La Belle Vie (The Good Life), 1964
This song provides an unusual twist to the normal cross-fertilization story of international song adaptation. Conventionally, the music and lyrics of a song are recorded and distributed in a mother tongue. Rights to the music can be sold to a party for lyrical adaptation in another language. This was the case for both Claude Françoise’s “Comme d’habitude”/”My Way,” for Prévert’s “Les feuilles mortes”/”Autumn Leaves” and for many other songs.
In 1962, Sacha Distel wrote a piece of instrumental music entitled “Marina” without lyrics for a sketch on “Pride” (“L’Orgeuil”) in Roger Vadim’s movie “Les Sept Péchés capitaux” (“The Seven Deadly Sins”). This film consisted of seven segments, one depicting each of the “seven deadly sins” as presented by upcoming (now famous) different directors and casts. The directors were: Philippe de Broca, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Demy, Sylvain Dhomme, Max Douy, Jean-Luc Godard, Eugène Ionesco, Edouard Molinaro, and Roger Vadim. Distel composed the music for the section on “Pride.”
His uncle Ray Ventura sent the score to his publisher in the US. There, Jack Reardon wrote English lyrics titled “The Good Life” and in 1963 Tony Bennett released his recording. Later that same year, Sacha Distel was sitting in a bar in Brussels and heard Bennett’s song. Surprised, he rushed to have French lyrics written by Jean Broussole with the title “La belle vie” and released it in 1964 on his eponymous album.
It is curious that Sacha Distel was first noted for his artistry in classical guitar and that this same itinerary characterized the song “Nuages” by the famous guitarist Django Rinehardt. With “Nuages,” the gypsy guitarist wrote instrumental music that was later adapted for song with very different titles and lyrics in both French and English. At this stage in his career, Distel was primarily composing, so perhaps it is not surprising that the tune came to be fashioned into a song.
Sometimes it is difficult to unravel the music from a song’s mother tongue and entwine it with another language that has different grammar, vocabulary and expressions. Distel’s guitar music for the song is quite complex, but the lyrics feature short lines and few words. This gives it a perky and catchy quality with widespread appeal and a syntax that is amenable to adaptation. As such, it was “ready-for-export” and became a popular tune with more than 400 versions in many languages.
The lyrics of both the English and French versions have a common theme, which is that the superficial attributes of “the good life” (no love, no worries, no problems, freedom, hanging out) may appear attractive. The downside is that they merely represent lipstick on the absence of meaningful relationships. So, the narrator suggests to an unidentified audience: wake up, and live authentically.
This song provides an unusual twist to the normal cross-fertilization story of international song adaptation. Conventionally, the music and lyrics of a song are recorded and distributed in a mother tongue. Rights to the music can be sold to a party for lyrical adaptation in another language. This was the case for both Claude Françoise’s “Comme d’habitude”/”My Way,” for Prévert’s “Les feuilles mortes”/”Autumn Leaves” and for many other songs.
In 1962, Sacha Distel wrote a piece of instrumental music entitled “Marina” without lyrics for a sketch on “Pride” (“L’Orgeuil”) in Roger Vadim’s movie “Les Sept Péchés capitaux” (“The Seven Deadly Sins”). This film consisted of seven segments, one depicting each of the “seven deadly sins” as presented by upcoming (now famous) different directors and casts. The directors were: Philippe de Broca, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Demy, Sylvain Dhomme, Max Douy, Jean-Luc Godard, Eugène Ionesco, Edouard Molinaro, and Roger Vadim. Distel composed the music for the section on “Pride.”
His uncle Ray Ventura sent the score to his publisher in the US. There, Jack Reardon wrote English lyrics titled “The Good Life” and in 1963 Tony Bennett released his recording. Later that same year, Sacha Distel was sitting in a bar in Brussels and heard Bennett’s song. Surprised, he rushed to have French lyrics written by Jean Broussole with the title “La belle vie” and released it in 1964 on his eponymous album.
It is curious that Sacha Distel was first noted for his artistry in classical guitar and that this same itinerary characterized the song “Nuages” by the famous guitarist Django Rinehardt. With “Nuages,” the gypsy guitarist wrote instrumental music that was later adapted for song with very different titles and lyrics in both French and English. At this stage in his career, Distel was primarily composing, so perhaps it is not surprising that the tune came to be fashioned into a song.
Sometimes it is difficult to unravel the music from a song’s mother tongue and entwine it with another language that has different grammar, vocabulary and expressions. Distel’s guitar music for the song is quite complex, but the lyrics feature short lines and few words. This gives it a perky and catchy quality with widespread appeal and a syntax that is amenable to adaptation. As such, it was “ready-for-export” and became a popular tune with more than 400 versions in many languages.
The lyrics of both the English and French versions have a common theme, which is that the superficial attributes of “the good life” (no love, no worries, no problems, freedom, hanging out) may appear attractive. The downside is that they merely represent lipstick on the absence of meaningful relationships. So, the narrator suggests to an unidentified audience: wake up, and live authentically.
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Ô la belle vie Sans amour Sans souçis Sans problème Oui la belle vie On est seul On est libre Et l'on traîne On s'amuse à passer Sans peur du lendemain Des nuits blanches Qui se penchent Sur les petits matins Mais la belle vie Sans amour Sans souçis Sans problème Oui la belle vie On s'en lasse On est triste Et l'on traîne Alors, pense que je t'aime Et quand tu auras compris Réveille-toi Je serai là, pour toi |
Oh the good life Without love Without worries Without problem Oh the good life You're alone You're free And you hang out You like having Without fear of tomorrow Sleepless nights That bleed into Early mornings But the good life Without love Without worries Without problem Yes the good life You get tired You're sad And you linger So, know that I love you And when you will have understood Wake up. I'll be there, for you. |
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