I don't sing many songs from Europe, as I don't speak European languages apart from a little French.

France

A la Claire Fontaine

A very popular folk song, often considered a children's song. It is traditionally sung with the second line of each couplet becoming the first line of the next, though these days it is generally shortened by just singing each line once.

It is a sad story about a man who loses the woman he loved because he neglected to give her a bouquet of flowers.

My video of the song is here and the lyrics are here.

Aupres de ma Blonde

A 17th century French folk song of military origins. For example, it was sung by the French as they went into action at the battle of Malplaquet in 1709, where they were beaten by the Duke of Marlborough. It was common practice to sing a special song when going into battle to decrease the chances of being killed by friendly fire in the confusion of powder fog, which rendered flags and uniforms all but invisible.

The author of the lyrics is said to be André Joubert, a man from the isle of Noirmoutier taken as a hostage by the Dutch in 1674, though the tune was around much earlier. The earliest printed version appeared in 1704.

These days it is often considered to be a children's song.

Please excuse the errors in pronunciation. I've noticed some myself and I'm sure there are many more.

Here is an excellent rendition by my friend, Jean - (nondepouk) and here is a karaoke version, presented as a children's song.

Here is my rendition and the lyrics are here.

Chevaliers de la Table Ronde

I learned this French drinking song at school from my French teacher, many years ago.

It is best sung with a group of people - even if they only join in the "Oui, oui, oui" and "Non, non, non" - especially if everyone's had a few drinks.

In the second part of my video you can hear my English translation.

The lyrics are here.

Cycle du Vin

This song tells of the cycle of the production and consumption of wine - beginning with the fruit on the vine, passing from barrel to bottle to glass, and eventually back to the earth again.

I first heard this sung by Sylvia Kahn on an album called Hootenanny Tonight.

Here is my performance and the lyrics are here.

Dominique (Jeanine Deckers)

Jeanine Deckers (1933 – 1985), known in English as The Singing Nun, was a member of the Dominican Fichermont Convent in Belgium, where she was called Sister Luc Gabriel. She became internationally famous in 1963 as Soeur Sourire (Sister Smile) when she scored a big hit with this song about St. Dominic, founder of the Dominican order and patron saint of astronomers. Though it was her only hit song, I also like her song Entre les Etoiles, which I think was the B-side of Dominique, and which I have uploaded some time ago.

I remember when I was a teenager my French grandmother loved to hear me singing this song for her.

My performance can be seen here and the lyrics are here.

Entre les Etoiles (Jeanine Deckers)

This is one of the songs sung by Soeur Sourire, the Singing Nun, from Belgium (Jeanine Deckers). If I remember rightly, it was the B-side of her biggest (and only) hit, Dominique.

You can hear my performance here, and here is the original song sung by Soeur Sourire. The lyrics are here.

Flambeau La, Jeanette, Isabelle (Traditional French Carol)

This carol, known in English as Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella originated in the Provence region of France in the 16th century as dance music for the French nobility rather than a Christmas song. It was first published in 1553, and was eventually translated into English in the 18th century.

The song tells the story of two milkmaids, Jeanette and Isabella, who go to milk their cows in a manger in Bethlehem, only to find baby Jesus sleeping in the hay. They run to town to tell the people of the village, who bring their own torches to see for themselves, keeping their voices down so as not to wake baby Jesus. Children in Provence still dress up as shepherds and milkmaids, carrying torches and candles to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve as they sing this carol.

I sing it here in French, followed by the English translation. Here are the lyrics.

Plaisir D'Amour

The melody of this song was composed in 1780 by Johann Schwartzendorf (1741-1816), also known as “Jean Paul Egide Martini”. The original French lyrics are from a poem by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian (1755-1794), in his romance Célestine. An orchestral version was composed by Hector Berlioz (1803-1869).

The song is often sung in English with the title, The Joys of Love, usually with some of the original French lyrics included.

The song has been recorded by Joan Baez (singing here with Nana Mouskouri), Karen Allyson, Judith Durham and Charlotte Church.

Here is my rendition and the lyrics are here.

Vois Sur Ton Chemin

This Oscar-nominated song is one of the highlights of the 2004 French movie, Les Choristes, a remake of the 1945 classic La Cage aux Rossingnols (A Cage of Nightingales).

The title may be translated as Look to Your Path. My performance is here and the lyrics are here.

Germany

Das Bienenhaus

A German song in which the singer compares his heart to a beehive. All the girls in his heart are the bees buzzing around.

You can watch me singing this, and the lyrics are here.

Die Gedanken Sind Frei (Thoughts Are Free)

It has been claimed that this song goes back to the Bundshuh rebellion of 1525 when the peasants rebelled against their oppression by the Swabian princes. The revolt was a failure and serfdom continued for another three hundred years in Germany. There is little evidence for this bit of folklore however and it is more likely to have its origins in the 18th century, when it was published as a broadside. The concept of freedom of thought has nearly always been considered dangerous and the song was banned for many years before the 1848 revolution, especially as it was seen to associated with the ideals of the French Revolution. It was widely sung in pre-Hitler Germany and brought to the USA by German immigrants fleeing Nazi Germany. It is also said to have been sung in German concentration camps between 1933 and 1945.

The best known English translation is by Arthur Kevess (1950). His version was recorded by The Limeliters, and also by Pete Seeger. Here is an excellent rendition by YouTube friend garibelon.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Lili Marlene (Hans Leip, Norbert Schultze)

In 1915, Hans Leip, supposedly on guard duty at the time wrote a farewell poem for two girl friends, Lili and Marleen. The original title was Das Mädchen unter der Laterne. Shortly before WWII, in 1938, it was set to music by Norbert Schultze. It became the most popular song of WWII, the unofficial anthem of the foot soldiers of both sides in the war. It is said to have been translated into 48 languages.

This is a literal translation of the German words:

Before the barracks, before the big gate stood a lantern, and it stands there today! It stands there and cannot understand what is, once more, happening to us - as did once Lili Marleen!

Does it have to do with pride, or only power? What is it that has brought us out of our senses? Whichever way we twist or turn we will finally stand before the judge - some day, Lili Marleen!

Who buries the dead, gone for ever in the desert sand? Who counts the victims on the oil-soaked beach? Tell me, how much pain must we still suffer, until we see the stupidity, the uselessness of it all? Oh God, Lili Marleen!

From the quiet rooms, from the earth, there rises before me as in a dream your deathly pale mouth. Before the swirling mists clear, let war and hate come to an end - now, today, Lili Marleen!

The original song, then, is a plea for sanity in the turmoil of World War One and bears little resemblance to either the later German version or the popular British version, which was commissioned by the British government in order to "de-Teutonize" the song, which troops in the North African campaign had picked up from German broadcasts and captured POWs.

Recorded just before the war by Lale Andersen, the song sold only 700 copies, until German Forces Radio in occupied Belgrade began broadcasting it to the Africa Korps in 1941. Itwas immediately banned in Germany, which, of course, made it even more popular.

When the Allies heard it, the song became the favourite tune of soldiers on both sides, regardless of language.

The story goes that a British song publisher named J. J. Phillips reprimanded a group of British soldiers for singing a German song. One of them replied angrily, "Why don't you write us some English words?" Phillips collaborated with Tommie Connor, a British songwriter, to produce an English version in 1944. Ann Shelton's recording was a hit in the Allied countries, and Vera Lynn sang it over the BBC to the Allied troops.

Apart from Ann Shelton's initial hit, the best known recordings of the song were made by Marlene Dietrich (both in German and English) in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It has been recorded by many artists, including Perry Como (1944), Hank Snow (1960s) and Al Martino (1968).

Here is my rendition, in German and also in English. You will find both sets of lyrics here.

Muss Ich Denn

The gist of this German folksong is that a man has to leave his girlfriend as he has business elsewhere, but he promises he will resist the temptations of other women and eventually return to her. It has been recorded by Marlene Dietrich, among others.

Wooden Heart, with English words set to this tune, and incorporating some of the German words, was a big hit for Elvis Presley in 1964, though he first sang it in his 1960 movie, G.I. Blues.

Here is my attempt at singing this song. And here are the words.

The Peat Bog Soldiers (Die Moorsoldaten) (Langhoff und Esser)

Die Moorsoldaten is one of the best known songs of the political resistance movement against National Socialism.It was written in the Moor concentration camps, a chain of fifteen camps opened in Nazi Germany in 1933, and known collectively as the Emslandlager. The prisoners were not Jews, but communists, labor leaders, and left wing Christians sent to the camps early in the Nazi period because of their resistance or suspected resistance to the Nazi government.

The song was composed in the summer of 1933 at the Börgermoor concentration camp, close to the town of Papenburg, in response to brutality by camp guards. The lyrics were written by Wolfgang Langhoff and Johann Esser, who were left-wing actors, and the music composed by Rudi Goguel, later adapted by Hanns Eisler and Ernst Busch, all of them active in the German Communist party. The camp commandant prohibited prisoners from singing it because of its last line. Nevertheless, the song spread rapidly through all the Emsland camps, where it continued to be sung until 1939.

Hanns Einsler took the song with him when he went to the USA as a refugee, and it was recorded by various artists, mainly left-wing, such as Paul Robeson, who recorded it in January 30, 1942, on his album, Songs of Free Men (Columbia). It has also been recorded by Theodore Bikel, Pete Seeger, Ryan's Fancy and The Dubliners. There are some videos of the song in German on YouTube. Here is a typical version and here is one performed by a pop group.

And here is my friend, Dave Ellis, singing it. The German words and the English translation can be found here.

Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber)

The words of this song, known in English as Silent Night, were written just before Christmas in 1818, by Joseph Mohr, 26-year old assistant to the priest at St. Nicholas' Church at Oberndorf, a village 11 miles down the Salzach River from Salzburg. He asked his friend, 31-year-old Franz X. Gruber, a school teacher in the neighboring village of Arnsdorf and organist at St. Nicholas', to set it to music so that they could sing it together at the midnight Christmas service, using guitar accompaniment as the church organ had broken down.

This song was to become best known of all carols, translated into every language, yet before that it was almost lost. After its initial performance it was forgotten for seven years, until Carl Mauracher was commissioned to rebuild the organ at St. Nicholas' in 1825, and found a handwritten copy of the words and music in the organ loft. He took it back to his Tyrolian home where choral groups took the song with them wherever they sang. It became known as "the Tyrolian folk carol."

When it became the favourite carol of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, the director of the Royal Court Choir of Berlin researched its origins, in 1854, and traced it back to Salzburg and its composers, Joseph Mohr and Franz X. Gruber.

I learned it many years ago at school in German lessons, though I’ve probably forgotten a lot of the pronunciation, but here is my attempt at singing it.

The most popular English version of Silent Night" is a translation by the Episcopal priest Reverend John Freeman Young, who enjoyed translating European hymns and carols into English. His 1863 text of Silent Night is the version found in most modern English hymn books and Christmas carol collections.

Here is my video of the English translation.

Netherlands (? Probably Not!)

Madely Wilsh Du Heira

I know very little about this song. It appears to be in a kind of pseudo-Dutch language. It is from the songbook Songs For Singing by Frank Lynn, also known as James F. Leisy. If anyone can shed some light on its origin please let me know.

The story is quite simple. The girl agrees with the father that she should marry, but finds fault with all his choices except the last. In some ways it is very similar to the Italian song I have put up some time ago - Cara Mama Io Sono Malata.

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

Italy

Cara Mama Io Sono Malata

This song is about a girl who complains to her mother that she is sick and asks her to bring something from the garden to cure her. The mother offers to pick her a lettuce, but her daughter tells her not to be stupid; a lettuce will not cure her. The mother then suggests potatoes and then tomatoes, but is again told she is stupid. Finally, the mother offers to bring her the gardener, and the daughter agrees that this is just what she needs to cure her malady. She is now full of praise for her wonderful mother who is able to diagnose her illness.

You can see my performance and the lyrics are here.

Norway

Oleanna

Ole Borneman Bull (1810 – 1880), a great Norwegian violinist, is considered Norway's first international star. In 1853, on one of many successful tours to the United States, he obtained a large tract of land in Pennsylvania and founded a colony, which was called New Norway. The land consisted of four communities: New Bergen (now Carter Camp), Oleana (from his own name), New Norway and Valhalla, where his unfinished Nordjenskald castle is located. The venture was a failure and Bull went back to giving concerts.

The original song, which makes fun of Ole's Utopian dream, was written in 1853 by Ditmar Meidell, a Norwegian newspaper editor. Theodore C. Blegen included the song in his 1936 book Norwegian Emigrant Songs and Ballads, together with a literal translation by Martin B. Rudd. Though Blegen himself wrote a singable translation (22 verses long) the version generally known today is Pete Seeger's adaptation of Rudd's translation.

Seeger recorded the song in 1955 for Folk Songs of Four Continents and again in 1956 for With Voices Together We Sing, both on Folkways records.

Theodore Bikel and Alan Lomax both published versions of Oleanna in 1960 based on Seeger's version, and Ditmar Meidell's original song.

Recordings include Theodore Bikel on his 1959 album Folk Songs From Just About Everywhere (Elektra) and The Kingston Trio on their hit album Here We Go Again (1959), though their version had new lyrics unrelated to the original song.

You can hear a great recording of Pete Seeger and Lillebjørn Nilsen singing the song at Tønder Festival in Denmark 1990.

You can see my rendition of the song here. Here are the lyrics.

Spain

Mi Caballo Blanco (Francisco Flores del Campo)

Actually this song should be under America, because it is from Chile, but it is in Spanish, so, at least for now, I include it here.

I first heard this song sung by The Weavers. It was also recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, and The Belafonte Singers. Patricia Cummings, who also recorded the song, translated the first verse as follows:

My horse is as white as the sunrise.
Together we always go,
He is my most faithful friend.
My horse, my horse, galloping goes,
My horse, my horse, goes and goes.

Here is my performance of the song. And here are the lyrics.

Turkey

I Come and Stand at Every Door (Nazim Hikmet)