Jacques Brel is an iconic guide for singers in the French Chanson genre, with an immense following that has maintained his status as the most popular singer in France’s national heritage. This complete issue of his work in the period 1953-1962 was prepared by Olivier Julien, and it provides a new historical perspective of the hits by this singer from Brussels: his titles are performed here not only by Brel, but also by the artists who first discovered his songs, names such as Juliette Gréco, Yves Montand or Barbara. They show Brel’s feeling for words and his unrivalled gifts as a performer.