Rod McKuen
一位多才多藝的作家藝人, 他能編寫, 撰曲, 演唱, 彈奏至監製, 又是出名的詩人, 曾被多次提名「奧斯卡 Oscar」與「普列玆 Pulitzer」獎項, 亦曾奪得「格蘭美 Grammy Award」,「金球獎 Golden Globe Award」。
1933年生於美國加州, 奧克蘭, 自小與母親和繼父同住, 繼父是一名暴力狂的酒徒, 令致他十一歲時要離家出走, 沿自美國西岸漂泊, 開始以牧場童工維生, 至青年時仍刻苦工作, 繼而任職不同行業, 如測量員, 鐵路工人, 伐木工人, 牧場馴牛, 特技演員和電台唱片騎師等。無論甚麽職業, 處於何時何地, 他總不停寄錢給母親加以照顧。
成長時期, 為了彌補他缺乏正規的教育, 他開始寫日記, 這導致他撰寫第一本詩集和一些歌詞。韓戰期間, 曾任一家報紙的專欄作家; 及後在三藩市定居, 在當地他開始民歌手的演唱生涯。隨著唱歌的日子, 他將自己撰寫的歌曲加諸演唱事業當中; 幾年後, 他簽了給 Decca Record 為歌手和参加一些電影的演出, 繼而加入樂隊 Lionel Hampton's Band 任主歌手。1959年初, 搬到紐約市, 任職 CBS 電視台音樂節目的編導監製。
1960年, 他遷往法國居住, 在當地初遇比利時創作歌手 Jacques Brel, 一見如故, 並喜歡他的法文歌曲, 開始把它編譯成英文。"Ne me quitte pas" (Don't leave me) 是 Jacques Brel 1959年的作品, 亦是第一首他給 Brel 的作品編譯成英文的歌曲。法文版本被翻唱很多之外, 英文版本 "If You Go Away" 面世至今, 仍不停被很多知名的歌手翻唱, 不同演譯, 多不勝數, 因此被大多數歌迷誤會這是 Rod McKuen 的作品, 但他可算是把 Jacques Brel 的法文歌曲, 帶進英語系國家的「伯樂」。
Ne me quitte pas - Jacqued Brel
Jacques Brel, 一位集編撰, 作曲, 唱, 奏, 演, 導於一身的藝人, 他的作品遍及世界的歌, 影, 視界。除法語國家外, 他的作品被不少歐美名歌手藝人以英語或其他語言翻唱演譯。1978年 Jacques Brel 因肺癌病逝法國巴黎, 遣體安葬於法屬的 Marquesas Island, 終年49歲。
JACQUES BREL 1929 - 1978
Rod McKuen: " 當聽到 Brel 去世的噩耗, 我躲進房裡整個星期, 以酒來度日 ! "
IF YOU GO AWAY / NE ME QUITTE PAS - Rod McKuen
Ne me quitte pas
Il faut oublier
Tout peut s'oublier
Qui s'enfuit déja
Oublier le temps
Des malentendus
Et le temps perdu
A savoir comment
Oublier ces heures
Qui tuaient parfois
A coups de pourquoi
Le coeur du bonheur
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
If you go away
But if you stay, I'll make you a day
Like no day has been or will be again
I'll sail on your smile, I'll ride on your touch
I'll talk to your eyes that I love so much
But if you go, go! Go, I won't cry
Though the good is gone from the word goodbye
If you go away, ne me quitte pas, if you go away, ne me quitte pas
If you go away, as I know you will
You must tell the world to stop turning
'Til you return again, if you ever do
For what good is love without loving you?
Can I tell you now, as you turn to go
I'll be dying slowly 'til the next hello?
If you go away, if you go away, ne me quitte pas, if you go away
But if you stay, I'll make you a night
Like no night has been or will be again
We'll sail the sun, we'll ride on the rain
We'll talk to the trees and worship the wind
Then if you go, I'll understand
Leave me just enough love to fill up my hand
If you go away, if you go away, ne me quitte pas, if you go away
If you go away, as I know you must
There'll be nothing left in the world to trust
Just an empty room, full of empty space
Like the empty look I see on your face
I'd have been the shadow of your dog divide
Thought it might have kept me by your side
If you go away, if you go away, ne me quitte pas
Please, don't go away.
Ne me quitte pas
Il faut oublier
Tout peut s'oublier
Qui s'enfuit déja
Oublier le temps
Des malentendus
Et le temps perdu
A savoir comment
Oublier ces heures
Qui tuaient parfois
A coups de pourquoi
Le coeur du bonheur
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
If you go away
But if you stay, I'll make you a day
Like no day has been or will be again
I'll sail on your smile, I'll ride on your touch
I'll talk to your eyes that I love so much
But if you go, go! Go, I won't cry
Though the good is gone from the word goodbye
If you go away, ne me quitte pas, if you go away, ne me quitte pas
If you go away, as I know you will
You must tell the world to stop turning
'Til you return again, if you ever do
For what good is love without loving you?
Can I tell you now, as you turn to go
I'll be dying slowly 'til the next hello?
If you go away, if you go away, ne me quitte pas, if you go away
But if you stay, I'll make you a night
Like no night has been or will be again
We'll sail the sun, we'll ride on the rain
We'll talk to the trees and worship the wind
Then if you go, I'll understand
Leave me just enough love to fill up my hand
If you go away, if you go away, ne me quitte pas, if you go away
If you go away, as I know you must
There'll be nothing left in the world to trust
Just an empty room, full of empty space
Like the empty look I see on your face
I'd have been the shadow of your dog divide
Thought it might have kept me by your side
If you go away, if you go away, ne me quitte pas
Please, don't go away.
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