Is the same for you, I don't know. Songs with stories have a special and special place for me. I listen to these songs with different feelings and when I listen to them, their stories inevitably come to life.
One of the songs with the most interesting story among these kinds of songs is undoubtedly the song "Nathalie" by Gilbert Bécaud, one of the leading names in French music.
If you want to get to know Gilbert Bécaud a little first, Bécaud, born in 1927, is one of the most famous names of French music, nicknamed "mr 100 thousand volts" because of his unique movements and dances, magnificent stage performance and the energy he spent on the stage. During his life as a musician, he gave concerts in Olympia 33 times. Although he is identified with the song Nathalie, he has nearly four hundred songs, including famous songs such as 'L'important c'est la rose' and 'Et Maintenant'.
Let's get to Nathalie's story.
Gilbert Bécaud goes to Moscow for a concert. It is the era of the Soviet Union. A guide is given to the famous artist as it is given to every foreigner. At the same time, to see if it is dangerous for the country while touring the city. As you can imagine, the name of the guide is Nathalie.
In Moscow. Not being separated for even a moment, Nathalie conquers the musician's heart. Impressed by his guide, Gilbert Becaud wants to buy him a gift. But he cannot find a gift as he wants. When he returns to Paris he says "The best gift for Nathalie is a song" and the rest comes, anyway:
Red Square was empty and walking in front of me Nathalie
My guide had a beautiful name, Nathalie
Red Square was covered with a carpet of snow, it was white
I was listening to Natalie on that cold Sunday
He spoke of the October revolution in measured sentences,
To Café Pushkin after Lenin's grave
I thought we were going to have a hot chocolate already
Red Square was empty, grabbed his arm, he smiled
She had blonde hair, my guide
Nathalie, Nathalie.
The interesting thing is that although Bécaud mentioned "Café Pushkin", there is no such place in Moscow, actually. When the song became famous and started to be played everywhere and to circulate in the languages, those who went to Moscow especially asked about this cafe. "Cafe Pushkin?" As the number of people asking this question increases, the cafe opens in a three-storey building on Pushkin Street and near the Pushkin Monument.
There is also a rumor about this. When all foreigners coming to Moscow start asking about Cafe Pushkin, Party leaders question the Moscow Mayor.
- Yes, Comrade President. There was Café Pushkin in Moscow. Tell me, where is this Café Pushkin?
- No, sir. Don't be fooled by foreigners asking about this Cafe. There is absolutely no such cafe.
- There's no such cafe, you mean. All right. It will be after that, then. Is that clear?
Although its name gives the impression that it is a café, Café Pushkin is actually the most elegant and expensive restaurant in Moscow today, serving classic Russian cuisine. As if it has been there for years. It's like saying, "That song was written here, this is the cafe where love happened".
It is also interesting that Bécaud chose Pushkin as an image in his song. As it is known, Pushkin, the great poet of Russian Literature, was seriously injured in a duel with George Charles d'Anthes, one of the best marksmen of the army, at the risk of death for his beloved Nathalie, whom he persuaded to marry after long pursuit, and two days later, at the age of 38, he lost his life. has lost.
Who knows, maybe Bécaud especially chose Pushkin, the cafe, imagining that they once wandered around with his guide Nathalie and his lover, nathalie; He wanted to identify the love and longing he felt for Nathali with the love of Pushkin.
So or not. Love turns into stories; Stories to songs too. While stories of love form the heart of music, they continue to give life to spaces.