Oh boy Dereck! That was a rough introduction to Diane Dufresne. As a Montrealer myself, let me assure you that she is a great and beloved artist. She started as a pop singer in the mid-60s and at some point stepped out of the box and never looked back. She is a singer, performance artist, actress, and a prolific painter. Her concerts were great events and you never knew what to expect. In fact, a few seconds after the clip you showed, she starts singing opera in German and a few minutes later another aria, this time in Italian. Like many great artists, she teeters on a fine line between genius and insanity. As great an artist as Madame Dufresne is, she is not really the right style for your channel, however, I want to thank you for your delicate and respectful reaction. Your openness and curiosity are why I like you and your videos.
First of all, it is essential to understand the text of the song. Diane Dufresne's interpretation of it is masterful. Belmont Park was an old amusement park in Montreal until the 1980s. She interprets a person who recounts his memories of going to this park, but as the interpretation progresses, we learn that this person living with mental problems, is placed in an asylum, precisely by making her believe that she would go to Belmont Park. This interpretation takes on its full meaning when we know that Diane Dufresne's brother would have just been interned. One of our greatest divas of Quebec, Canada, with Celine Dion and Ginette Reno. She is without a doubt our most theatrical singer. The orchestra supports Diane's interpretation admirably well. Far ahead of her time, she was the first Quebec artist to gather 55,000 people at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal in 1984, all the spectators dressed in pink for her show Magie Rose. We like her or we don't like her, but if we like her, it's for all her art. She will have made a less sensational interpretation, but just as powerful during the Gay Games in Montreal, at the same Olympic stadium. While homosexuality was once considered a mental illness, the text and its interpretation once again took on its full meaning
OMG Diane... such an icon (cultural, fashion and gay icon..) have been working up to make this recommendation, just to see the look on your face. People love her of hate her, but those who like her adore her. Performance wise, she is in Madonna / Mylène Farmer category always grand and overproduced. She is very uncoventionnal and everything she does is with such inspiration. The diva who screams, her screams have become also iconic, there are screaming compilations videos on RU-vid. I have seen her live many times and also watched most of what have been recorded. You cannot even imagine the energy and presence seeing her live, I have never seen that kind of relationship with the audience. She often asks people to dress up to go to her concerts. The live filmed performances always seem to be missing something (She hates beeng filmed live).
You are diving deep into Quebec culture here< I am impressed. Parc Belmont was amusement park in Montreal, and Diane Dufresne was so huge she played the Olympic Stadium.
I agree it's not the best version to appreciate the song this is practically a play there, but the dress! Madonna? Lady Gaga? Diane Dufresne started it all!
Woww very very interesting !! I'm not from Quebec but from France and I didn't know this song at all. Diane Dufresne has rarely appeared in France but she has had a strong reputation here for a long time. Thank you very much for this discovery.
Ouch ... Diane Dufresne ... an unclassifiable artist, crazy, theatrical, ubiquitous, whimsical ... at first glance, difficult to understand, but who truly deserves careful listening. Certainly not for all audiences, but Dereck, she is part of French music, so you have to know her. Improbable stage performances, deep, wacky, unconventional, even provocative texts ... Unique
1-she was supposed to do this show only once, so she prefer keep intensity even if that destroy the dress 2-she didnt have the dress until few minutes before the show! 3-she is still active… look for her!
there a long time ago ,I heard for the first time Diane Dufresne (Montréal , Canada ) , when I was a little boy with this song "J'ai rencontré l'homme de ma vie" . Thank's Dereck for, this react about this great and strange song .
I love Diane Dufresne. Parc Belmont is not the easier if you don't speak french at ll. She has beautiful songs. "Les adieux d'un sex symbole" for example.
MY FRIEND YOU WATCHING THE LEGENDARY MADAME DIANE DUFRESNE WHO SHAPE AND BUILD THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES !!! YOU WATCHING PERFORMING ONE OF HER ICONIC SONGS IN A ULTIMATE CLASS ACT !!!
no Dereck! she is not interesting: she is brilliant, unique in her art! A very great voice, magnificent songs and an extraordinary personality! In France she is a very popular singer, at least for those of my generation in any case! And her concerts: epic. the only singer able to sing and run at the same time without losing her voice "donnez moi de l'oxygéne"
What have I done to the world That they lock me up here for the rest of my life What have I done to the world There are days when I forget who I am, where I am. Me, I was like everyone else I was living my folly softly, without making any noise I wasn't hurting anyone I also had the right to want to push my scream! When I was a child, I always wanted to be taken to Belmont Park(*). For me, that what life was, it was party! It was beautiful like in my head But I grew up, I knew life And I have chosen to live in the world of my imagination. I am capting other waves They never understood all that I have written. I am not seeing the world anymore. Between these grey walls, I paint my chair and my bed. What am I doing in this world If I don't have the genius of Van Gogh or Da Vinci. Mona Lisa's eyes Are the eyes of a spirit pursuing me in my night. When they came to get me, They said "come, we're taking you to Belmont Park," I knew where they were taking me, but I said nothing. There was no other exit than this asylum Where I'm living my life in an organized trip, A long travel to the end of the night. When I want to scare people, There are days when I yell until they tie me up, Until they shear me off. There are days when I pray that all of this was over. I'm not asking anything anymore, I'm living my madness like a disease. The healing is long If I ever heal, I want that someone buys me a rifle. And then I'll shoot, I'll shoot like they do in Belmont Park! Ratatatatatata! I'll shoot and I'll watch them's heads fall! That'll be my party! You'll see if I'm crazy! No! I don't wanna put on my straitjacket! I want to be taken to Belmont Park! I want to be taken to Belmont Park! (*)Parc Belmont was an amusement park in Montréal closed in 1983.
Don't fret Dereck, it's OK. It's not for everyone that's for sure. Maybe if you ever get into the Quebec french culture a bit more, you'd understand it better. (Diane Dufresne is for many, and I mean MANY, the top singer of her era, more so than even Celine Dion. The only comparable singer would be Ginette Reno.)
oh thank you dereck one of the greatest French-speaking artist, an incomparable voice and stage presence does not hesitate to listen to other of his songs but live thank you again for your interest in French song
I actually made this request (and sorry for insisting on Patreon ;-) ). Thanks for doing it, even though it is not your cup of tea. It is written to request "anything" so you assume. I agree with comments below that it is not the easiest one but I was thinking that anyone would be fascinated by this, as it is probably her most theatrical one and she's so "in it" and the ochestra and her dress and also the emotion of the song. Well, looks like I was wrong : not anybody could get into it. Though, I don't agree that some songs like "J'ai rencontré l'homme de ma vie" would have been a good start because many of her songs need a good understanding of french speaking references, there is a lot of funny lyrics that would mean nothing translated. The lyrics for this one still keep all their sense in english.... and I would have liked Dereck to read them while reacting to it. I don't blame him though. Thanks for the effort.
This song is « IIRC » about her brother, who suffered from mental health issue, and he loved The Parc Belmont. Her dress is just a mind blowing canvas of how he thought what life is. I understand it is not an easy approach to Diane Dufresne, but I think she delivered 200% of the song message…. With her legendary incredible talent… Honestly, this is a masterpiece…. I understand though that without lyrics and translation, it could be embarrassing…
That's a true reaction and it shows your honesty. As you say you didn't get hooked, in all simplicity and full of politeness, we appreciate even more your reactions when you like. I don't know much about Diane Dufresne. I think, like Ben Larin, that it is a bit rough to start with this song. I didn't know it. Maybe we need to try some more conventional ones... although that word doesn't suit her. It's kind of what she sings, too, I feel. I didn't understand everything. But she seems to be claiming her weirdness a bit.
It's definitely not the easiest and most accessible song of hers! Far from it! It's all about one of her pet topics : losing one's mind, experiencing INSANITY. It would have been way easier to start exploring her creativity with her pop hits, such as "Aujourd'hui, j'ai rencontré l'homme de ma vie..." or "Donnez-moi de l'oxygène", and of course "Les adieux d'un sex symbol" taken from the Starmania musical.
Hi Dereck. (Reverso translation) : Congratulations, you know how to take risks. But for this song it is absolutely necessary subtitles. Merci pour tes vidéos.
This is a bit old but it's the first time I watch one of your videos so I just want to say that she looks insane on purpose, the song is about insanity, and this number is not at all typical because she never does the same thing twice. That being said, the lyrics are about someone locked up in a mental institution, who used to go to this amusement park called "Parc Belmont" (some place that used to exist in Montreal) and she recalls how she always wanted to go there as a child and thought life was all about beauty and fun but she later discovered that reality wasn't like that and so she decided to live in an imaginary world in her head (the story behind her mental illness). The song goes on with the story of her life and how she was put in that institution, and she later says that if she ever gets better and they let her out, she wants to have a gun and then she'll show them just how crazy she is by shooting people and watching them fall (and so they put her in a straitjacket while she screams "NO"). That's a very intense song, the lyrics are profound and they were written by a very famous author (Luc Plamondon) who wrote a lot of french lyrics for artists in Quebec (including Celine Dion) and France. A lot of movies and songs from the past were also inspired by mental illness in Quebec. I personally prefer the version of Parc Belmont that she did in her show called "Top Secret".
Yes orchestra is amazing. I do understand your difficulty enjoying and getting deeply involved. Not your language and knowing she’s playing the role/life of Émile Nelligan. But please present other version
You can't judge if you don't understand the lyrics !!!! It s a story !!! Of a crazy girl. Diane Dufresne is the biggest star in Quebec (Celine Dion is a huge fan), and she's a great diva in France. Her voice is so powerful and beautiful. One of the beautiful voice of humanity. She's so loved by many audience. You don't have to speak about just a part of, and your ignorance of history of music.
You kept saying :"Insane!" That's exactly the subject of the song : insanity. To make us feeling uneasy, anxious was totally the intention here. And it works perfectly. Diane Dufresne is one of the great singer of her time. During the '70s, '80s, '90s and even at the beginning of 2000 (Couleurs symphoniques was in 2001), her shows were big happenings, very spectacular and theatrical. Her costumes were out of this world (Someone said Lady Gaga...). She had been singing in English (she chose not to), she would have been known all over the world. I would advise you to explore more about her. She is still active now at 78 years old, but being a very secret person (would you have known ?), she prefers more intimate songs and performances nowadays. On May 18 2023, she will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, being the first francophone artist to receive this honor.
WOW, what an extreme intro to Diane. She is an amazing artist with SO much better songs to learn her music. Thank you for your kind reactions. I just posted a couple of new links for you!
Any true aficionado of Diane Dufresne would seriously object to the notion that Parc Belmont is not on par with any of her other songs, on the contrary it ranks with her very best! Just because some reviewer cannot see or hear it, is of no import to the status of this song in Diane's repertoire. (you will find people who abhor Beethoven's symphonies, all of them! Nothing to be done about that.)
Diane Dufresne,🎭 the greatest French-speaking artist, it's great that you reacted to this song from this Symphonic'n'roll show, but you should react to "Oxygène" the version from the "Détournement Majeur show"🖤 or the version from the show “Magie Rose”💗.Ou bien n'importe quelle chanson du show 🌸🌺🌹🏵Diane Dufresne - Concert Spa (Belgium) 1979💮 You don't know it but Diane Dufresne is admired by Lara Fabian, Mylène Farmer, Catherine Ringer, Maurane, she is a fan, even Céline Dion considers her a reference. Thank you for your honesty and kindness!😊
I'm so sad you didn't like it...but if you understood the lyrics, you would totally connect with what she's doing. She is a gay icon in Quebec and France. You took the worst recording ( that show was a pinnacle for her , though...) who doesn't do justice to his voice ( she has an opera singing education, she has an amazing voice)...but Diane Dufresne needs context. She sing about madness, imagination, artist who lost their mind. A very singular creative world. Parc Belmont was a theme park in Montreal during 1940-80. Diane Dufresne not only sing the song, she interpret the character in the lyrics. In this particular song, it's a story of an insane person in an asylum who doesn't understand why he is there, which they try to put him in a straitjacket, who wants to go back at his favorite place of his chilhood... Le Parc Belmont. That's why, if you don't understand the lyrics, she seems so weird, it just makes no sense why she screams...she act like an insane person, she inhabit the song. When she plays the instrument at the end, ( that outfit is famous) and the orchestra made distort music, they play what is in the mind of an insane person who lost it. She was famous because she had always outrageous outfit ( she sang breastless in the '70) and the crowd had to put over-the-top outfit to go at his show...it was amazing show and party, all the gay community was there. (in 1982, she sold out 2 shows, october 30-31, called Hollywood/Halloween...15 000 people at each, 2 totally different show) She is the first french artist who sold out the Olympic Stadium in 1984, everybody in the crowd had a dress code: Wear pink clothes ( 55 000). (check in the link....bad recording though) What is sad, theres no real grood recording or videos on youtube of her. She was more rock and roll singer than pop singer. Even if you don't make another video, you can check his stuff from the '70 on youtube. To make more sense of his artistic creed. Especially try the song "Oxygene"...his greatest classic ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-V_bXqy-rokE.html
It is by far NOT the worst recording. The problem is that this reviewer is out of his league in attempting to comment on a song who's meaning, interpretation, and idiosyncrasies of the language used is completely inaccessible to him. It's like as if I were to start critiquing, in a supposedly knowledgeable way, the performances of Japanese NOH artists, while not knowing anything about the language and the traditions of that art form! No excuses are required for Diane's performance. Quite the contrary, if ever one day this reviewer were to begin to understand better what the song (all of it including the chaos) is about, then he's the one who should ask to be excused.
I'd love you react to Emilie Simon. Another french singer who was especially known in the 2000'. She composes, writes, arranges and mixes her own songs (and plays most of the instruments). A real Swiss Army Knife. She does a lot of experimental songs and for her live performances, she created a lot of odd instruments (bionic arm for example). She is known to have composed the music for the film "The Emperor's journey" (except for the American version because the producers considered her music too experimental), she used a lot of natural sounds of ice and snow for example. She is compared to Björk and Kate bush. Anyway, you should take a look. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N2odfjNMZVQ.html - Dame de Lotus (from her record "végétale") ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-x0UxdOiH8a8.html - Rainbow ( from her album "Big machine" - Very different and inspired by Kate Bush... She sings in english for this record, and she lived in New York City for 2 years) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0oUOIrlM4Ug.html - Desert (Her fist single, sang 10 years later (with her bionic arm) I noticed these 3 songs, but there are a lot more beautiful songs of her. So pleaaaaase, take a look .
I also love this ballad with Charlie Winston ( even if a prefer the solo version) : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-abPXPpa0NJs.html (ballad of the Big machine from "the big machine") or her most popular single : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-W3RUJ22Ca2k.html ( "Fleur de saison" from "Végétale") Or, more experimental, and enjoyable : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FBl4NdYJkXI.html you should really listen it ( Rose hybride de thé , from "végétale")
It's because you don't understand the story she's telling. You really have to get a translation and learn the Historic importance she had on our people. She's not "interesting" She our godess! This song is about skisophrenia. So yes, it's freaky. A lot.
she was way much before Lady Gaga...most women singer in the WORLD don't realise she make the path in '70 and beginning of '80...she went on stage breastless in 1975! Outrageous outfit!
I can understand why you have difficulty "feeling this" as much is in the lyrics... but Diane Dufresne is such an original and unpredictable artist to watch... you never know what she'll be coming up next... but this song is about mental illness... as if she were a psychiatric person refusing to admit that she's sick...
That's odd. It is may be too intellectual or artistic for my taste. I better listen to Nina Hagen I guess... Anyway I"'m glad I've seen that for once in my lifetime. Thanks for sharing Dereck.
You would better understand the meaning of the song from a previous version, the one you picked was lost in that orchestra concept! But with this one, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oEBJqGvL1kA.html you'll maybe more get the sens of it. The song is about a mentally ill person, who lives in her own memories and world, while being in an asylum! Best thing to do is to get the lyrics translated!
