Genre
Chanson française. The album showcases Barbara's typical compositional style: triple meter with a circle of fifths and sudden tempo accelerations, underpinned by her own piano accompaniment. The programme moves between intimate confessions of solitude and metaphorical treatments of historical memory and includes three of the most celebrated songs in the French chanson canon: "Le Mal de vivre," "Göttingen," and "Une petite cantate."
Release
Released in 1964 by Philips Records, France, under the title Barbara Nº 2 - the title "Le Mal de Vivre" was adopted later. Against all expectations, "Göttingen" and "Une petite cantate" proved the public's favourites, while the title track met with less immediate success. The album has since been recognised as Barbara's breakthrough into major recording and her first album of entirely original compositions.
Production
Produced by Claude DeJacques. Recording engineers were Jacques Collard and Jean-Claude Benard. Musicians included Michel Portal on clarinet, Joss Baselli on accordion, Pierre Nicolas on cello, and B. Gerard on violin, alongside Barbara herself on piano. All compositions are by Barbara.
Reception
Barbara signed her major recording contract with Philips in 1964, the year of this album's release - its success opened for Brassens at Bobino, and in 1965 "Barbara Chante Barbara" was awarded the Académie Charles Cros prize. "Göttingen" is said to have contributed more to post-war French-German reconciliation than any political speech; on the 40th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder quoted from the song at Versailles.
Barbara
Monique Andrée Serf (June 9, 1930, Paris – November 24, 1997, Neuilly-sur-Seine), known as Barbara, was a French singer-songwriter and pianist, one of the most singular and beloved figures in the history of chanson française. Born into a Jewish family that fled the Occupation during the war, she endured a difficult childhood before launching her career in small Paris clubs in the early 1950s. By 1963 she was multiplying performances at L'Ecluse and Bobino; 1964 was a major step - she released her first entirely original material. Her career produced iconic songs including "Dis, quand reviendras-tu?," "L'aigle noir," "Ma plus belle histoire d'amour," and "Nantes" - the latter a meditation on her father's death written in 1963 but held back until 1964. She was known for her theatrical presence, long black gowns, and the profound intimacy she established with her audiences. She received the Grand Prix de la SACEM in 1996
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