Pop anthology of “Paris 1919” by John Cale

1973 veröffentlichte John Cale den Song „Paris 1919“ auf seinem gleichnamigen Album. Dabei handelte es sich um die dritte Sammlung von Musikstücken, für die er allein verantwortlich war. Der Text des Liedes gibt keine klare Auskunft, auf welches Ereignis der Titel anspielt. Aber wenn Cale den Vers „the continent’s just fallen in disgrace“ („Der Kontinent ist gerade in Ungnade gefallen“) singt, dann bezieht sich die Zeile auf das Ende des Ersten Weltkriegs und die Pariser Friedenskonferenz 1919. Der daraus resultierende Versailler Vertrag trug zum Unheil des Zweiten Weltkriegs bei, so dass der Titel „Paris 1919“ einen ambivalenten Eindruck hinterlässt.

Außerdem taucht der Name „William Rogers“ im Text auf, der in der Amtszeit von Richard Nixon zwischen 1969 bis 1973 Außenminister der USA war. Damals fanden in Paris die Friedensverhandlung zur Beendigung des Krieges in Vietnam statt, bei denen auch Rogers eine Rolle spielte.

Auf dem Cover des Albums sitzt John Cale im weißen Anzug in einem Lehnstuhl. Nachdenklich schaut er in die Kamera, mit seiner linken Hand stützt er sein Gesicht leicht ab. Er wirkt wie ein Intellektueller in Paris nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg. In dieser Haltung drückt sich vermutlich seine Sympathie mit der „Lost Generation“ aus, also dem „verlorenen Jahrgang“ von Amerikanern, die am Krieg teilgenommen und sich später in der französischen Hauptstadt angesiedelt haben wie Ernest Hemingway oder F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Cale is pictured alone on the cover, which underlines his role as composer, lyricist and singer of the songs. By referring to Paris, Cale places himself in the tradition of the chanson. At the same time, he refers to the American variant of this author’s music, to the singer-songwriter who became particularly popular in the 1960s. His relationship with Leonard Cohen, from whom he took the song “Hallelujah”, also belongs in this context.

Cale, who was born in Wales in 1942, studied music in London before moving to New York in 1963. In the USA he met composers such as John Cage, Terry Riley and La Monte Young, whose minimalist forms of expression he brought into rock music. These reduced playing styles can also be found in the song “Paris 1919”. The chords are played in eighth notes almost throughout the entire piece. The key is C major, so the sound is clear, bright and simple.

This cheerful character of the sound contrasts with the aforementioned historical references in the lyrics. Two years previously, Cale had released the album “Church of Anthrax” with Terry Riley. The American representative of minimal music released the piece “In C” in 1964, where he experimented with the key of C major and with eighth notes. But these consistently played chords in eighth notes can also be heard in the song “I’m waiting for the Man”, which Cale released with the band The Velvet Underground in 1967 and was written by Lou Reed.

Cale’s transition from classical composition to rock music is particularly evident in the consistent use of verse and chorus, which is evident in “Paris 1919”. The song is a good four minutes long; about halfway through there is a free passage with piano, woodwinds and bird calls. But Cale composed the song succinctly; the verses create a dramatic tension that is released in the recurring verses, loosely based on the saying “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” by Berry Gordy, which Cale quoted in an interview.

In his autobiography, Cale points out the difference between the cheerful character of the music and the problematic historical background of the lyrics. He writes of the 1973 album: “‘Paris 1919’ was an example of the nicest ways of saying something really ugly.” In this context, he speaks of the song as having a “lilting refrain”; he means the warbled words “la la la” that can be heard in the recurring verses. This in turn alludes to the Irish and Scottish tradition of singing, in which the syllables are connected in a melodic and rhythmic way.

Three versions of “Paris 1919” remain in the memory. Of course the first version on the 1973 album, in which piano, strings and wind instruments can be heard. The individual instruments are sometimes barely distinguishable from one another. The piano and violins play the chords in eighth notes and sound similar. The distinctive melody in the bass is first played by the cellos, but then taken over by the brass, probably the horns. Cale must have originally composed the song on the piano and then later selected the instruments that could replace and complement the piano.

The concert recording on the album is impressive “Fragments of a Rainy Season” from 1992. Here Cale plays the song only on the piano, hammers the chords into the keys, sings the song faster than on the recording from 1973. During the recording of the concert in the series “Rockpalast” On October 14, 1984, in the Grugahalle in Essen, he perfo
rmed with a band. In addition to the piano, electric guitar, bass and drums can also be heard. The song changes its character – the pop song becomes rock music.

In his autobiography, John Cale sees parallels to Lou Reed, who musically dealt with Berlin in the early 1970s, referring, among other things, to the Wall that was built in 1961. In a 2010 interview, the Welsh musician said that he wrote “Paris 1919” during the Cold War. He saw the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 as a starting point for this historical development. The references to Lou Reed also arise from the similar themes in the songs “Berlin” from 1972 and “Paris 1919”. In both cases, love relationships play a role. Cale avoids making clear statements in his song. The individual verses are full of allusions, but together they do not create a context that can be broken down. The line “You’re a ghost” in the chorus could also allude to the meaning of the text, which, like “Geist”, eludes strict definition.