He asks, don't leave me
Chanson is any song of this nature and I ran one a few days ago, "Sous Le Ciel De Paris" - Juliette Gréco (video). She would be known as a chanteuse (pronounce shahn-toozz) and I learned today the male equivalent is a chanteur.
The minimalism is highly attractive as in both videos there is only the singer in front of a black background. Perhaps the juniors dismiss this as 'emo' but what differentiates it for me is there isn't a hint of whininess in these songs. Even though Jacques Brel has lost someone he dearly loves, he still asks her not to leave him in a manly way. He had to have lost someone or why should he write the song.
What impresses me the most is the lack of grandstanding. Who cares who is the screechiest soprano as it's much more important to tell the story and even more important to tell it so people feel what it meant.
Likely the Mystery Lady would have been happiest as a chanteuse but that didn't stop her from bouncing off the ground when she did Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell." That one doesn't quite fit within the category of chanson but it was huge fun doing it.
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