Ne Me Quitte Pas

Maya Angela Smith is Professor of French in the French and Italian Studies Department at the University of Washington.

“Maya Angela Smith makes a persuasive case for ‘Ne me quitte pas’ as a cultural artifact that survives, travels, perpetuates itself across versions, languages, and audiences-one that is regularly translated and in turn translates its performers and audiences, so that each version has its own autonomy in difference. This insightful book is for anyone who has needed music as a source for transformation.” - Joshua Clover, author of (1989: Bob Dylan Didn't Have This to Sing About) “Ne me quitte pas takes the reader on an exciting and beautifully researched journey through the varied afterlives of Jacques Brel’s classic about lost love and despair. Maya Angela Smith’s compelling autobiographical narrative illuminates the song’s enduring relevance as it moves across the often impenetrable borders of race, gender, language, and nation.” - Kimberly Mack, author of (Fictional Blues: Narrative Self-Invention from Bessie Smith to Jack White) "Melding memoir, literary analysis, and cultural criticism, Smith creates a meditation on translation, adaptation, and appropriation. . . .  Incorporating literary and cultural theory, Smith considers how race and gender have factored into the performance and reception of the piece, as well as how its meaning has been changed by renditions in film, theater, drag performance, and even a Cirque du Soleil show. A discerning analysis." (Kirkus Reviews)

• Introduction  11. “Ne me quitte pas”: Jacques Brel Composes the Ultimate Breakup Song2. “Sorry about the Words, Y’all”: Nina Simone Covers Brel3. “We’ll Sail on the Sun”: Rod McKuen and Shirley Bassey Translate Hope in a Song about Despair4. From “Ne me quitte pas” to “If You Go Away”: Adapting Iconic Songs to Film and StageOutreAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex