Ne me quitte pas


"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".

Background

"Ne me quitte pas" is considered by some as "Brel's ultimate classic". It was written after Brel's mistress "Zizou" threw him out of her life. Zizou was pregnant with Brel's child, but Brel refused to acknowledge the child as his own. Zizou later had an abortion due to Brel's actions. Brel first recorded the song on 11 September 1959, and it was released on his fourth album La Valse à mille temps. It was published by Warner-Chappell Publishing. In 1961 a Dutch-language version sung by Brel was released on the Philips label; entitled "Laat me niet alleen", with lyrics by Ernst van Altena, it was a B-side to Marieke. Brel recorded "Ne me quitte pas" again as the title track of his 1972 album.
In a 1966 interview, Brel said that "Ne me quitte pas" was not a love song, but rather "a hymn to the cowardice of men", and the degree to which they were willing to humiliate themselves. He knew, he said, that it would give pleasure to women who assumed it was a love song, and he understood that.
The lyrics "Moi, je t'offrirai des perles de pluie venues de pays où il ne pleut pas" are sung to a theme borrowed from the second part, Lassan, of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 by the composer Franz Liszt.

Johnny Hallyday version

French singer Johnny Hallyday released a live version of this song as a single in November 1984. It was recorded during his performances at Le Zénith. The song was part of his 1984 album Johnny Hallyday au Zénith.

Critical reception

Alain Wodrascka in his 2008 book Johnny Hallyday: les adieux du rock'cœur notes how Hallyday put in his 1984 cover of Jacques Brel's "Ne me quitte pas" his special vocal qualities, i.e. his vocals that are "full of sensuality and expression of physical strength of an indestructible man, who sings as if making love".

Track listing

'''7" single Philips 880 504-7'''

Other versions

French
Arabic
Armenian
  • 1976: Onnik Dinkjian's version "Yete Heranas." Recorded by Onnik Dinkjian with John Berberian and others on the album Inner Feelings of Onnik
  • 2015: Lilit Bleyan's version "Չթողնես երբեք": Recorded at Ardini studio
  • 2018: Berge Turabian's version "Դու ինծ մի լքիր": Arrangements by Tigran Nanian on the album Brel, Brassens, Ferré in Armenian
Afrikaans
Belarusian
Catalan
Croatian
Czech
Danish
  • 2020: Silas Bjerregaard – "Du må ikke gå".
Dutch
  • 1961: Jacques Brel's version "Laat me niet alleen".
  • 1968: Liesbeth List's version "Laat me niet alleen".
  • 2004: Bart Peeters's version of "Laat me niet alleen" appears as a bonus track on the Het Plaatje van Bart Peeters CD after a live performance during a benefit concert in Lier, Belgium.
  • 2013: Brigitte Kaandorp's version "Lieve koningin", an homage to Queen Beatrix.
  • 2014: Sjors van der Panne's version "Laat me niet alleen".
English
The pop standard "If You Go Away", with lyrics by Rod McKuen, has been covered by many artists including Ray Charles. Different lyrics by Momus, closer to those of the original, render the song as "Don't Leave", added to all reissues of his 1986 album Circus Maximus. American duo the Black Veils translate the song as "Don't Leave Me" on their 2009 album Troubadours, which includes translations of six other French chansons. Sung by Holcombe Waller in Ryan Trecartin's "Sibling Topics " at 23:10.
Finnish
West Frisian
German
  • 1963: Marlene Dietrich "Bitte geh nicht fort"
  • 1976: Klaus Hoffmann "Geh nicht fort von mir"; "Bitte geh nicht fort"
  • 1977: Markus Pol Lass mich nicht allein
Greek
  • 1971: Vicky Leandros in the album Pes mou pos mporeis.
  • 1979: Yiannis Parios in the LP Tha Me Thymithis, with the title "Mi me afinis mi".
  • 1996: Haris Alexiou in her live album: Gyrizontas ton kosmo.
  • 2007: Yiannnis Parios' live rendition of the aforementioned song.
  • 2009: Vassilikos in the album Vintage
Hebrew
  • 1974: Dani Granot sang "Ana Al Telchi" - Please don't go, a translation by Dafna Eilat, in his album Shkiot Nashim Vechol Hashar.
  • 1992: The late Yossi Banai sings Al telchi mikan - Don't go from here, a translation by Naomi Shemer, in the Im neda' le'ehov – Songs of Jacques Brel record
  • 2001: Rita and Rami Kleinstein sang the same Hebrew version live in their tour, that was later released on a CD, Rita Rami on Stage
  • 2008: Itay Pearl Israeli composer, wrote a song as a response to the original Jacques Brel version.
  • 2009: Shlomi Shaban: Translated by Dory Manor, Al Telchi Achshav - Don't go now.
  • 2011: Miri Mesika sings the translation by Naomi Shemer, in her
Italian
Japanese
  • 1979: Hiromi Iwasaki's version "Ikanaide" from her album Koibito-tachi
Macedonian
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
  • 1973: Radmila Karaklajić's version "Если ты уйдёшь"
  • 1995: Igor Ivanov's version "Если ты уйдёшь"
  • 2001: Mumiy Troll's version "Когда ты уйдёшь"
Serbian
Silesian
  • 2012: Julian Brudzewski "Nie ostowiej mie"
Slovene
Spanish
  • 1969: Matt Monro "No me dejes no", Album: "Todo Pasará"
  • ?: Alma Ritano "No me dejes no"
  • 1977: Angélica María "No me dejes no"
  • 1997: Sandy Aruba's salsa music version "No Me Dejes Mas"
  • 2011: Fito Páez: "Ne me quitté pás", Album: "Canciones para Aliens"
Swedish
Turkish
Yiddish
  • 2008: Mendy Cahan's version "לאָז מיך נישט אַלײן"
Multilingual
  • 2005: Lam Nhat Tien's version of "Ne Me Quitte Pas": Người Yêu Nếu Ra Đi in French and Vietnamese, from the album Giờ Đã Không Còn Nữa.
  • 2007: Das Blaue Einhorn's version of "Ne Me Quitte Pas" in French and German, from their album Verkauf dein Pferd – Lieder vom Halten und Lassen
  • 2014: Caro Emerald as a digital download performed in both French and English.
Instrumental

In popular culture

The song was used in season 1 episode 19 of the critically acclaimed TV show Person of Interest and in the final episode of Mr. Robot. It was also used in season 1 finale of The Leftovers. "Ne Me Quitte Pas" was used by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar in his sixth film, Law of Desire, in a striking performance by Brazilian singer Maysa Matarazzo. A parody of the song and the singer, as the archetypal chansonnier, was performed by Italian actor Gigi Proietti. Claudio Corneiro performed a clown act with this song in Cirque du Soleil's Varekai. It is also the name of an episode in the series Ramy.