This post introduces songs interpreted by the American singer Eva Cassidy and the French singer Hélène Ségara. Both songs feature the same melody composed by Americans Eve Nelson with Diane Scanlon. The English lyrics are written by Diane Scanlon while Patrick Loiseau wrote different French lyrics under a different title for his adaptation. The English version interpreted by Eva Cassidy appeared in 1997 and the French version by Hélène Ségara in 2011. Most song "adaptations" featured on this website are from French into English, but this one is from English to French. Franco-American collaboration is a two-way street.
I Know You by Heart
The American song “I Know You by Heart” was written by Eve Nelson (music) and Diane Scanlon (lyrics). It became the opening track on Eva Cassidy’s first solo album “Eva by Heart” that was released in 1997, one year after her premature death by cancer. Cassidy was an extraordinary American singer known for her hybrid-blend interpretations of jazz, blues, folk and pop styles. She died of melanoma at age 33, virtually unknown until posthumous releases brought a groundswell of international success.
The posthumous release in 1997 of Eva Cassidy’s “I Know You by Heart” presaged a global sensation of interest in her work. Eva Cassidy never performed in France, but she became widely known globally after 1998 when British radio DJ Terry Wogan championed her work on BBC Radio 2. With that support and enormous public enthusiasm, Eva’s compilation album Songbird topped UK album charts in 2001 and introduced her to a worldwide audience.
The posthumous release in 1997 of Eva Cassidy’s “I Know You by Heart” presaged a global sensation of interest in her work. Eva Cassidy never performed in France, but she became widely known globally after 1998 when British radio DJ Terry Wogan championed her work on BBC Radio 2. With that support and enormous public enthusiasm, Eva’s compilation album Songbird topped UK album charts in 2001 and introduced her to a worldwide audience.
The English term “by heart” in the title of Cassidy’s song “I Know You by Heart” refers to absolute command or memory of something acquired by longtime experience and observation. Cassidy’s song describes the intimacy and completeness with which one person can know and enjoy another companion even in their absence due to separation or death. It is a song of love, loss and indelible memory. Diane Scanlon, the lyricist who wrote the song, commented: “I wrote 'I Know You by Heart' at a time of great loss in my life. My father was dying… my own relationship with my partner was in trouble and I felt as though I was losing a lot. These two events made me realize the importance of finding love in one’s life and, even more importantly, being conscious of time spent with the people you love.”
Cassidy's voice is a rare treat in this song as in the many others that have been published since her untimely departure. Her vocal modulations, harmonies and accompaniment (brother Dan Cassidy on violin) are treasures. Notably, the song's structure is free-verse, without patterned end-rhymes. The song is carried by its language, melody, voice and instrumentation.
As usual, you can scroll through the lyrics below while listening to the song.
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Music by Eve Nelson, Lyrics Diane Scanlon) Midnights in winter The glowing fire Lights up your face In orange and gold I see your sweet smile Shine through the darkness Its line is etched in my memory So I'd know you by heart Mornings in April Sharing our secrets We'd walk until the morning was gone We were like children Laughing for hours The joy you gave me Lives on and on 'Cause I know you by heart |
I still hear your voice On warm summer nights Whispering like the wind You left in autumn The leaves were turning I walked down roads Of orange and gold I saw your sweet smile I heard your laughter You're still here beside me Every day 'Cause I know you by heart 'Cause I know you by heart |
Je ne vois que par toi (I can only see by you)
French lyricist Patrick Loiseau wrote a French language adaptation of Eva Cassidy's song with a different title and a significant change in the song’s meaning. Loiseau is a French songwriter and artist known for the many songs he has written and also for his long professional and personal relationship with the Francophone-Dutch singer Dave. The title of his adaptation is “Je ne vois que par toi” (“I can see only by you”). Hélène Ségara sang it in 2011 on her 6th studio album “Parmi la foule” (“In the crowd”). Neither the song nor the album generated commercial or critical acclaim at the time, but the song deserves attention on its own merits but also as an example of adaptation. The two songs differ substantially in their core meaning, but both stand solidly on the shared ground of an alluring melody, solid but different lyrics, and the individuality of the vocal interpretations by Cassidy and Ségara.
The French title of the song is a little jewel, as is its English title. The French term “par toi” in "Je ne vois que par toi" (“I can see only by you”) means “by/through you.” Its meaning of “seeing only through another” is a call for further exploration. The combination of “ne…que” (see note below) with the internal rhyme of “vois…toi” gives the entire title a percussive quality: "Je ne vois que par toi." Loiseau’s rendition might appropriately have been titled in English “I only have eyes for you” but that label had already been commandeered in 1959 by The Flamingos. They fashioned a doo-wop re-imagination of the original song (by Al Dubin and Harry Warren) that appeared in the 1934 film “Dames” with Busby Berkeley choreography. Loiseau’s own text is poetic and well-structured with 6 main stanzas plus a 2-line outro and strong end-rhymes throughout.
As usual, you can scroll through the lyrics below while listening to the song. Following the text, there are explanations of words that are highlighted and bold.
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Adaptation, Patrick Loiseau Aux yeux des autres Je sais que j'ai tord Mais peu m'importe Leur désaccord L'amour m'aveugle Sans doutes et alors Au fond mon faible Est le plus fort Je ne vois que par toi N'y rien comprendre N'y voir que du feu Est-ce à tout prendre Si dangereux? S'il faut se perdre Alors pourquoi pas Perdre la tête et le reste? Entre les bras Je ne vois que par toi Toi mon seul point de vue Mon seul point de repère Ma vraie lumière Ma vie Laissons le monde Penser ce qu'il veut Des doux rêveurs qui tombent Fous amoureux L'amour aveugle Qui peut rêver mieux? Qu'avoir ce soleil Au fond des yeux Et ne vois que par toi Ne plus voir que par toi |
Translation, W. R. Pendergast In the eyes of others I know I am wrong But it means little to me Their disagreement Love blinds me Undoubtedly and then Deep down my weakness Becomes stronger I see only through you To understand nothing about it To see nothing but the fire Is it, all things considered So dangerous? If I must lose myself Then why not, Lose my mind and everything else? In your arms I see only through you You, my only vantage point My only point of reference My true light My life Let’s let the world Think what it wants Of the sweet dreamers that fall Crazy in love Blind love Who could dream better? Than to have this sun In the depths of one’s eyes And see only through you No longer see than through you |
NB:
Je ne vois que par toi: this phrase in the title uses the “ne…que” negation structure that means "only/just" that we have seen many times before. “Par toi” is a term that means “by/through you.” The phrase means "I see only by/through you."
N'y: the repeated use of “n’y” in these two lines means “about it” and refers to the subject under discussion, which is “l’amour aveugle” (“blind love”).
à tout prendre: means “by and large,” “all things considered,” “all in all.”
Je ne vois que par toi: this phrase in the title uses the “ne…que” negation structure that means "only/just" that we have seen many times before. “Par toi” is a term that means “by/through you.” The phrase means "I see only by/through you."
N'y: the repeated use of “n’y” in these two lines means “about it” and refers to the subject under discussion, which is “l’amour aveugle” (“blind love”).
à tout prendre: means “by and large,” “all things considered,” “all in all.”
Postscript
In a poignant aftermath to Ségara’s 2011 release of “Je ne vois que par toi,” she came down two years later with an auto-immune disease (optic neuritis) that gradually deprived her of sight in one eye. Many attentive observers fancied a retrospective line of connection between the song’s title (“I can see only by you”) and the guidance and support Ségara received during that difficult time from her husband, Mathieu Lecat.
Nevertheless, she forged on. By 2021 she had released 16 albums, numerous singles and frequent tours and concerts and engaged in charitable activities. For several years, she has served as a judge on Simon Cowell’s “Got Talent” franchise “La France a un incroyable talent.”
Back to Hélène Ségara Profile