Ego B’s Cover of “My Death” and Brel’s influence on Bowie
Today, I’m posting EgoB’s version of Jacques Brel’s “My Death.” Roeland Verhaeren, who records under the name EgoB, is from Belgium—a country that also produced Brel. I’ve featured EgoB’s Bowie covers on my blog many times, and he created the bumper I use in my videos. He was also one of my very first written interview guests. Given EgoB’s Belgian roots and connection to Bowie’s work, it feels fitting to acknowledge Brel’s influence—not only on Bowie, but on artists like Scott Walker who, in turn, shaped Bowie’s own approach.
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer and actor known for his dramatic, theatrical songs. A generation older than Bowie, he primarily performed in French, but Walker, Bowie and others introduced English versions of Brel’s songs to a wider audience.
Bowie’s connection to Brel is most obvious through his performances of two of Brel’s songs. During the Ziggy era, Bowie often performed “My Death” live. Additionally, Bowie recorded Brel’s “Amsterdam” and later released it as the B-side to “Sorrow” in 1973. Though Bowie never recorded “My Death” in the studio, live versions appear on his live albums Santa Monica ’72 and Ziggy Stardust – The Motion Picture.
Brel’s influence on Bowie was partly filtered through Walker. Walker’s first three solo albums, Scott, Scott 2, and Scott 3, released between 1967 and 1969, each included Brel songs translated into English. Walker’s dark, sophisticated interpretations of Brel’s work contributed to his own style, which in turn left a mark on Bowie. The compilation Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel collects all of Walker’s Brel covers, demonstrating how deeply Walker engaged with Brel’s material.
Bowie admired Walker’s work and acknowledged him as an influence, making the connection between Brel and Bowie even more direct. I recall seeing a clip of Bowie being surprised by a call from Scott Walker that was part of a tribute celebrating Bowie’s 50th birthday in 1997. Bowie’s reaction was similar to how I imagine I would have reacted had Bowie called me on my birthday. I’m not as well-versed in Scott Walker as I probably should be, but I recently listened to his creepy song, “The Electrician,” which Bowie virtually covered in his song, “Heat” (2013). “Heat” isn’t actually a cover, but it is close enough that Walker’s influence is unmistakable. Bowie did actually covered Walker’s song, “Night Flights” on Black Tie White Noise. I mention all this in the context of Brel to underscore the chain of influence.
Folk singer Dave Van Ronk also covered Brel’s “Amsterdam.” Bowie name-dropped Van Ronk in his song “(You Will) Set the World on Fire.” Before that, I hadn’t previously noticed a connection between Bowie band Van Ronk (actually, I didn’t know who Van Ronk was at all). It’s possible that Bowie’s interest in Brel—combined with Van Ronk’s own recording of the song—serves as a subtle link between the two artists. While their musical styles were quite different, their shared appreciation for Brel’s material suggests an indirect connection.
Bowie performed “My Death” as late as 1995, and made two references to the song on original songs from Reality in 2003. To quote from The Bowie Bible, “…the title track contained the line “Now my death is more than just a sad song”. On the final song, ‘Bring Me The Disco King’, meanwhile, he sang ‘Don’t let me know when you’re opening the door’, an echo of Brel’s ‘But what ever lies behind the door/There is nothing much to do.’”
Unable to secure the rights to any of Bowie’s songs, the 2020 movie Stardust, about Bowie, featured actor Johnny Flynn performing “Amsterdam” and “My Death” as Bowie. While the filmmakers likely preferred to use songs from The Man Who Sold the World, which played a prominent role in the story, the two Brel songs were closely enough associated with Bowie to serve as substitutes.