First Time Reaction Georges Brassens Les Copains D'Abord WOW! | Dereck Reacts

#firsttimereaction #georgesbrassens #lescopainsdabord
Hi all welcome back to another video Dereck Reacts back at it again! This time around we take a look at another first time reaction made possible Georges Brassens with "Les Copains D'Abord." Brassens tells a story of friends, in a folk music style. It's a great composition, but does it latch-on? See my react now!

* Video Requests?
Have a favorite video you would like me to react to?
Support my channel and get in your requests!

NEW Dereck Reacts Merchandise Available!
Grab cool gear today, all custom inspired designs made by me:

(Dereck Reacts) Follow me!

Want your own cool Custom Jersey like the one I'm sporting?
Get 10% off promo code: DERECK

* For auto-translations: Settings, English, Auto-Translate, Select Language.
------
Sub and make more requests like these here:

Subscribe to stay up-to-date on the latest from your favorite artists

Hit the notification bell to get instant new reactions as I roll them out!
------

*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS

17 U.S. Code § 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.

In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—
(1)the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2)the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3)the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4)the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)
------
#firsttimereaction #georgesbrassens #lescopainsdabord

[sylvainparise]

Derek, I agree with plenty of comments below. I'm french Guy, and I want to say to you, You're a great good and nice guy. You tried to understand this french artist (and others) with a large open Mind and big humility. Tk for that.
It's very difficult to understand this song and other lyric by this writer. Many french young people can't understand that because there are a lot of 'reference' and old french slang in this lyrics.
Big hug Derek.

[elchibrolito]

Unfortunately you'll never realize how rich and deep the lyrics/rhymes are if you are not a native french speaker. (and even some french can't)

[brunomathon]

Brassens is a monument in France. He is the last poet. He deals with subjects like love, death, freedom of thought, non-conformism ... Some of his songs have been covered in Jazz "Giant of jazz play Brassens". It's really good.

[connexionnature]

It's very difficult to understand the beauty of the texts, because je was a master of the french sense words. Anarchist, the Brassens lyrics were very polemics because very humoristic about power, and also very sensitive with songs like "il n'y a pas d'amour heureux " a text of Aragon, or "Les passantes" about women. Antimilitarist he works actively for pacifism, with his songs. He says of himself he was a artisan of song. A very humble man, with timidity, but all the fire in lyrics. Happy to see you Dereck. You were in holiday with Madonna 😁😄

[Nemerides]

Honestly, it's hard to get Brassens without knowing really well French, because he masters the language and the references. He is my favorite singer, and he was such a fantastic poet. He was anarchist, anticlericalist and antimilitarist. Today he's still a monument in France, though he died in 1981, and he is considered both a very good musician and poet, one of the best of French culture.

[proximstenvaag]

Lyrics meaning:
This song is an ode to friendship, comparison with a boat.

No it wasn't the raft From the Medusa, this boat Means: The Raft of the Medusa is a famous painting by Gericault which describes a shipwreck, a boat of adventures and big waters/
Let it be said at the bottom of the ports Say at the bottom of the ports
It sailed like a cushy father On the big duck pond And was called the Friends first Friends first
Means: it was a quiet boat of friends that was made more for hanging out than taking off

Its fluctuat nec mergitur It wasn't literature Means: it is the old motto of the city of Paris which is in Latin and means "She floats but does not sink", It means the guys sticking together in the tough times of their lives.
Displease to the spellcasters, His captain and his sailors Were not children of salauds But port-paid friends (fair, réglo) Friends first

They weren't luxury friends, Small Castor and Pollux, People of Sodom and Gomorrah, Sodom and Gomorrah, They weren't chosen friends By Montaigne and La Boétie On the stomach they hit hard Friends first
Means: they were neither friends by money, nor by culture, nor by worldliness, they were popular friends, he specifies neither homosexual (Sodom and Gomorrah)
They weren't angels either, The Gospel, they had not read it, But they loved each other, all sails out All sails out
Jean, Pierre, Paul and company It was their only litany, Their creed, their confiteor To friends first

At the slightest blow from Trafalgar (serious problem which come by surprise, like in Trafalgar battle) It was friendship that took the quarter It was it which showed them the north, Showed them the north (friendship like a compass)
And when they were in distress That their arms threw out S.O.S. It looked like the semaphores Friends first
At the Meeting of good friends There weren't often stood up When one of them was missing on board Is that he was dead
Yes, but never, big never, Her hole in the water never closed A hundred years later, rascal of fate It was still missing
Boats I took a lot But the only one that held up Who has never tacked, Sailed like a cushy father On the big duck pond And was called the Friends first, Friends first

[assassindelasaucisse.]

I have Slovak friend and a Argentinian friend who both (separatly) spend months mocking Brassens and our love for him.

Then as they started to speak and understand the language better they fell in love with him. His lyrics were everything.

[laetitiak]

Nice to see you back.
I am not too surprised that you don't enjoy that much Brassens. It is lots of play words and rhymes; I don't think a direct a translation could convey what us Frenches understand. It would probably need a deeper translation with English equivalents of those play words. Like some English songs that us Frenches cannot understand like you would :).

[tixien]

The point with this song is that the melody stays in your head like… forever:-) It was written for a movie (Les copains by Yves Robert) and its title includes a pun: Les copains d’abord / Les copains de bord, “bord” referring to being on a boat (or a plane, very close to English “on board”). Les copains d’abord is both the motto of this group of friends and the name of the boat. Brassens, who was from Sète, a city next to Montpellier, on the Mediterranean coast, was widely inspired by his own bunch of friends, with whom he frequently sailed.

By the way, although the melody might seem a bit simplistic, it is actually pretty difficult to play on a guitar (like most of Brassens song).

[laukushi]

Recently it was his 100th birthday !! Spend the time but Brassens is immortal !!!

[certharx]

I knew that some day you would tackle Brassens, and I knew you would not get it. And no one could whithout a real knowledge of french or a top notch translation.

Because Brassens is all about lyrics (even though his music is very respected amongst jazz players). His lyrics are so great that, to me, the simplicity of his music is perfect. More would belittle the words. Brassens is a poet first and only then a singer, songwriter. And he is considered one of the best french poets of all times. He is to be compared to the likes of Keats or Milton.

While I love Renaud Goldman or Gainsbourg, their lyrics really pale in comparison.

Anyways, I wholeheartedly thank you for your vids especially on french songs, you really do an excellent job at reprensenting our culture, but I am affraid that Brassens is out of reach.

[laurentpetitdesrues]

Tu as juste découvert le plus grand parolier français de tout les temps Dereck. Merci continue j'adore tes analyses.

[paulchapoy]

Welcome back Dereck!
This song is such a classic it should be mandatory when learning French:
Everything is the subtilities of the lyrics!
George Brassens was a very shy and very humble man, and thought he was not enough a good singer to sing his own songs, but then realised he had no other option and then had great success!

[maxouf]

Haha yes Brassens!! My father always used to say if someone wants to learn french he should definitely listen to GB.
Musically the arrangements are always the same (guitar solo or accompanied with bass. Edit: here there was orcherstra for the live performance, in his studio discs there is no drums/trumpet, etc), there is no specific singing performance, but all the power of his songs is in the lyrics, definitely wrote like poems.
Also this specific song doesn't have so particular item to develop as it was made just for a movie, but some other are very deep or very analytic about life, often with a lot of sarcasm, or as some Goldman's songs make a portrait of some people, etc.

[VKayed]

As others mentioned here, Brassens is all about lyrics, just as Jacques Brel, but in his own way (he's not as passionate on stage). Many puns and literary references: "Fluctuat nec mergitur" ("It rocks but does not sink"), motto of Paris city; Montaigne and La Boétie, both great French authors, the former of whom writing about their mutual friendship in the 16th century ("because he was he, because I was I"); Castor&Pollux the legendary Gemini... The song makes a point of praising some simpler kind of friendship, that of a gang of long time buddies, and takes the ship (boat) in "friendship" as a practical symbol.

[baptisteheraly]

Brassens was a model for Brel - it says everything about this monument. There is no better moment than taking a guitar and sing Brassens around a fireplace.

[lepetitbonhommerouge]

Yes ! Brassens ! Please listen to "l'Auvergnat" and "le gorille" and read the whole lyrics! It's one of the best french lyrics writer.
Really cool that you reacted to this old french artist

[klipfelguillaume]

Thank You.. Georges Brassens is an immense artist

[awagny]

Hi dereck, georges brassens was very good french singer, he sings another great songs "la chanson de l'auvergnat", "les sabots d'hélène", "les bancs publics", its very interesting songs, try another french singer of this years, Charles Aznavour, it was a great songs too.

[garryiglesias]

What I think about Georges Brassens ? He's simply my favorite "text song singer"... His texts were fantastics... With fun, emotions, love and poetry.

Ones of my favorite from him: "Les oiseaux de passage", "Les sabots d'Helene", "Aupres de mon arbre" (a Charles Trenet's favorite from Brassens), "La complainte des filles de joies", "Mon vieux Leon"... Too many...