Les Passantes

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Les Passantes 

by Antoine Pol
Written	1911
Country	France
Language	French
Series	Émotions poétiques
Publication date	1918

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Les Passantes (in French: The Passersby) is a poem by Antoine Pol that achieved fame primarily due to its musical setting by Georges Brassens in 1972 on the album "Fernande". Four days before his death, Antoine Pol wrote: "What, ultimately, is a human existence? A fleeting flash of consciousness...," a line whose versification and sound make it remarkably similar to the poem itself.

Original Poem

Written in 1911, the poen was published in 1918 in Antoine Pol's first collection, Émotions poétiques. Georges Brassens discovered the book in 1942 at a bookseller's, and set the poem "Les Passantes" to music, which he revised several times until 1969. In 1970, he obtained permission from Antoine Pol to sing his poem, and premiered the song at Bobino in December 1972. The poem originally contained 9 stanzas.

Georges Brassens' song

Omitted stanzas

There are several hypotheses regarding the reasons for Georges Brassens to omit two stanzas from the poem.

The fourth stanza

The generally accepted view is that the change in context of this fourth stanza, which over-personalizes "the passerby", as well as the hiatus ending the fourth and fifth lines, explain why Georges Brassens omitted this verse. However, this verse was sung by Maxime Le Forestier, in fifth position, as a solo, or in third position (the latter version as a duet with Georges Brassens) for Lino Ventura's Le Grand Échiquier (1979), for whom it was his favorite song.

The sixth stanza

This stanza is a complete reversal of the poem's theme, where the woman is supposedly confronted with her own regrets for not having known, while the entire rest of the poem is devoted to the regrets of the man who didn't know.

Although this stanza, inserted in the middle of the poem, seems to further emphasize the man's regrets, Georges Brassens would have eliminated it for the same reasons. Or the use of the last word, "Pride," in relation to "Lovers" (end of the first line of the stanza), when male pride is one of the essential viewpoints of the poem throughout its other stanzas.

It is also possible that the elision of the word "Encore" in the 3rd verse was deemed inaudible or inappropriate for someone from Sète, where even silent "e"s are pronounced, as can be heard in the preceding stanzas of the song.

Brassens nevertheless chose to keep the 8th stanza containing the line "Aux cœurs qui dois vous attendre" (To the hearts that must wait for you), even though it refers to the 6th stanza that was not included. This is supported in the 9th stanza by the lines "On pleure les lèvres absentes De toutes ces belles passantes Que l’on n’a pas su tenir" (We weep for the absent lips Of all these beautiful passersby That we couldn't hold back).

Versions alternatives et inédites

Alternative and Unreleased Versions

In 1972, during working sessions at his home, Georges Brassens recorded two other versions of the poem; versions that differ significantly from the "official" version, in key, rhythm, and also in the choice of stanzas. These two alternative versions remained unreleased until 2001, when they appeared on the posthumous album Georges Brassens Inédits.

First Unreleased Version

The shortest and most rhythmic of the three versions (3:57 compared to 4:13 for the "official" version). In this version, in addition to the fourth and sixth stanzas, the performer also omits the fifth. The last stanza is partially repeated; Georges Brassens (after imitating the sound of a trumpet while playing the guitar) sings: "We weep for the absent lips Of all these beautiful passersby That we could not hold onto"

Second Unreleased Version

This alternative version is the same length as the "official" version (4:13). Georges Brassens (as in the previous version) accompanies himself on guitar.

Here, the fourth verse is sung, and Brassens omits the fifth and sixth verses.

Features Common to Both Alternative Versions In each of these versions, Georges Brassens changes the line (8th verse):

"To the kisses we dared not take"

"To the kisses we dared not take" by singing:

"To the lips we dared not take"

Clip

To mark International Women's Day 2018, Belgian photographer and videographer Charlotte Abramow created a music video for Brassens's song.[6] Conceived as an "ode to women," the video features several public figures, including journalist Alice Pfeiffer, feminist videographer Marion Seclin, and actress Déborah Lukumuena. The video was a joint initiative of Universal Music and Havas Group, aiming to revive several 20th-century songs.

Covers

The song has inspired numerous artists who have covered it in various musical styles, ranging from reggae to Italian chanson. Fabrizio De André performed it in Italian on the album Canzoni in 1974, and Graeme Allwright recorded it in English on the album "Graeme Allwright sings Georges Brassens" in 1985, with lyrics translated by Andrew Kelly. In a style that defies easy categorization, Iggy Pop also reinterpreted it in French on his 2012 album *Après*. Francis Cabrel[10], Maxime Leforestier, and many others have also sung it. In February 1995, Anne Sylvestre included it in her recital at the Théâtre de la Potinière, as evidenced by a double album released the same year.

In recent years, cover versions have proliferated, appearing on compilation albums:

• In 1992, Francis Cabrel recorded a version of Brassens on the album *Chantons Brassens* (later re-recorded in 1996 on *Ils chantent Brassens*).
• In 2000, the Banda Municipal de Santiago de Cuba released a brass band version on the album *Fanfare Cubaine II*. This version was subsequently included:
• in 2004, on the soundtrack of the film *Le Rôle de sa vie* (The Role of Her Life);
• in 2008, on the soundtrack of Agnès Jaoui's film *Parlez-moi de la pluie* (Let It Rain (2008 film));
• in 2011 on the album *Brassens, échos du monde*;
• in 2015 on the soundtrack of the film *La Fille du patron* (The Boss's Daughter);
• In 2000, Francis Cabrel recorded a version on the album *Double Tour*, with some adaptations: "Belle compagne de voyage" at the beginning of verse 3, "Belles images aperçues" at the beginning of verse 7, and "On pense avec un peu d'envie" in verse 8.
• In 2001, the group Lofofora performed it on their album *Les Oiseaux de passage*;
• In 2006, in English, under the title *The Passersby*, by Jehro, on a cover album titled *Putain de toi*;
• In 2010, by Les Enfoirés in the show *La Crise de nerfs* (Jean-Louis Aubert, Francis Cabrel, Julien Clerc, Christophe Willem);
• In 2011, by the group Debout sur le Zinc, on a children's album titled *Brassens chanté par*;
• In 2011, in Catalan, under the title *Les passants*, by aBanda, on the album *La crida de la terra*;
• In 2016, by the actor Pierre Richard, on the album *Brassens sur Parole(s)*;
• In 2019, the intro was covered on piano by Romain Didier on the album *Dans ce piano tout noir*. In 2022, Iggy Pop covered it in French for his album Après (10th-anniversary edition). * * In 2024, it was covered in Spanish in the film Emilia Perez, titled Las Damas que pasan.

In Culture

Different interpretations of "Les Passantes" can be found in various cultural contexts, each serving a specific cultural purpose: A brass band performed an instrumental version in 2008 for the filming of the feature film "Parlez-moi de la pluie" (Let It Rain (2008 film)) directed by Agnès Jaoui. "Parlez-moi de la pluie" are also the opening words of "L'Orage" (The Storm), a song by Georges Brassens. It is again performed by a brass band in the 2014 film *La Fille du patron* (The Boss's Daughter) directed by Olivier Loustau. "Las damas que pasan" (The Women Who Pass By), in the final scene of Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez (2024), is an adaptation of "Les Passantes" performed by a Latin American funeral band and sung by the film's survivors.

See Also

• Translated Version of Les Passantes

References

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