Le Gorille
# Le Gorille

"Le Gorille" is a 1952 song by Georges Brassens, found on his album La Mauvaise Réputation. It was also released as a single, with La Chasse Aux Papillons as B-side.

## Lyrics

The song describes how a group of women in a zoo observe the genitalia of a male gorilla. The animal suddenly escapes and all the women, except for a 100-year old lady, run away. The gorilla, who is in heat, mistakes a judge in a black robe for a woman and rapes him. Brassens later reveals that this very same judge had sentenced a man to the guillotine earlier that day and now, just like the convicted criminal, screams in vain for mercy.

## Reception

Le Gorille was very controversial at the time of its release. First of all because of its pornographic lyrics, but secondly also because it took a stance against the death penalty when it was still in effect in France. It was banned on all French radio stations.

## Covers

Le Gorille has been covered and translated several times:

* Fabrizio De André covered it in Italian as Il Gorilla (1968) on his album Volume 3.
* Yossi Banai covered it in Hebrew as הגורילה (Ha-Gorila). Dan Almagor covered it in the same language.
* Jake Thackray covered it in English as Brother Gorilla on his album Bantam Cock (1972).
* Franz Josef Degenhardt covered it in German as Vorsicht Gorilla (1986).
* Le Gorille has been covered by French singer Renaud on his album Renaud chante Brassens (1996).
* Oulahlou covered it as Macahu, changing the gorilla with a donkey, the old lady with a young girl and the judge with a police officer. His song is a critique of the Algerian police force during the Black Spring.
* The Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny covered it as "Goryl".
* Swedish-Dutch songer Cornelis Vreeswijk covered it as Djävulens sång on his album Visor, svarta och röda (1972).
* Christos Thivaois covered it as Ο Γορίλλας ("The Gorilla").
* Joaquín Carbonell covered it in Spanish as "El Gorila" ("The Gorilla").

## Sources

* ↑ "Georges Brassens - 1 - la Mauvaise Réputation". Discogs. 1979.
* ↑ "Georges Brassens et Sa Guitare - le Gorille / La Chasse Aux Papillons". Discogs. 1952.
* ↑ "Georges Brassens et Sa Guitare - le Gorille / La Chasse Aux Papillons". Discogs. 1956.
* ↑ "Comment Brassens a castré son "Gorille"". 27 October 2014.
* ↑ "'Le gorille' de Georges Brassens : Critique de la peine de mort et vision erronée de l'homosexualité".
* ↑ "Comment Brassens a castré son "Gorille"". 27 October 2014.
* ↑ "Il Gorilla par Fabrizio de André".
* ↑ "Brother Gorilla | the Official Jake Thackray Website".
* ↑ "Sleeve notes to 'Bantam Cock' (1972)". jakethackray.com. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
* ↑ "ZEIT ONLINE | Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl".
