November 29, 2012
Tonight at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Leonard Cohen delighted the home crowd at his second concert with a cover of Georges Dor's La Manic, a beloved French-Canadian song.
I observed LC rehearsing this song with the band when Leslie Wener and I were at the Austin second concert soundcheck. I didn't recognize it at the time, but guessed he was readying it for Montreal and Quebec City. My first reaction, wow, he's already memorized at least 50 songs for this tour and now he's memorized a very long song with French lyrics. And he sang it with such ease at the soundcheck. He certainly looked like he was enjoying every take "from the top".
Georges Dor (March 10, 1931 - July 24, 2001) (born Georges-Henri Dore) was a Québécois author, composer, playwright, singer, poet, translator, and theatrical producer and director.
Born in Drummondville, Dor undertook a career in radio as a disk jockey and news director. He worked for Radio-Canada, the national Canadian broadcaster, where he became a director for the Evening News. He wrote poems for many years, but in 1964 he was encouraged by friends to compete in an amateur singing competition. He began singing professionally in early 1965, and released his first album in 1966. One of the songs from this album, his composition "La Manic", whose lyrics were a love letter written by a construction worker on the Manicouagan power project, became the most successful record ever by a Quebec chansonnier.He continued to perform as a singer until 1972, and to record until 1978. After that he worked mainly in the theatre and in television, producing and writing plays and téléromans. He also wrote two novels and published several collections of poetry, among other artistic and critical accomplishments
| La Manic | The Manic (Lyrics translate) |
| Si tu savais comme on s'ennuie à la Manic | If only you knew how long the time is at Manic |
| Tu m'écrirais bien plus souvent à la Manicouagan | You'd write way more often, to the Manicouagan |
| Parfois je pense à toi si fort | Sometimes I think so hard about you |
| Je récrée ton âme et ton corps | That I recreate your soul and your body |
| Je te regarde et m'émerveille | I look at you and I am filled with wonder |
| Je me prolonge en toi | I throw myself into you |
| Comme le fleuve dans la mer | Just like the river into the sea |
| Et la fleur dans l'abeille | And the flower into the bee |
| Que deviennent quand j'suis pas là mon bel amour | My beautiful lover, what do your silken forehead |
| Ton front doux comme fine soie et tes yeux de velours | And your velvet eyes become, when I am not there |
| Te tournes-tu vers la côte nord | Do you turn towards the Côte-Nord |
| Pour voir un peu pour voir encore | To see a little, to see some more |
| Ma main qui te fait signe d'attendre | My hand signalling you to wait |
| Soir et matin je tends les bras | At twilight and at dawn, I reach out |
| Je te rejoins où que tu sois | I meet you wherever you may be |
| Et je te garde | And I keep you |
| Dis-moi c'qui s'passe à Trois-Rivières et à Québec | Tell me what's going on in Trois-Rivières and in Quebec City |
| Là où la vie a tant à faire et tout c'qu'on fait avec | Where there's so much to do, and eveything we do with it |
| Dis-moi c'qui s'passe à Montréal | Tell me what's going on in Montreal |
| Dans les rues sales et transversales | In the dirty side streets |
| Où tu es toujours la plus belle | Where you're always the more beautiful |
| Car la laideur ne t'atteint pas | Because ugliness can't get to you |
| Toi que j'aimerai jusqu'au trépas | You, who I'll love until I pass away |
| Mon éternelle | My eternal |
| Nous autres on fait les fanfarons à coeur de jour | We boast around all day long |
| Mais on est tous de bons larrons cloués à leurs amours | But we're all good guys faithful to their loves |
| Y'en a qui jouent de la guitare | Some play guitar |
| D'autres qui jouent d'l'accordéon | Others play accordion |
| Pour passer l'temps quand y'est trop long | To pass time, when the time is long |
| Mais moi je joue de mes amours | But me, I play of my love |
| Et je danse en disant ton nom | And I dance, saying your name |
| Tellement je t'aime | Because I love you so much |
| Si tu savais comme on s'ennuie à la Manic | If only you knew how long the time is at Manic |
| Tu m'écrirais bien plus souvent à la Manicouagan | You'd write way more often, to the Manicouagan |
| Si t'as pas grand chose à me dire | If you don't have much to tell me |
| Écris cent fois les mots «Je t'aime» | Write the words 'I love you' a hundred times |
| Ça fera le plus beau des poèmes | It will be the most beautiful of poems |
| Je le lirai cent fois | I'll read it a hundred times |
| Cent fois cent fois c'est pas beaucoup | A hundred times, a hundred times are not a lot |
| Pour ceux qui s'aiment | For those who are in love |
| Si tu savais comme on s'ennuie | If only you knew how long the time is |
| À la Manic | At Manic |
| Tu m'écrirais bien plus souvent | You'd write way more often |
| À la Manicouagan | To the Manicouagan |
LC quoted from this song in his moving acceptance speech at the 2006 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The video clip is cued to start at that point. Be sure to watch his whole acceptance speech and have your tissues ready, especially when LC wipes away his own tears.
Here is a video of Georges Dor performing "La Manic"
Christine Long of CTV leaked the Montreal Nov 28 setlist prior to the concert with a spoiler alert, for shame.
"La Manic" was included in small letters towards the end of the concert. but was not performed at the first concert.
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- Georges Dor bio from Youtube description here
- La Manic lyrics from LyricsMania here
- Thanks go to Joe Way for remembering LC's acceptance speech at the CSHF
- CSHF video uploaded by ljw2919
- Georges Dor video uploaded by JackRetro
Update 2: Concert video Leonard Cohen - La Manic (reprise/cover Georges Dor) Montreal Nov 29.12
Update 3: Concert video Leonard Cohen - La Manic (Georges Dor cover) - Centre Bell, Montreal - 29-11-2012 (World premiere)
Update 4: Quebec City concert video Leonard Cohen - La Manic (Georges Dor cover) - Colisèe Pepsi, Quebec City - 02-12-2012
Update 5: Ottawa Concert video Leonard Cohen - Ottawa Dec 7, 2012 - La Manic
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