Bruxelles je t’aime by Angèle

Published by Lyrical Language on January 13, 2022January 13, 2022

“Bruxelles je t’aime” is a single by Belgian singer Angèle. In it, Angèle speaks of her love of and longing for her home region of Brussels. Though she now lives in Paris, she was born in Uccle, one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region. Released in October of 2021, it appears on her second studio album Nonante-Cinq. This week it is number 6 on the French radio hits chart and number 12 on the French singles chart.

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Cultural References, Idioms and Explanations

Idioms and Grammatical Explanations

‘faire la fête’ – This phrase means ‘to party’ or ‘to celebrate’. It would translate literally as ‘to do the party’.

‘manquer à’ – This prepositional verb is used to express that one person misses someone or something. In this construction the person or item being missed is the subject of the sentence and the person doing the missing is the object. Taking an example from this song, ‘mon pays et ma ville me manquent’ means ‘I miss my country and my city’, but would translate literally as ‘my country and my city are missing to me’. The verb ‘manquer’ is translated in the third person plural in agreement with ‘mon pays et ma ville’, and the concept of ‘I’ is brought into the sentence with the indirect object ‘me’. We could also say ‘son pays et sa ville manquent à Angèle’.

‘je vais mieux’ – In French the verb ‘aller’, meaning ‘to go’, can be used to discuss how someone is doing. For example, a common question ‘comment vas-tu ?’ meaning ‘how are you?’ triggers a response such as ‘je vais bien’ meaning ‘I’m doing well’. So this phrase means ‘I do better’ or ‘I feel better’, rather than the literal meaning of ‘I go better’.

‘ne … que’ – This is a common form of negation. Used in the same way as ‘ne … pas’ (sandwiched around the verb), it means ‘only’.

‘d’habitude’ – This phrase means ‘usually’ or ‘normally’. It would translate literally as ‘of habit’.

‘devoir’ – The verb ‘devoir’ means ‘should’ or ‘must’. However, the phrase ‘devoir [something] à [someone] means ‘to owe [something] to [someone]’.

‘se séparer’ – The verb ‘séparer’ means ‘to separate’ or ‘to divide’ when the subject is acting on someone or something else. The reflexive form ‘se séparer’ means ‘to separate’, ‘to split up’ or ‘to break up’, and is used when the subject is part of the group being separated.

‘avoir à faire’ – This phrase means ‘to have to do’, and carries the same literal meaning.

‘choisir un camp’ – This phrase means ‘to choose a side’. It would translate literally as ‘to choose a camp’, or ‘to use a faction’.

Cultural References

‘Bruxelles’ – This is the French name for Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. It is Belgium’s largest municipality and hosts a number of principal EU institutions. Angèle was born in Uccle, one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, known for its community of French immigrants.

‘Beaubourg’ – This is an area in Paris’s 4th arrondissement. This term is also used to refer to the Pompidou Centre, a building found in the area which houses the Bibliothèque publique d’information (Public Information Library), the Musée National d’Art Moderne and the Institut de recherche et coordination acoustique/musique (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) or IRCAM.

‘Seine’ – This is a river in northern France that starts at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon, flows through Paris and finishes in the English Channel at Le Havre.

‘la ville d’amour’ – Meaning ‘the city of love’, this is a common nickname for the city of Paris, France.

‘avec des bières’ – Belgium is a prominent beer-producing country, and its beers are popular worldwide.

‘On n’a pas la plus longue de toutes les histoires’ – This phrase likely makes reference to the fact that Belgium is relatively young among European countries, having declared independence in 1830.

‘On n’a pas toujours gagné’ – This could be a reference to Belgium’s loss to France in the 2018 World Cup semi-final.

‘Les Marolles’ – This is a popular historic neighborhood in downtown Brussels.

‘Flagey’ – This is a reference to Place Eugène Flagey, a square in the municipality of Ixelles, one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, which is located south-east of the Brussels city center. Ten roads converge at the square, which is named after a former mayor of Ixelles.

‘Saint-Gilles’ – This is another of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region. It is a trendy and multicultural district located in the south of the region and bordering the City of Brussels.

‘Laeken’ – This is a suburb in the north-western part of the City of Brussels. It is home to the Atomium, seen in this video.

‘Atomium’ – While not mentioned in the lyrics, we see a Brussels landmark in this video that I thought I would highlight. It is the structure that is first seen inside the snowglobe at 0:36, then again at the end of the video, it is the structure Angèle is standing next to from 3:40 through the end of the song. This is the Atomium, a building located on the Heysel Plateau in Laeken. Originally built for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, it now serves as a museum and art center.

‘à qui je dois mon nom’ – Angèle’s full name is Angèle Van Laeken. In Dutch and Flemish, ‘van’ means ‘of’ or ‘from’, so Angèle’s full name translates to ‘Angèle from Laeken’.

‘Et si un jour elle se sépare et qu’on ait à choisir un camp / Ce serait le pire des cauchemars, tout ça pour une histoire de langues’ – Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. The country is divided into three regions, namely Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north, French-speaking Wallonia to the south and the Brussels-Capital Region, which is officially bilingual in French and Dutch, although French is the dominant language. There is also a German-speaking community to the east. These two lines make allusion to the fact that disagreements are common between the different language groups, and over the years separatist movements have arisen seeking to divide the country by linguistic area.

‘flamand’ – This is the French name for the Flemish language, a dialect of Dutch spoken in Belgium.

Activities

We’ve created flashcards, games, and exercises to practice vocabulary and grammatical concepts found in this song. Check out our Activities Page to take your learning further!

Song Lyrics with Grammatical Breakdown

Mouse over a term for grammatical information. A chart of the terms and grammatical information can be found here.

Bruxelles je t’aime

[Verse 1]

[Pre-Chorus 1]

[Chorus]

[Post-Chorus]

[Verse 2]

[Pre-Chorus 2]

[Chorus]

[Post-Chorus]

[Bridge]

[Chorus]

[Post-Chorus]

Lyrics with Translation

Songs in any language often leave room for multiple interpretations. Following is my interpretation of the song lyrics.

Bruxelles je t’aime
Brussels I love you

[Verse 1]
On n’a pas les tours de New York, on n’a pas de lumière de jour
We don’t have the towers of New York, we don’t have daylight
Six mois dans l’année
Six months of the year
On n’a pas Beaubourg ni la Seine, on n’est pas la ville de l’amour
We don’t have Beaubourg or the Seine, we’re not the city of love
Mais bon, vous voyez
But well, you see

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Et sûrement que dès ce soir le ciel couvrira une tempête
And surely starting tonight the sky will cover a storm
Mais après l’orage, avec des bières, les gens feront la fête
But after the storm, with beers, people will party

[Chorus]
Bruxelles, je t’aime, Bruxelles, je t’aime
Brussels, I love you, Brussels, I love you
Tu m’avais manqué
I had missed you
Bruxelles, je t’aimе, Bruxelles, je t’aimе
Brussels, I love you, Brussels, I love you
T’es ma préférée
You’re my favorite
Bruxelles, je t’aime, Bruxelles, je t’aime
Brussels, I love you, Brussels, I love you
Tu m’avais manqué
I had missed you
T’es la plus belle, oui, t’es la plus belle
You’re the most beautiful, yes, you’re the most beautiful

[Verse 2]
On n’a pas la plus longue de toutes les histoires
We don’t have the longest of all the histories
On le sait, on n’a pas toujours gagné
We know it, we haven’t always won
Et d’habitude, j’ai l’attitude, même si c’est dur de garder espoir
And usually, I have the right attitude, even if it’s hard to keep hope
Quand on n’est pas les premiers
When we’re not number one

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Les Marolles, Flagey, Saint-Gilles, Laeken, à qui je dois mon nom
Marolles, Flagey, Saint-Gilles, Laeken, to which I owe my name

[Bridge]
Et si un jour elle se sépare et qu’on ait à choisir un camp
And if one day it splits up and we have to choose a side
Ce serait le pire des cauchemars, tout ça pour une histoire de langues
It would be the worst of nightmares, all for a matter of languages
J’ai vécu mes plus belles histoires en français et en flamand
I have lived my most beautiful stories in French and Flemish
Laat me het zeggen in het Vlaams, dank je Brussel voor m’n naam
Let me say it in Flemish, thank you Brussels for my name
Et si un jour elle se sépare et qu’on ait à choisir un camp
And if one day it splits up and we have to choose a side
Ce serait le pire des cauchemars, tout ça pour une histoire de langues
It would be the worst of nightmares, all for a matter of languages
J’ai vécu mes plus belles histoires en français et en flamand
I have lived my most beautiful stories in French and Flemish
Laat me het zeggen in het Vlaams, dank je Brussel
Let me say it in Flemish, thank you Brussels

[Post-Chorus]
Paris m’appelle quand je veux rentrer chez moi
Paris calls me when I want to go home
Quand le ciel gris et la pluie me manquent, je vais mieux quand j’te vois
When I miss the grey sky and the rain, I feel better when I see you
Les villes sont belles, mais moi je ne pense qu’à toi
The cities are beautiful, but I only think of you
Quand mon pays et ma ville me manquent, moi je ne t’oublie pas
When I miss my country and my city, I don’t forget you
Paris m’appelle quand je veux rentrer chez moi
Paris calls me when I want to go home
Quand le ciel gris et la pluie me manquent, je vais mieux quand j’te vois
When I miss the grey sky and the rain, I feel better when I see you
Les villes sont belles, mais moi je ne pense qu’à toi
The cities are beautiful, but I only think of you
Quand mon pays et ma ville me manquent, moi je ne t’oublie pas
When I miss my country and my city, I don’t forget you

Grammatical Concepts Used in this Song

Possessive Adjectives:
- T’es ma préférée
- Quand mon pays et ma ville me manquent, moi je ne t’oublie pas
- Les Marolles, Flagey, Saint-Gilles, Laeken, à qui je dois mon nom
- J’ai vécu mes plus belles histoires en français et en flamand

Object Pronouns:
- Bruxelles, je t’aime, Bruxelles, je t’aime
- Tu m’avais manqué
- Paris m’appelle quand je veux rentrer chez moi
- Quand le ciel gris et la pluie me manquent, je vais mieux quand j’te vois
- Quand mon pays et ma ville me manquent, moi je ne t’oublie pas
- On le sait, on n’a pas toujours gagné

Disjunctive Pronouns:
- Les villes sont belles, mais moi je ne pense qu’à toi
- Quand mon pays et ma ville me manquent, moi je ne t’oublie pas

Reflexive Pronouns:
- Et si un jour elle se sépare et qu’on ait à choisir un camp

Irregular Verbs:
- avoir:
  - On n’a pas les tours de New York, on n’a pas de lumière de jour
  - On n’a pas Beaubourg ni la Seine, on n’est pas la ville de l’amour
  - On n’a pas la plus longue de toutes les histoires
  - On le sait, on n’a pas toujours gagné
  - Et d’habitude, j’ai l’attitude, même si c’est dur de garder espoir
  - J’ai vécu mes plus belles histoires en français et en flamand
- être:
  - On n’a pas Beaubourg ni la Seine, on n’est pas la ville de l’amour
  - Et d’habitude, j’ai l’attitude, même si c’est dur de garder espoir
  - Quand on n’est pas les premiers
  - T’es ma préférée
  - T’es la plus belle, oui, t’es la plus belle
  - Les villes sont belles, mais moi je ne pense qu’à toi
- voir:
  - Mais bon, vous voyez
  - Quand le ciel gris et la pluie me manquent, je vais mieux quand j’te vois
- vouloir:
  - Paris m’appelle quand je veux rentrer chez moi
- aller:
  - Quand le ciel gris et la pluie me manquent, je vais mieux quand j’te vois
- savoir:
  - On le sait, on n’a pas toujours gagné
- devoir:
  - Les Marolles, Flagey, Saint-Gilles, Laeken, à qui je dois mon nom
Stem-Changing:
- appeler (l > ll):
  - Paris m’appelle quand je veux rentrer chez moi

Reflexive:
- Et si un jour elle se sépare et qu’on ait à choisir un camp

Future:
- Et sûrement que dès ce soir le ciel couvrira une tempête
- Mais après l’orage, avec des bières, les gens feront la fête

Imperfect:
- Tu m’avais manqué

Passé Composé:
- On le sait, on n’a pas toujours gagné

Conditional:
- Ce serait le pire des cauchemars, tout ça pour une histoire de langues

Plus-que-parfait:
- Tu m’avais manqué

Subjunctive:
- Et si un jour elle se sépare et qu’on ait à choisir un camp

Bruxelles je t’aime by Angèle

Cultural References, Idioms and Explanations

Idioms and Grammatical Explanations

Cultural References

Activities

Song Lyrics with Grammatical Breakdown

Lyrics with Translation

Grammatical Concepts Used in this Song

La Recette by Slimane

Toi tu pars by Céphaz

Tu t’en iras by La Zarra

Bruxelles je t’aime by Angèle

Cultural References, Idioms and Explanations

Idioms and Grammatical Explanations

Cultural References

Activities

Song Lyrics with Grammatical Breakdown

Lyrics with Translation

Grammatical Concepts Used in this Song

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