History Music / GeorgesBrassens

Together with Music/JacquesBrel and Léo Ferré, Georges Charles Brassens (22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) is considered to be one of the three great names in French {{Chanson}}. Born in a working-class family (his mother was an Italian immigrant and his father a bricklayer), he engaged in petty larceny as a teenager and interrupted his studies early. He spent part of UsefulNotes/WW2 as a conscripted laborer in Germany before going AWOL. After the war, he grew close to Anarchism and tried his hand at poetry, before being talked into becoming a singer-songwriter.

* TakeThat: ''"Mourir pour des idées"'' has the line "to die for one's ideals, alright, but of a slow death", and is aimed at both MoralGuardians and fellow anarchists taking shots at him for songs like ''"Les Deux Oncles"'' mentioned above.

** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] for main character in ''La Religieuse'', as she specifically tried to hide her sex appeal by [[BaldWomen shaving her head bald ]] and wearing absolutely non-sensual habit. Suffice to say, it doesn't help and she causes mass outbreak of HotForPreacher (with sad ADateWithRosiePalms [[RefugeInAudacity for epilogue]])

* Instantly Proven Wrong: the magistrate in ''"Le Gorille"'' thought that it would be impossible for the gorilla to mistake him for a she-ape... only for the song to mention that next events proved him wrong (you can read above *how* wrong)

* BlackComedy: many of his song are written from this perspective. In ''La Mauvaise Réputation'', at end of each stanza there is a bit that describe how much community hate the narrator, with exclusion of the handicapped (everyone is pointing finger at him except those without hand, everyone talk ill of him except mute etc.). The song end with [[spoiler: narrator saying that they're probably going to lynch him, and everyone will come to see his hanged body... that's except the blind, of course]]

* BadassMustache: Just look at his picture.

* GoodSamaritan: ''"Chanson pour l'Auvergnat"'' is one of the most famous illustrations of this trope in French pop culture. Specifically, in Brassens's time Auvergnats had a reputation of being stingy, and somewhat unpleasant, in a way France's AcceptableTargets version of the GreedyJew trope, to the extent that an older cabinet minister in the 2000s tried to pass a joke going ''"[[EthnicMenialLabor when there's one]] [[SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX it's fine]], [[TheIllegal when there's more of them]] [[UnfortunateImplications that's when trouble happens]]!"'' as being about ''[[BadLiar Auvergnats]]''. It's possible that this song is what made it a DeadHorseTrope today.

* GoodSamaritan: ''"Chanson pour l'Auvergnat"'' is one of the most famous illustrations of this trope in French pop culture. Specifically, in Brassens's time Auvergnats had a reputation of being stingy, and somewhat unpleasant, in a way France's AcceptableTargets version of the GreedyJew trope, to the extent that an older cabinet minister [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment in the 2000s]] tried to pass a joke going ''"[[EthnicMenialLabor when there's one]] [[SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX it's fine]], [[TheIllegal when there's more of them]] [[UnfortunateImplications that's when trouble happens]]!"'' as being about ''[[BadLiar Auvergnats]]''. It's possible that this song is what made it a DeadHorseTrope today.

** SpaceWhaleAesop: The Aesop of ''"Le Gorille"''? ''Abolish the death penalty.'' According to the song, the magistrate crying for his mother while being graphically raped by a gorilla is an AssholeVictim for having smugly sentenced some shmuck to death minutes earlier while ignoring his pleas for mercy.

* GoodSamaritan: ''"Chanson pour l'Auvergnat"'' is one of the most famous illustrations of this trope in French pop culture.
** Specifically, in Brassens's time Auvergnats had a reputation of being stingy, and somewhat unpleasant, in a way France's AcceptableTargets version of the GreedyJew trope, to the extent that an older cabinet minister [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment a couple of years ago]] tried to pass a joke going ''"[[EthnicMenialLabor when there's one]] [[SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX it's fine]], [[TheIllegal when there's more of them]] [[UnfortunateImplications that's when trouble happens]]!"'' as being about ''[[BadLiar Auvergnats]]''. It's possible that this song is what made it a DeadHorseTrope today.

* [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Poles Love Georges Brassens ]]: his songs (although in translated version) are quite popular in Poland (there is even a play based on them). It helps that both the translation and instrumentation tries to evoke the ''chanson'' feeling of the original.

* TakeThat: ''"Mourir pour des idées"'' has the line "to die for one's ideals, alright, but of a slow death", and is aimed at both MoralGuardians and fellow anarchists taking shots at him for songs like ''"Les Deux Oncles"'' mentioned above.
* UsefulNotes/WW1: ''"La Guerre de 14-18"''.
* YoureDrinkingBreastMilk: The girl in ''"Brave Margot"'' breastfeeds a little kitten.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: A lot of Brassens' songs sound gentle, intimate and warm, but the lyrics are often ''adults only'' topics. "Putain de Toi" begins with lyrics about planting violets and caring for lost cats... only to turn into full-blown BreakupSong (although the fact that title could be translated as "You Whore" might give you a hint).

* AristocratsAreEvil: Not that much of a surprise, considering [[{{Anarchism}} anarchist]] leanings of Brassens himself. ''Le Roi'' is practically one, long ode dedicated to how much the monarchy sucks.

Together with Music/JacquesBrel and Léo Ferré, Georges Brassens (22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) is considered to be one of the three great names in French {{Chanson}}. Born in a working-class family (his mother was an Italian immigrant and his father a bricklayer), he engaged in petty larceny as a teenager and interrupted his studies early. He spent part of UsefulNotes/WW2 as a conscripted laborer in Germany before going AWOL. After the war, he grew close to Anarchism and tried his hand at poetry, before being talked into becoming a singer-songwriter.

* HeteroSexualLifePartners: Brassens makes it clear in ''Les Copains d'Abord'' that his friends are no ''luxury friends, no heroes from Sodom and Gomorra''.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: he was noted as being noticeably nicer in real life (and much less vulgar) than his songs might suggest. Huge part of ''Le pornographe'' is him constantly switiching between his on- and off-stage persona (for example, he likes to watch "good people" from his balcony, but if he tries to make a song about them, he'll probably describe them as "bunch of twats")

** Specifically, in Brassens's time Auvergnats had a reputation of being stingy, and somewhat unpleasant, in a way France's AcceptableTargets version of the GreedyJew trope, to the extent that an older cabinet minister [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment a couple of years ago]] tried to pass a joke going ''"[[EthnicMenialLabor when there's one]] [[SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX it's fine]], [[TheIllegal when there's more of them]] [[UnfortunateImplications that's when trouble happens]]!"'' as being about ''[[BadLiar Auvergnats]]''. It's possible that this song is what made it a DeadHorseTrope today.

* BadassMustache

* NaughtyNun: [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] for main character in ''La Religieuse'', as she specifically tried to hide her sex appeal by [[BaldWomen shaving her head bald ]] and wearing absolutely non-sensual habit. Suffice to say, it doesn't help and she causes mass outbreak of HotForPreacher (with sad ADateWithRosiePalms [[RefugeInAudacity for epilogue]])

* GreyAndGreyMorality: His most controversial song, ''"Les Deux Oncles"'', implies that TheResistance and TheCollaborators were morally equivalent.

* AristocratsAreEvil: Not that much of a suprise, considering [[{{Anarchism}} anarchist]] leanings of Brassens himself. ''Le Roi'' is practically one, long ode dedicated to how much monarchy sucks

* {{Bowdlerise}}: Suprisingly (and quite ironically), many english translation of ''Le Roi'' translate phrase ''le Roi de con'' as "king of fools", despite the word in question reffering rather to CountryMatters. Polish translation was pretty on-spot, though.

* DistractedByTheSexy: In ''"Brave Margot"'', wholle village stops when the titular [[InnocentFanserviceGirl Margot]] feeds her kitten. Persons affected included: school teacher, town mayor, coalman, policeman, postman and [[RefugeInAudacity altar boys in the middle of the mass]]

** Specifically, in Brassens's time Auvergnats had a reputation of being stingy, and somewhat unpleasant, in a way France's NoMinoritiesWereHarmed version of the GreedyJew trope, to the extent that an older cabinet minister [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment a couple of years ago]] tried to pass a joke going ''"[[EthnicMenialLabor when there's one]] [[SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX it's fine]], [[TheIllegal when there's more of them]] [[UnfortunateImplications that's when trouble happens]]!"'' as being about ''[[BadLiar Auvergnats]]''. It's possible that this song is what made it a DeadHorseTrope today.

* HeteroSexualLifePartners: Brassens makes it clear in ''Les Copains D' Abord'' that his friends are no ''luxury friends, no heroes from Sodom and Gomorra''.
* MoodWhiplash: "Brave Margot" is about a young farm girl who breastfeeds a kitten who has lost its mother. It is cute and funny at first, because all the men in the village kept watching her doing it, and Margot innocently believed they wanted to see the kitten. [[spoiler: Then the women of the village got jealous and burned the poor kitty down]]. '''Ouch'''.

** ''Jeanne'' and ''Chanson Pour l' Auvergnat'' are his way of thanking a couple, Jeanne and Marcel, who let him stay at their auberge at a time when he needed help.

* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: His iconic oral imitation of a trumpet in the final verses of ''Les Copains D' Abord''.

Together with Music/JacquesBrel and Léo Ferré, Georges Brassens (1921-1981) is considered to be one of the three great names in French {{Chanson}}. Born in a working-class family (his mother was an Italian immigrant and his father a bricklayer), he engaged in petty larceny as a teenager and interrupted his studies early. He spent part of UsefulNotes/WW2 as a conscripted laborer in Germany before going AWOL. After the war, he grew close to Anarchism and tried his hand at poetry, before being talked into becoming a singer-songwriter.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: A lot of Brassens' songs sound gentle, intimate and warm, but the lyrics are often ''adults only'' topics. "Putain de Toi" begins with lyrics about planting violets and caring for lost cats... only to turn into full-blown BreakupSong (the title also translates as "You Whore").

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: A lot of Brassens' songs sound gentle, intimate and warm, but the lyrics are often ''adults only'' topics. "Putain de Toi" begins with lyrics about planting violets and caring for lost cats... only to turn into full-blown BreakupSong.

** Also a bit of SexAsRiteOfPassage in that same song in that it isn't so much his first girlfriend, but his ''[[AManIsNotAVirgin first girl]]'' (literally "the first girl you've taken in your arms"), which as he points out could be a virgin or a prostitute, the message being that for better or for worse you remember your first forever.

* BombThrowingAnarchist: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] by Georges Brassens himself.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: A lot of Brassens' songs sound gentle, intimate and warm, but the lyrics are often ''adults only'' topics.

* PrecisionFStrike: Brassens liked to insert expletives in his songs for shock value. A good example is ''"Marinette"'', a perky little ditty in which the singer tries several times to demonstrate his feelings to Marinette, but each time something prevents her from noticing him [[spoiler: including, in the penultimate verse, the fact that she's died, and in the final verse, when he goes to her funeral, she's come back to life again]]: the last line of the chorus is ''"J'avais l'air d'un con"'' ("I looked like a c***").

* DistinguishedGentlemansPipe: There are a lot of photographs showing him holding his pipe or with his pipe between his lips.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar

* ThePowerOfFriendship: ''"Les Copains d'Abord"''

Together with Music/JacquesBrel and Léo Ferré, Georges Brassens (1921-1981) is considered to be one of the three great names in French {{Chanson}}. Born in a working-class family (his mother was an Italian immigrant and his father a bricklayer), he engaged in petty larceny as a teenager and interrupted his studies early. He spent part of WW2 as a conscripted laborer in Germany before going AWOL. After the war, he grew close to Anarchism and tried his hand at poetry, before being talked into becoming a singer-songwriter.

* WW1: ''"La Guerre de 14-18"''.