JE N'EN CONNAIS PAS LE FIN - JEFF BUCKLEY
- La Lena
- Sep 1, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 26, 2024
Singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, who managed only to release one album before his untimely passing, Grace, produced impeccable covers of pre-loved tracks. His collection Live at Sin-é, cultivated after his death in a Legacy Edition, contains what I believe to be his most heavenly homage yet , Je N'en Connais Pas le Fin.
Je n'en Connais Pas le Fin was originally sung by the renowned French singer Edith Piaf in 1939. Piaf's version has a far more upbeat tempo whilst still pertaining the moribund tone that will forever characterise this piece, no matter who sings it. It is a song of sorrow, arguably an elegy of summers past as Piaf reminisces carousel rides in Paris she misses so dearly. Buckley on the other hand, slows down the original and uses these muted finger-picking techniques to transport any listener into a charming nostalgia.
A common theme I've found with most of Buckley's covers is that he manages to rebirth songs. Buckley's version transforms worn-out and over-played originals into entirely unrecognisable and naturally, even more heart-wrenching listens. Take Leonard Cohen's 1984 Hallelujah for instance, a staple in modern day music, potentially one of the most popular songs ever written, yet Buckley's 1995 version elevates the piece to a completely different level. Cohen composed, so Buckley could transform. No one can doubt the popularity of the original Hallelujah, however, where Cohen talks of religious euphoria, Buckley serves it on a silver, oh so melodically charming platter. In a very similar way, Buckley is somehow able to mystically give chills to any listener of the new and improved Je N'en Connais Pas le Fin. It is the delicateness and fragility in his voice, the tenderness of his vocals as they tremble into the mic that make Jeff Buckley. Therefore, these songs aren't covers at all but Buckley's re-written, new-and-improved refurbishments to tired tracks.
Je N'en Connais Pas le Fin, a song originally fondly looking back on childhood memories at a fair, metamorphosises into this soul-touching piece of art that compels any listener to sway along to its soothing melody, all due to of Jeff Buckley's humble touch.
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