Detective Story

Detective Story

November 24, 2019
Music

The other day I was listening to Serge Gainsbourg’s song La chanson de Prévert while paying attention to lyrics:

Cette chanson était la tienne
C’était ta préférée, je crois
Qu’elle est de Prévert et Kosma

I vaguely remembered that I was forced to learn one of Jacques Prévert’s poems back in my high school days, but “une chanson de Prévert et Kosma” didn’t ring any bells.

I’m no Maigret but Google is my friend so it didn’t take long to find out that the song was Les Feuilles mortes, composed back in 1945 by Joseph Kosma and Jacques Prévet and first played by Yves Montand. I listened to it, but didn’t seem familiar.

It was only when I listened to Edith Piaf’s bilingual version that the coined dropped: the English version, “Autumn Leaves” I’ve heard a thousand times. Probably the best known is Frank’s cover.

The English lyrics are signed by Johnny Mercer of “Moon river” fame.

Umberto Ecco was saying that every good story is about another story. Four songs latter I could paraphrase him and say that every good song is tied to another song.