A colourful cover of the Georges Brassens classic, from an album that hopes to make his work more familiar to a younger generation.
The song comes from the collection "Echos du monde" released to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Brassens, which came out in May 2011.
While the reputation of Brassens's work is well established, the album addresses the issue that for many the original recordings sound dated and no longer relevant to the contemporary world, more on account of the way they are performed, arranged and recorded than the strength of the songs.
The collection takes the work of the poet with the pipe and puts it into new contexts, in different periods throughout the years and different places around the world.
There are 14 interpretations of his work, including versions in English Italian, Russian, Hebrew and Japanese, by artists that range from the well-known like Nina Simone to the less familiar like Pierre de Gaillande. with versions going from the more traditional to left-field covers like the version of La mauvaise réputation by Sidabitball.
The album should certainly encourage a few new listeners to explore the work of one of France's most significant artists.
As Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand said about Brassens: "He was a poetic anarchist with the gentlest anti-establishment voice ever recorded. Even if you can't appreciate the words, the melodies are simple and beautiful.
"He is both a national outcast and hero in France, yet most of us don't know him on this side of the Channel. His lyrics were more subversive than Dylan or the Sex Pistols and he wrote better tunes than either."
Or as Jaques Brel, who knew a thing or two about songwriting himself said: "I believe it is a mortal sin not to listen to Brassens."
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