Annie Cordy - a 1952 song - A Compostelle

[Kathar1na]

Annie Cordy, a Belgian actress and singer and "one of the French-speaking world’s best-loved musical comedy performers" according to USA Today, died at the age of 92 on September 4, 2020. I recently discovered her song "A Compostelle". It is a charming little song from a different time. Not a pilgrimage song as such but it mentions many of the ingredients: the "grande route to Compostelle", some young and some not so young marching on the way to Compostela, walking in the footsteps of pilgrims of old, the good sir Saint James watching over them from heaven above, looking for international friendship ☺ ...

Apart from just enjoying this song that was released on shellac in the year 1952 and made me smile, it reminded me of the fact that Saint James/Saint Jacques and the Pilgrimage Road to Santiago de Compostela had always been present in the memory of French and Belgian culture throughout the centuries, even when next to nobody walked it.

The lyrics of the song are here.

 

[miguel_gp]

@Kathar1na, what a great find!

Lyrics translated by Google

On the main road to Compostela,
There's a girl counting her steps.
What are you doing miss
Why are you walking like this?

Pilgrims from old Compostela
Are you looking to regain the pace? Are you faithful to the good St. James
To walk this step.

No sir, no sir,
She replies laughing at the outbursts,
No sir, no sir,
But I am learning to dance the samba.

On the main road to Compostela,
The attentive air she takes back the step,
The good St. Jacques from the sky,
To help him count one, two, three.

She is charming the young lady,
And the gentleman would like my time,
On the main road to Compostela,
Know her better than that.

But as soon as he wants to get closer to her,
Backwards she quickly takes a step.
Alas, I can see Miss
How you are laughing at me!

No sir, no sir,
Do not imagine especially this,
No sir, no sir,
But I insist on finding this step.

All out of breath, my heart full of zeal,
The gentleman makes voice effects,
To capture the attention of his beautiful,
But she doesn't listen to him.

Because on the road to Compostela,
A beautiful boy is coming soon
And the man sees the young lady
Loving to extend his arms to him.

It's Juanito, what happiness she says,
Tonight he will only invite me.
We will go to the ball in Compostela
To dance the samba there.

Yes sir, yes sir,
You seem to have not understood this,
Yes sir, yes sir,
It was for him that I was learning this step.

On the main road to Compostela,
The attentive air and counting his steps,
The gentleman to please the young ladies
Soon learns samba.

 

[Harington]

Annie Cordy, a Belgian actress and singer and "one of the French-speaking world’s best-loved musical comedy performers" according to USA Today, died at the age of 92 on September 4, 2020. I recently discovered her song "A Compostelle". It is a charming little song from a different time. Not a pilgrimage song as such but it mentions many of the ingredients: the "grande route to Compostelle", some young and some not so young marching on the way to Compostela, walking in the footsteps of pilgrims of old, the good sir Saint James watching over them from heaven above, looking for international friendship ☺ ...

Apart from just enjoying this song that was released on shellac in the year 1952 and made me smile, it reminded me of the fact that Saint James/Saint Jacques and the Pilgrimage Road to Santiago de Compostela had always been present in the memory of French and Belgian culture throughout the centuries, even when next to nobody walked it.

The lyrics of the song are here.

Oh thank you for that. Takes me back!

 

[JLWV]

Un grand merci.
Je renvoie à ma collègue belge de l'AACS-CV
Jean-Luc

 

[Péricard-Méa Denise]

@Kathar1na, what a great find!

Lyrics translated by Google

On the main road to Compostela,
There's a girl counting her steps.
What are you doing miss
Why are you walking like this?

Pilgrims from old Compostela
Are you looking to regain the pace? Are you faithful to the good St. James
To walk this step.

No sir, no sir,
She replies laughing at the outbursts,
No sir, no sir,
But I am learning to dance the samba.

On the main road to Compostela,
The attentive air she takes back the step,
The good St. Jacques from the sky,
To help him count one, two, three.

She is charming the young lady,
And the gentleman would like my time,
On the main road to Compostela,
Know her better than that.

But as soon as he wants to get closer to her,
Backwards she quickly takes a step.
Alas, I can see Miss
How you are laughing at me!

No sir, no sir,
Do not imagine especially this,
No sir, no sir,
But I insist on finding this step.

All out of breath, my heart full of zeal,
The gentleman makes voice effects,
To capture the attention of his beautiful,
But she doesn't listen to him.

Because on the road to Compostela,
A beautiful boy is coming soon
And the man sees the young lady
Loving to extend his arms to him.

It's Juanito, what happiness she says,
Tonight he will only invite me.
We will go to the ball in Compostela
To dance the samba there.

Yes sir, yes sir,
You seem to have not understood this,
Yes sir, yes sir,
It was for him that I was learning this step.

On the main road to Compostela,
The attentive air and counting his steps,
The gentleman to please the young ladies
Soon learns samba.

Who is J. Blériot, the drawer of the first page ? Thank you for your answer

 

[Kathar1na]

Who is J. Blériot, the drawer of the first page ? Thank you for your answer

Welcome to the forum!

All I can find is the fact that J. Blériot is a graphic designer who illustrated numerous music partitions and record sleeves. They are signed with his name. Click on this link to view some examples. I am sorry to say that I could not find any other information about him through Google searches.