It became her signature song, arranged and conducted by the famous American arranger Nelson Riddle. Smith was a popular American singer of Irish and Cherokee heritage who was wife and duet partner of bandleader Louis Prima. Together, they won a Grammy in 1958 for their cover of “That Old Black Magic.” Subsequent covers of “I Wish You Love” were made by Bing Crosby, Franck Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Gloria Lynn, Dean Martin, Paul Anka, and others.
The Introduction to Beach’s version opens on an unexpected note that sets the tone for the rest of the song: “Goodbye, no use leading with our chins.” Beach construes a situation of matter-of-fact separation between the narrator and the addressee, with little sadness and mainly good feelings and wishes for a happy life. One wonders what kind of relationship these people actually had. It amounts to a happy-go-lucky song of farewell compared to Trenet’s nostalgic reminiscence. The time orientation is future, with no reference to past experiences or memories. The other party is addressed directly as “you.”
Except for the first line in Verse 1 (“I wish you bluebirds in the spring”), Beach’s adaptation is linguistically spare when compared with Trenet’s lyric, managing only a few references to “shelter from the storm,” “cozy fire,” and “snowflakes.” It sinks to a low with the line “a lemonade…in a leafy glade.”
Beach’s version has an Introduction plus 6 stanzas, of which two are repeats. The structure of the song is Intro/V/V/Bridge/Chorus followed by another Bridge/Chorus. The title line “I wish you love” repeats 4 times, and a variation (“I set you free”) another 2 times at the end of each stanza. He uses both internal and end rhymes. All of his stanzas begin with AA end-rhymes for the first two lines, and then both internal and end-rhymes in the third line followed by the title line or its variation.
The Introduction to Beach’s version opens on an unexpected note that sets the tone for the rest of the song: “Goodbye, no use leading with our chins.” Beach construes a situation of matter-of-fact separation between the narrator and the addressee, with little sadness and mainly good feelings and wishes for a happy life. One wonders what kind of relationship these people actually had. It amounts to a happy-go-lucky song of farewell compared to Trenet’s nostalgic reminiscence. The time orientation is future, with no reference to past experiences or memories. The other party is addressed directly as “you.”
Except for the first line in Verse 1 (“I wish you bluebirds in the spring”), Beach’s adaptation is linguistically spare when compared with Trenet’s lyric, managing only a few references to “shelter from the storm,” “cozy fire,” and “snowflakes.” It sinks to a low with the line “a lemonade…in a leafy glade.”
Beach’s version has an Introduction plus 6 stanzas, of which two are repeats. The structure of the song is Intro/V/V/Bridge/Chorus followed by another Bridge/Chorus. The title line “I wish you love” repeats 4 times, and a variation (“I set you free”) another 2 times at the end of each stanza. He uses both internal and end rhymes. All of his stanzas begin with AA end-rhymes for the first two lines, and then both internal and end-rhymes in the third line followed by the title line or its variation.
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Intro Goodbye, no use leading with our chins, This is where our story ends Never lovers ever friends Goodbye, let our hearts call it a day, But before you walk away I sincerely want to say Verse 1 I wish you bluebirds in the spring To give your heart a song to sing And then a kiss, but more than this I wish you love Verse 2 And in July a lemonade To cool you in some leafy glade I wish you health, and more than wealth I wish you love |
Bridge My breaking heart and I agree That you and I could never be So, with my best, my very best I set you free Chorus 1 I wish you shelter from the storm A cozy fire to keep you warm But most of all, when snowflakes fall I wish you love Instrumental Interlude Chorus 2 I wish you shelter from the storm A cozy fire to keep you warm But most of all, when snowflakes fall But most of all, when snowflakes fall I wish you love, love, love |
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