Le Gorille
{{Infobox song
|artist = Georges Brassens
|album = {{Ill|La Mauvaise Réputation|it|La Mauvaise Réputation}}
|genre = {{Hlist|French song|Children's music}}
|lyricist = Georges Brassens
|composer = Eugène Metehen
|released = 1952
|length = 3:36
|label = Polydor
| tracks = {{Hidden
| title = 8 tracks
| text =
A-side
- "La Mauvaise Réputation"
- "Le Parapluie"
- "Le Petit cheval"
- "Le Fossoyeur"
B-side
- "Le Gorille"
- "Corne d'aurochs"
- "La Chasse aux papillons"
- "Hécatombe"
}}}}
"Le Gorille" is a 1952 song by Georges Brassens, found on his album La Mauvaise Réputation.{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/release/405163-Georges-Brassens-1-La-Mauvaise-R%C3%A9putation | title=Georges Brassens - 1 - la Mauvaise Réputation | website=Discogs | year=1979 }} It was also released as a single, with La Chasse Aux Papillons as B-side. {{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/fr/master/1143462-Georges-Brassens-Et-Sa-Guitare-Le-Gorille-La-Chasse-Aux-Papillons | title=Georges Brassens et Sa Guitare - le Gorille / La Chasse Aux Papillons | website=Discogs | year=1952 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/9914680-Georges-Brassens-Et-Sa-Guitare-Le-Gorille-La-Chasse-Aux-Papillons | title=Georges Brassens et Sa Guitare - le Gorille / La Chasse Aux Papillons | website=Discogs | year=1956 }}
Lyrics
The song describes how a group of women in a zoo observe the genitalia of a male gorilla. The animal suddenly escapes and all the women, except for a 100-year old lady, run away. This leads to the refrain of the song: "Gare au gorille!" ("Watch out for the gorilla!"). The gorilla, who is in heat, mistakes a judge in a black robe for a woman and rapes him. Brassens later reveals that this very same judge had sentenced a man to the guillotine earlier that day and now, just like the convicted criminal, screams in vain for mercy. {{cite web | url=https://www.lepoint.fr/culture/comment-brassens-a-castre-son-gorille-27-10-2014-1875880_3.php#11 | title=Comment Brassens a castré son "Gorille" | date=27 October 2014 }}
Reception
Le Gorille was very controversial at the time of its release. First of all because of its pornographic lyrics, but secondly also because it took a stance against the death penalty when it was still in effect in France. It was banned on all French radio stations. {{cite web | url=https://www.rtbf.be/article/le-gorille-de-georges-brassens-critique-de-la-peine-de-mort-et-vision-erronee-de-l-homosexualite-11109969 | title='Le gorille' de Georges Brassens : Critique de la peine de mort et vision erronée de l'homosexualité }}{{cite web | url=https://www.lepoint.fr/culture/comment-brassens-a-castre-son-gorille-27-10-2014-1875880_3.php#11 | title=Comment Brassens a castré son "Gorille" | date=27 October 2014 }}
Covers
Le Gorille has been covered and translated several times:
- Fabrizio De André covered it in Italian as Il Gorilla (1968) on his album Volume 3. {{cite web | url=https://www.bide-et-musique.com/song/24676.html | title=Il Gorilla par Fabrizio de André }}
- Yossi Banai covered it in Hebrew as הגורילה (Ha-Gorila). Dan Almagor covered it in the same language.
- Jake Thackray covered it in English as Brother Gorilla on his album Bantam Cock (1972). {{cite web | url=https://jakethackray.com/lyrics-and-tabs/brother-gorilla/ | title=Brother Gorilla | the Official Jake Thackray Website }} {{cite web |url=http://www.jakethackray.com/content/view/20/32/ |title=Sleeve notes to 'Bantam Cock' (1972) |website=jakethackray.com |access-date=14 March 2009}}
- Franz Josef Degenhardt covered it in German as Vorsicht Gorilla (1986). {{cite news | url=https://www.zeit.de/1985/07/die-angst-vor-dem-naechsten-knall | title=ZEIT ONLINE | Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl | newspaper=Die Zeit | date=8 February 1985 | last1=Brunner | first1=Erwin }}
- Le Gorille has been covered by French singer Renaud on his album Renaud chante Brassens (1996).
- Oulahlou covered it as Macahu, changing the gorilla with a donkey, the old lady with a young girl and the judge with a police officer. His song is a critique of the Algerian police force during the Black Spring.
- The Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny covered it as "Goryl".
- Swedish-Dutch songer Cornelis Vreeswijk covered it as Djävulens sång on his album Visor, svarta och röda (1972).
- Christos Thivaois covered it as Ο Γορίλλας ("The Gorilla").
- Joaquín Carbonell covered it in Spanish as "El Gorila" ("The Gorilla").