LOVE LOST

I can't let February 14, le jour de la fête de Saint-Valentin, go by without recommending Charles Aznavour's insinuatingly romantic and scathing love song, Tu t'laisses aller. Discovered in the 1940s by Edith Piaf, Aznavour, the son of Armenian immigrants, is venerated as the living classic French crooner the world over.

On a video I found, Aznavour gives a fine English introduction to his You've Let Yourself Go song  just before performing it. For translations to the song's most unsaccharine lyrics in two or three languages, click here. Don't be taken aback; it has a "By Jove, is the pastor preaching his sermon directly to me?"quality which, if nothing else, may inspire some reverent shaping up. No mushing around.

Interested in Azanour's biography? Look no farther.

Vocabulary
Tu t'laisses aller: You've let yourself go
chanson: song
jour: day
fête: celebration


Text & photo ©2011 P.B.Lecron