"Le Gorille" is a 1952 song by Georges Brassens, found on his album La Mauvaise Réputation.^[1] It was also released as a single, with La Chasse Aux Papillons as B-side. ^[2][3]

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. ^[4]

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. ^[5][6]

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. ^[7]
• 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). ^{[8] [9]}
• Franz Josef Degenhardt covered it in German as Vorsicht Gorilla (1986). ^[10]
• 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