We haven’t been to France in a while, so how about a little Jacques Brel? (France, Belgium, whatever!) He is really one of the favorite singers — which probably explains why I have written about him so much around here. And today, we listen to “Mathilde.” It is possibly my favorite of his songs. Musically, it has these gorgeous long melodic lines. But more than that, the lyrics have a special meaning to me.

It tells the story of a lover’s return. Mathilde has broken the singer’s heart in the past. And now that she is coming back, he is filled with dread. He talks about how he is going back to hell and entering combat and so on. Yet he cannot stop himself. The whole song is a beautiful marriage of fear and excitement. I don’t think there has ever been a more honest love song.

Mathilde est revenue!