"Maya Angela Smith centers the 1959 song, "Ne me quitte pas" [Don't Leave Me], written by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel, following the song's journey through adaptation, across borders, genres, and languages, to examine how recontextualization transforms the musical composition and text. Ne me quitte pas follows the eponymous song from the original context of Brel's version, to Nina Simone's introduction of racialized and gendered dimensions, to transformation and translation in the Rod McKuen-penned Shirley Bassey version, and beyond into modern media and performance. Smith's work privileges the song's effects on its listeners by analyzing archival materials and writings that reflect on audience experience, from journalism and scholarly writing to YouTube commentary. Moreover, the book emphasizes the song's capability to mirror personal affectation, emotion, and embodiment, following Smith's own encounters with the song in her life. By demonstrating the multiplicity and instability of an oft-considered singular piece of music, Smith shows how a song travels and takes on new meaning in different contexts, becoming a culturally significant and transcendent object"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
"Ne me quitte pas" : Jacques Brel composes the ultimate breakup song
"Sorry about the words, Y'all" : Nina Simone covers Brel
"We'll sail on the sun" : Rod McKuen and Shirley Bassey translate hope in a song about despair
From "Ne me quitte pas" to "If You Go Away" : adapting iconic songs to film and stage.
ISBN
9781478031468 (paperback)
1478031468 (paperback)
9781478028253 (hardcover)
1478028254 (hardcover)
LCCN
2024028361
OCLC
1440217716
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