Listening to Jacques Brel makes me wish I'd taken the trouble to learn French. He was Belgian and died of cancer about twenty odd years ago. Other well known songs of his include "Ne me Quitte Pas" and "Le Moribund" and "Le Reve Impossible". There are quite horrible versions of all these songs in English. In particular, the last is painful, because most "interpreters" miss the point that it was performed in the character of Don Quichote. Of the English versions of his songs that I have heard, Bowie's was probably the best of the bunch.