Ne me quitte pas

In 1959, Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel wrote and performed Ne me quitte pas [Dont Leave Me], a visceral and haunting plea for his lover to come back. As a teenager, Maya Angela Smith was so captivated by Nina Simones powerful 1965 cover of the song that it inspired her to be a French professor. In Ne me quitte pas, Smith follows the classic songs long and varied journey, from Brels iconic 1966 performance on French television to Simones cover to Shirley Basseys English-language version [If You Go Away] to its contemporary manifestations in popular culture. Throughout, Smith shows that as the song travels across languages, geographies, genres, and generations, it accumulates shifting artistic and cultural significance as each listener creates their own meaning with it.