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"Le Plat Pays" (Translation: 'The Flat Country') is a French-language song by Belgian singer Jacques Brel about his home country. It also exists in a Dutch-language version as "Mijn vlakke land" ('My Flat Country'), also performed by him. The French lyrics are by Jacques Brel, the Dutch lyrics by Ernst van Altena.
Recorded on 6 March 1962, the song describes the North Sea as the final wasteland of Belgium's borders, then mentions the mist, the winds from all corners and cathedrals as "the only mountains" his country has. Brel sees the sky as "so low" that "a canal gets lost", and "so gray", that "a canal would hang itself". The low brooding sky brings his people humility. Yet, despite the grey skies and rain he still declares his country as "his". [1] The flat country referred to in the song is West Flanders, the region in Belgium from which his family originated. It is a region with many open fields and few trees. Because this landscape is rather typical not only of the West Flanders, but of large swathes of the Low Countries, the Dutch version of the song is popular in the Netherlands.He also refers to the soldier's who came back home in November 1918 after the end of the First World War and whose sons came back home from the Second World War, in which Belgium used to be a war zone.
The success encountered in Paris by his Swiss mentor friend Jean Villard Gilles' "La Venoge", about an unknown little river, inspired and encouraged him to write the song.
Valencian singer Ovidi Montllor wrote a largely modified version, "El Meu Poble Alcoi" ("My Hometown Alcoi"), which he dedicated to the city where he was born and grown up.
The song was also referenced in the original French-language version of Asterix in Belgium, where the Belgian leader tells Asterix, Obelix and Vitalstatistix that "in his flat country oppidums are the only mountains."
The Italian singer and author Herbert Pagani wrote and interpreted a cover titled "La Lombardia".
Flanders is the Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, language, politics and history, and sometimes involving neighbouring countries. The demonym associated with Flanders is Fleming, while the corresponding adjective is Flemish. The official capital of Flanders is the City of Brussels, although the Brussels-Capital Region has an independent regional government, and the government of Flanders only oversees the community aspects of Flanders life in Brussels such as Flemish culture and education.
Jacques Romain Georges Brel was a Belgian singer, songwriter, actor and director who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, later throughout the world. He is considered a master of the modern chanson. Although he recorded most of his songs in French and occasionally in Dutch, he became an influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers, such as Scott Walker, David Bowie, Alex Harvey, Marc Almond and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many performers, including: Bowie; Walker, Ray Charles; Judy Collins; John Denver; The Kingston Trio; Nina Simone; Shirley Bassey; Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams.
Belgian culture involves both the aspects shared by all Belgians regardless of the language they speak and the differences between the main cultural communities: the Dutch-speaking Belgians (Flemish) and the French-speaking Belgians. Most Belgians view their culture as an integral part of European culture.
Anderlecht is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the Flemish municipalities of Dilbeek and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch).
Mouscron is a Walloon city and French speaking municipality with facilities for the Dutch speaking minority, located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, along the border with the French city of Tourcoing, which is part of the Lille metropolitan area. The Mouscron municipality also includes the old municipalities of Dottignies, Luingne (Lowingen), and Herseaux. In accordance with the national law, the municipality offers dual language services in French and Dutch. Kortrijk, in Flanders, is located just to the north of Mouscron.
"Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the 1961 song "Le Moribond" by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel with lyrics rewritten in 1963 by American singer-poet Rod McKuen, portraying a dying man's farewell to his loved ones. It became a worldwide hit in 1974 for Canadian singer Terry Jacks and became a Christmas number one in the UK in 1999 for Westlife.
Sandra Caldarone, better known as Sandra Kim, is a Belgian singer of Italian descent who won the Eurovision Song Contest 1986. Her father was an Italian immigrant from Torrebruna in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
Bobbejaan Schoepen was a Flemish pioneer in Belgian pop music, vaudeville, and European country music. Schoepen was a versatile entertainer, entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, guitarist, comedian, actor, and professional whistler, as well as the founder and former director of the amusement park Bobbejaanland. His musical career flourished from 1948 until the first half of the 1970s. He sold more than five million copies from his repertoire of 482 songs, which extended from Twang, cabaret, instrumental film music, chansons, country, to folk and vocal music. Born in Boom, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium, he worked his way up from a working-class environment to become one of the 200 richest people in Belgium.
The music of Belgium is a cultural mix where Flemish Dutch-speaking and Walloon French-speaking traditions mix with those of German minorities and of immigrant communities from Democratic Republic of the Congo or other distant countries.
The Flemish Movement is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemish culture and Dutch language as well as those who have sought greater political autonomy for Flanders within Belgium. It also encompasses nationalists who have sought the secession of Flanders from Belgium, either through outright independence or unification with the Netherlands.
Johan Anthierens was a Belgian journalist, columnist, publicist, critic and writer. He became notorious because of his socially conscious columns, as well as his equally controversial opinions during interviews. He published both in HUMO as well as Knack and founded his own short-lived satirical magazine, De Zwijger in 1982-1985. The main public got to know him thanks to his television appearances, both as panel member in the quiz De Wies Andersen Show and as interviewer in the talkshow Noord-Zuid (North-South). Due to his confrontational criticism of capitalism, the monarchy, the Church, the establishment and the far-right movement Anthierens had both a lot of admirers as well as many enemies. Still, together with Louis De Lentdecker and Maurice De Wilde, he was widely regarded as one of the "Big Three" of Flemish critical journalism.
"Amsterdam" is a song by Jacques Brel. It combines a powerful melancholic crescendo with a rich poetic account of the exploits of sailors on shore leave in Amsterdam. Musically, it takes its base melody line from the melody of the English folk song Greensleeves.
The Dutch and French word flamingant refers to adherents of the Flemish Movement and originated as a pejorative term by Belgian nationalists. It may be derived from Flamins, the Walloon word for Flemings. The word can be equally used as an adjective or substantive and the term flamingantisme is sometimes used to designate their ideology. The word wallingant is similarly used to describe adherents of the Walloon Movement which also gives rise to the comparable term wallingantisme.
"Tous les secrets" is the second single from Celine Dion's French-language greatest hits album On ne change pas (2005), and also a theme song from the animated movie Asterix and the Vikings. It was released in March 2006.
"Ne me quitte pas" is a 1959 song by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel. It has been covered in the original French by many artists and has also been translated into and performed in many other languages. A well-known adaptation, with English lyrics by Rod McKuen, is "If You Go Away".
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is a 1975 French/Canadian musical film directed by Denis Héroux. The screenplay by Eric Blau is an adaptation of his book for the long-running off-Broadway revue of the same name. The score is composed of songs with music by Jacques Brel and his accompanist Gérard Jouannest and English translations of the original French lyrics by Blau and Mort Shuman.
"Marieke" is a 1961 song by the Belgian singer Jacques Brel.
Belgitude is a term used to express the Belgian soul and identity.
Il Neige sur Liège is a 1963 song written and performed by Jacques Brel.
Jozef Guillaume Dymphna "Zjef" Vanuytsel was a Belgian folk music/kleinkunst singer and guitarist. He is seen as one of the Big Three of Flemish kleinkunst, along with Wannes Van de Velde and Willem Vermandere. Vanuytsel is most famous for his debut album, "De Zotte Morgen", which became a bestseller and sold more than 100.000 copies. The title track "De Zotte Morgen" and the single "Houten Kop" from the same album are his most well known songs. Apart from being a musician Vanuytsel was also an architect.
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