a cover of Leonard Cohen's The Partisan, originally composed by Anna Marly (1917-2006), lyrics by Emmanuel d'Astier de La Vigerie and Hy Zaret.
I wanted to go for a more dystopian, "Blade Runner" style version, with some inspiration from Ryuichi Sakamoto in some of the textures and sounds used.
Sequential Prophet 6 - all synthesizers
EVH Tribute "Eddie" strat - all guitars
recorded in one day, July 22, 2021
__________________________
On the cover by Leonard Cohen:
"This song is an adaptation made by Hy Zaret of “La Complainte du Partisan” written in 1943, by Emmanuel D'Astier de la Vigerie (called “Bernard” in the French Resistance) and Anna Marly. Some of the original French is kept on the second half of the song;
On the 2009 Greatest Hits compilation textbook, Leonard wrote about this song:
I learned this from a friend when I was 15. He was 17. His father was a union organizer. We were working at a camp in Ste.Marguerite, Quebec. We sang together every morning, going through The People’s Song Book from cover to cover. I developed the curious notion that the Nazis were overthrown by music"
lyrics
When they poured across the border
I was cautioned to surrender
This I could not do;
I took my gun and vanished
I have changed my name so often
I've lost my wife and children
But I have many friends
And some of them are with me
Un vieil homme dans un grenier
Pour la nuit nous a caché
Les Allemands l'ont pris;
Il est mort sans surprise
There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
But I must go on;
The frontiers are my prison
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come;
Then we'll come from the shadows
credits
released July 23, 2021
guitars, synthesizers, programming, arrangement, vocals - m. ryszka
lyrics by Emmanuel d'Astier de La Vigerie and Hy Zaret
cover photograph - John Topham, of Simone Segouin during the liberation of Paris, in 1944.
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