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"Le Gorille" is a 1952 song by Georges Brassens, found on his album La Mauvaise Réputation.[1] It was also released as a single, with La Chasse Aux Papillons as B-side. [2][3]
| "Le Gorille" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Georges Brassens | |
| from the album La Mauvaise Réputation | |
| Released | 1952 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:36 |
| Label | Polydor |
| Composer(s) | Eugène Metehen |
| Lyricist(s) | Georges Brassens |
| La Mauvaise Réputation track listing | |
8 tracks A-side
B-side
| |
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The song describes how a group of women in a zoo observe the genitalia of a male gorilla. The animal suddenly escapes and all the women, except for a 100-year old lady, run away. This leads to the refrain of the song: "Gare au gorille!" ("Watch out for the gorilla!"). The gorilla, who is in heat, mistakes a judge in a black robe for a woman and rapes him. Brassens later reveals that this very same judge had sentenced a man to the guillotine earlier that day and now, just like the convicted criminal, screams in vain for mercy. [4]
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Le Gorille was very controversial at the time of its release. First of all because of its pornographic lyrics, but secondly also because it took a stance against the death penalty when it was still in effect in France. It was banned on all French radio stations. [5][6]
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Le Gorille has been covered and translated several times:
- Fabrizio De André covered it in Italian as Il Gorilla (1968) on his album Volume 3. [7]
- Yossi Banai covered it in Hebrew as הגורילה (Ha-Gorila). Dan Almagor covered it in the same language.
- Jake Thackray covered it in English as Brother Gorilla on his album Bantam Cock (1972). [8] [9]
- Franz Josef Degenhardt covered it in German as Vorsicht Gorilla (1986). [10]
- Le Gorille has been covered by French singer Renaud on his album Renaud chante Brassens (1996).
- Oulahlou covered it as Macahu, changing the gorilla with a donkey, the old lady with a young girl and the judge with a police officer. His song is a critique of the Algerian police force during the Black Spring.
- The Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny covered it as "Goryl".
- Swedish-Dutch songer Cornelis Vreeswijk covered it as Djävulens sång on his album Visor, svarta och röda (1972).
- Christos Thivaois covered it as Ο Γορίλλας ("The Gorilla").
- Joaquín Carbonell covered it in Spanish as "El Gorila" ("The Gorilla").
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