Comment te dire adieu? (song)
| "Comment te dire adieu?" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Françoise Hardy | |
| from the album Françoise Hardy | |
| B-side | "L'anamour"[1] |
| Released | 1968 |
| Genre | French pop |
| Label | Vogue |
| Writer(s) |
Serge Gainsbourg Arnold Goland Jack Gold |
"Comment te dire adieu?" (English: "How to Say Goodbye to You?") is a French adaptation of the song "It Hurts to Say Goodbye". It was recorded by Françoise Hardy in 1968[2] and remains one of Hardy's most popular songs.
Background
The song, originally called "It Hurts to Say Goodbye", was written by Arnold Goland and Jacob Gold and was recorded by Margaret Whiting on her album The Wheel of Hurt (1966).[3] It was also recorded by Vera Lynn in 1967; this version reached #7 in Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.[4][5] Hardy heard an American instrumental version of the song and her manager asked Serge Gainsbourg to provide suitable lyrics for it.[6] Gainsbourg's French adaptation of the original lyrics, "Comment te dire adieu?", was included on Hardy's 1968 album.[2] Hardy also recorded the song in Italian ("Il pretesto", 1968) and German ("Was mach' ich ohne dich", 1970; collected in the album Träume, 1970.) The lyrics are notable for their uncommon rhymes in "ex", within the subject of the song having a sense of "ex" as in "ex-boyfriend".
Jimmy Somerville version
| "Comment te dire adieu" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jimmy Somerville featuring June Miles-Kingston | ||||
| from the album Read My Lips | ||||
| B-side | "Tell the World" | |||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | London | |||
| Writer(s) |
Serge Gainsbourg Arnold Goland Jack Gold | |||
| Producer(s) | Pascal Gabriel | |||
| Jimmy Somerville featuring June Miles-Kingston singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1989 it was covered by former Bronski Beat singer Jimmy Somerville in a single featuring June Miles-Kingston. The song was a hit in the UK, reaching #14 on the UK singles chart, and helping Somerville's solo career take off.
Track listings
- 7" single
- "Comment te dire adieu (7" version) — 3:35
- "Tell the World" — 4:12
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| France[7] | Silver | 1990 | 200,000 |
Charts
| Chart (1989/90) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Mega Top 100[8] | 26 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart[8] | 3 |
| German Singles Chart[8] | 25 |
| Irish Singles Chart[9] | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart[10] | 14 |
Other cover versions
Apart from Jimmy Somerville, a number of artists have covered the song:
- Walter Wanderley, a Brazilian organist, recorded an instrumental cover of the song on his album Batucada (1967).
- Anni-Frid Lyngstad, later a member of Abba, recorded the song in Swedish as "Så synd du måste gå" (1969). It was collected on her album Anni-Frid Lyngstad (1972).
- Aida Vedishcheva, recorded the song in Russian language as "Моя мечта" in 1974.
- Hana Hegerová recorded the song in Czech as "Rýmováni o životě".
- Ilona Csáková also recorded a Czech version, "Jedno Tajemství", collected in Blízká i vzdálená (1999).
- Jane Birkin, collected on her album Versions Jane (1996).
- Taxi Girl's frontman Daniel Darc, collected on Sous influence divine (1987).
- Jun Togawa recorded a Japanese version, さよならをおしえて (Sayonara wo oshiete, literally "Tell me goodbye"; 1985).
- Scottish indie group Belle and Sebastian have performed the song live in concert.
- In 2003, the song was also covered in France by Annie and Valérie, two contestants of Star Academy 3 and included on the album Star Academy fait sa bamba.[11]
- in 2009 Amanda Lear recorded her version for her double-cd Brief Encounters.
- In 2012, Japanese singer Meg covered the song in French for her album La Japonaise.
References
- ↑ Serge Gainsbourg, biography, RFI Musique. Accessed on line May 7, 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
- ↑
- ↑ Vera Lynn - Billboard Singles, Allmusic. Accessed on line May 5, 2009.
- ↑
- ↑ p. 50, Serge Gainsbourg: a fistful of gitanes: requiem for a twister, Sylvie Simmons, Da Capo Press, 2002, ISBN 0-306-81183-9.
- ↑ French certifications Chartsinfrance.net (Retrieved October 3, 2008)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Comment te dire adieu", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved October 3, 2008)
- ↑ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved October 3, 2008)
- ↑ "Comment te dire adieu", UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved October 3, 2008)
- ↑ Star Academy fait sa Bamba, track listing and charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved October 3, 2008)
External links
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