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"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. This leads to the refrain of the song: "Gare au gorille!" ("Watch out for the gorilla!"). 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

1. "Georges Brassens - 1 - la Mauvaise Réputation". Discogs. 1979.
2. "Georges Brassens et Sa Guitare - le Gorille / La Chasse Aux Papillons". Discogs. 1952.
3. "Georges Brassens et Sa Guitare - le Gorille / La Chasse Aux Papillons". Discogs. 1956.
4. "Comment Brassens a castré son "Gorille"". 27 October 2014.
5. "'Le gorille' de Georges Brassens : Critique de la peine de mort et vision erronée de l'homosexualité".
6. "Comment Brassens a castré son "Gorille"". 27 October 2014.
7. "Il Gorilla par Fabrizio de André".
8. "Brother Gorilla | the Official Jake Thackray Website".
9. "Sleeve notes to 'Bantam Cock' (1972)". jakethackray.com. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
10. Brunner, Erwin (8 February 1985). "ZEIT ONLINE | Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl". Die Zeit.

• French songs
• Comedy songs
• Children's songs
• 1952 songs
• Obscenity controversies in music
• Songs about primates
• Songs about judges
• Songs about sexual assault
• Black comedy music
• Songs written by Georges Brassens
• Georges Brassens songs
• Gorillas in art
• Protest songs
• Works about capital punishment
• Opposition to the death penalty
• Censorship in France
• Works about gorillas