Sunday, November 24, 2019

RAINY NIGHT




Can't remember when I made this video, but I know I've posted it before.
I decided to rehash it simply to set a mood. My present mood.

It's a rainy, melancholy, sleepless night: a night made for hot tea and honey, freshly-baked pound cake, purring cats, a softly ticking clock....and the restless breath of a bitterly chilly wind stirring treetops and remnants of tattered leaves.

Silence. Solitude. Languid hours that conjure distant memories and the comforting echoes of places and lives that no longer exist. For a brief and precious moment the past seems alive again, almost real enough to feel the warmth.....
but the echoes inevitably vanish
with the rudely persistent ticking of the clock. 
Please don't go......

The haunting song Marlene Dietrich sings in this video is Bitte Geh Nicht Fort (Please don't Leave Me). She's singing it in German.


It was written in 1959 by Belgian singer/songwriter Jacques Brel, and the original French title is Ne Me Quitte Pas.

Brel was inspired to write this when his mistress Zizou (Suzanne Gabriello) left him. He didn't consider it to be a love song, but rather "a hymn to the cowardice of men."

Many singers have interpreted this song over the years - among the best were Nina Simone and (perhaps) Edith Piaf.

My absolute favorite, however, is Dietrich who - in my biased opinion - makes all others pale in comparison.

Also - for some incredibly strange reason - I prefer this song sung in German rather than the original French.

 


Note: your kind comments on my previous post meant a lot. Thanks!

(video is best viewed full-screen) 

22 comments:

  1. Please don't go away..... how I loved that ending. Okay, you made the eyes water as they always do when hearing this song. Edith Piaf knew how to makes my eyes wet!

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    1. I love that ending, too, Valerie, and if your eyes watered my video was a success. Dietrich enhanced that song with such tender emotion. Edith Piaf was certainly another singer whose passion and emotion could be heartbreaking.

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  2. My Dad had a couple Marlene Dietrich songs. I have the recordings. With nothing to play them on of course. I since have found them on CD. I love hearing her voice...most times dark, and brooding sounding. All the songs are in German. I have no idea what they're about, but I listen anyway.

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    1. You're very fortunate to have those recordings. When Dietrich sings in German, the effect is so intoxicating that it really doesn't matter what the words are.
      I have also heard her sing a few songs in French, but it was so long ago that I can't remember what they were.

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  3. i heard rod mckuen sing this years ago in english. beautifully haunting. thanks for starting off my day with this wonderful version. loved it and your video. you so eloquently described your mindset. it's raining here now, though it started off as snow. take care. i love reading your posts. many times they coincide with what's happening to me. i am a nightowl by nature and find the night intoxicating.

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    1. I knew that Rod McKuen sang this, but I never heard it. Perhaps I can find it on YouTube.
      Night owls are very special people. I've been nocturnal as long as I can remember. I only seem to be alive between the hours of dusk and dawn. It means a lot to know that my words touched you. They truly come from my heart. I'm hesitant to incorporate my poetic soul into my blog too often - for fear that it might turn some people off.
      Anyway, take care - and I hope your Thanksgiving will be peaceful.

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  4. Stunning video, Jon! Not only the song, but the images as well. She delivers a song with such passion and emotion, doesn't she? I was a huge fan of Marlene Dietrich, and have seen many documentaries on her life and career. As I'm sure you already know, she was a master at understanding lighting (highlights and low lights), so she had a lot of involvement in how she looked in both her photographs and films. She was always lit exquisitely!

    Just recently watched the movie, "Stage Fright." She was so good in that film. Loved Jane Wyman in that film as well.

    And speaking of Edith Piaf and Nina Simone, I so loved them as well. They both had such unique voices.

    Thanks for sharing, my friend. Have a super Sunday!

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    1. Thanks, Ron! I admittedly had no idea what to do when I started making this video, but suddenly I thought the theme of a rainy night would be appropriate. And it worked out.

      Dietrich was such a rare, mesmerizing personality - and it really comes across in her singing. Her emotions were incredible (and the same can be said of Piaf and Simone).

      Believe it or not, I don't recall ever having seen "Stage Fright". I'll see if I can find it on the Internet. The first Dietrich movie I ever saw was "Golden Earrings" - and she made one helluva great gypsy.

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  5. Tears! While I'm not overly fond of German (blame my paternal grandmother), this was beautiful. You may already know this … but saw something recently that compliments your post: "The Welsh have a word for being homesick for a place that no longer exists: Hiraeth." There's a Welsh group "Ar Log' who recorded a song by that name.

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    1. I studied German for several years in school and prefer the romantic (pre - Nazi) German. I think a German grandmother could probably be intimidating....

      I've never heard the Welsh word Hiraeth, but the meaning is very beautiful. I'll see if I can find Ar Log on YouTube. Thanks!

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  6. Such a melancholy song of sadness. I can't remember who was the first artist I heard sing this song but I know it was in English. Fits a dark, cold day.

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    1. I was really surprised at how many artists sang this song - but very few seem to have successfully captured the tender emotions. Ironically, I've never cared for Jacques Brel's rendition.

      I was suddenly reminded of this song because of the rainy night and my gloomy mood. And - for some strange reason - seeing this video again put me in a better frame of mind.

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  7. I love that song, but didn't realize there were so many versions. (retired French teacher, so I prefer the French version)

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    1. I'll have to agree that the original French is better. I suppose the German version is more suited to Dietrich's singing style and temperament. I was really surprised to learn that so many versions of this song existed.
      Thanks for stopping by, Margaret.

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  8. WOW on that video and the B&W images were just perfect as well. Thanks for sharing this, Jon, as I wasn't familiar with the song or this performance by Ms. Dietrich who did it so well, even if it's in German. The passion came through regardless. Today has been a dreary, rainy and cold day. This was a perfect tune for the mood I was in myself all afternoon. Hope things improve for both of us with the sun coming out this week

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    1. I had never heard of this song, until I happened to discover a recording of Dietrich singing it. It impressed me so much that I decided to make a video. I initially had no idea what I was going to do, but eventually decided a rainy night theme would be appropriate. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it.

      It's very chilly here and we're still getting rain, but I suppose it's preferable to the ice and snow. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

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  9. Jon, I agree - her interpretation of this song is simply the best (and I don't speak a word of German). The sweet regret in her voice sounds so genuine. Perfect song for a rainy night. And your video is brilliant. Was it difficult to create?

    Quentin Crisp wrote an excellent essay about Dietrich. He actually saw several of her great films when they were first released! I think the essay is in How To Go To The Movies? Or it might be in The Wit and Wisdom of Quentin Crisp? Anyway, it's one of the two...

    Another beautifully written post, Jon. I just hope the constant rain will show me some mercy tonight: I'm off to the store in a hurry. And I still have not found a lifeboat I can afford :-)

    Take good care!




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    1. Dylan, every time I make a video I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing (honest!). Miraculously it all eventually falls into place. I decided that a black and white rainy night theme would be appropriate - along with the great photos of Dietrich.
      I make all of my videos on an old version of Movie Maker, and it's fairly easy once you get the hang of it.

      I had no idea that Quentin Crisp wrote an essay about Dietrich - that would undoubtedly be fascinating! I'll have to check it out - thanks for telling me.

      I hope you didn't get drenched going to the store. It must be a challenge (to say the least) carrying groceries home in the rain. It rained here all weekend, and more rain is expected by Tuesday.
      Take care and stay dry.

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  10. Dear Jon, I first heard Brel sing "Ne Me Quitte Pas" in a PBS show of "Jaques Brel is Alive and Well..." in the late 1970s. I am entranced by every version, in every language, I heard it performed. Thank you for providing this one.

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  11. Hi, Geo - Dietrich's German rendition was the very first version I ever heard of this song. I had no idea it was originally in French until I did research. It is a very unique and special song, that seems to agreeably lend itself to many interpretations.
    I hope you and Norma have a peaceful Thanksgiving. Sending warm thoughts your way. Take care.

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  12. The black and white pictures go perfectly with the somber mood of the music. Perfect for a night of contemplation.

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  13. Black and white photos are often more impressive and powerful than color ones (I feel the same way about movies). I always enjoy making these videos.
    I hope your Thanksgiving will be filled with blessings (and good food!).

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