Special Songs Pt 3

This month’s special songs are two versions of one of the algid points in songwriter Michel Berger’s and legendary Quebecois lyricist Luc Plamondon’s 1976 spectacular opera rock Starmania. Even though the project was meant to be a stage show, strangely enough it was released as a recording in 1978, almost a year and a half before débuting in Paris’ Palais Des Congrès to enormous acclaim. In fact, the show became so popular that many of its songs have become classics, and made of exceptionally talented singer Daniel Balavoine a superstar. It also contributed to give new impulse to whiny-voiced sixties’ starlet France Gall’s career, who also happens to be Michel Berger’s muse :-S.



The plot of the story is nothing short of amazing, blending an innate sense of teenage rebelliousness with a detailed analysis of social phenomena such as totalitarianism, terrorism as a social response to economical, sexual and political discrimination, as well as the evils of industrialization. It also has plenty of intrigue, with unrequited love being the catalyst for the musical’s many tragedies! Needless to say, it’s awesome! :-)



But well, we were talking about songs! In 1992, an English version of the show was produced in collaboration with Tim Rice, and was released in the album Tycoon. The original cast of this English version couldn’t be better! La Grande Dion, the awesome Cyndi Lauper and the unique Nina Hagen all together in one recording! Sadly, the project never really took off and it has only been sporadically staged in Paris as a curiosity for those who have already seen the show a million times - which is downright criminal, because not only are the songs superb, but Tim Rice’s lyrics are unbelievably accomplished and adhere perfectly to traditional canons of poetry while still being accessible to all publics. I would go so far as to say that they are far superior to Plamondon’s, but then again that’s not difficult.



The song in question, Le Monde Est Stone/The World Is Stone, is considered by many of the Plamondon’s greatest lyrical accomplishments, combining his trademark robust simplicity with what is, surprisingly, an absolute sense of hopelessness that’s as universal as it is personal; simply put, the song manages to draw the listener in with the representation of a person’s despaired wandering through a hostile world that systematically preys on those who are vulnerable, and unites everyone in experiencing the feeling of perpetual and anguishing defenselessness that they convey. Tim Rice’s version, however, is much more complex, building successive layers of personal experience, vibrant agony, resentment and a mild form of social criticism (or maybe an accurate picture of the human condition) with impressive fluidity, turning the song into a true anthem.



In 1991, Céline Dion released her version of the song in the moderate hit album Dion Chante Plamondon, which was mainly composed of songs from Starmania. Cyndi’s version would not appear until a whole year later, as part of the failed project Tycoon. Personally, I have to say that I enjoy the English version much more (strangely enough - I never thought I'd be able to say this!), mainly because of the lyrics, but also because of the far better production and more passionate delivery. So finally, here you have both versions! I hope you enjoy them :-). but before we finish, remember to go to buy either the single or albums at Amazon.

Céline Dion – Le Monde Est Stone

Cyndi Lauper – The World Is Stone