My first shazam was a Stromae banger, Alors On Danse. I was at a red light hoping Shazam would find the tune before I had to drop my phone and drive. Success! Great beat, gorgeous voice, and content that made me feel something – all the more as I translated from the French. Someone on Youtube wrote, “Guy writes one of the most genius cynical takes about the false relief of clubbing. Ironically becomes one of the biggest club hits.” Exactly.
A grapheme-color synesthete friend who sees her letters in specific colors instantly recognized Stromae’s rearrangement of MAESTRO. Swoon. I love synesthesia and spoonerisms and wordplay. With Stromae’s song Formidable, my interest grew. Another irony… this drunken break-up song is itself formidable, but the situation surely isn’t.
Recently, I went to Brussels for the European Writers Salon’s planning session. A dozen writers toured the city, pausing at Place Louise where Stromae filmed his 2013 Formidable video. Being there brought the song to life. But Formidable is not the Stromae song I’m recommending. I’m recommending Papaoutai.
When Stromae was only nine, his architect father was killed in the Rwandan genocide, having returned there from Brussels to visit family. Terrible timing, devastating outcome. Losing one’s father, through any mechanism, shatters the kid – even an adult kid. It’s something I explore in my writing.
Stromae’s public performances have slowed lately. A bad reaction to a malaria vaccine causes him debilitating anxiety. His song Enfer sheds light on this. In fact, his art often focuses on health issues now – the song Quand C’est, for instance, with its mimicry of the French pronunciation of “cancer.” Powerful stuff. A friend from Brussels said she sees him with his son in the park, kicking a ball around, and he’s just the loveliest guy. I believe it. And an incredible talent. Google for a link to his videos.
— or—
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiKj0Z_Xnjc
— Nancy Freund has pieces in Fictive Dream, Citron Review, Takahe, Bending Genres, Hobart, Largehearted Boy, Splonk, Ekphrastic Review, and SoFloPoJo. She’s been nominated for Best Small Fiction (2022) and Best Microfiction (2023). She’s currently writing a novel featuring chronic illness/type one diabetes. She has UCLA and Cambridge creative writing degrees
You can read Nancy Freund's story "String Beans" in Issue 302 Winter 2024. Order the issue now:
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