The Joy of Love.

In 1784 Jean Paul Egide Martini wrote the song Plasir d’amour ( the joy of love ) for Marie Antoinette at the French Court of King Louis. This song of love performed by many artists reached its high point with the Elvis Presley adaptation in 1961 ‘ Can’t help falling in love ‘ .

In the 1966 version with different lyrics Joan Baez tells us that ‘ love is but a moment long , the pain endures for a whole life long ‘ . As we leave January many people I know have lost their loved ones , mother, father, husband wife , sons and daughters. I know the sadness and pain for all of them as I have experienced it first hand and yes it seems that the love but a moment long now pain to endure the whole life long.

It is the inescapable price it seems that love requires us to pay and in that we may ask is it a price too high yet without love there is no life. The inevitability is a given and I would never swap it for otherwise. Two of my friends lost their mother and father in January and their sadness whilst etched on their face covers the internal goings on of the replay of time together. For me in my belief and in the immortal words of Vera Lynn ‘ we will meet again ‘. I tell them that their loved ones has taken the earlier train home and you will catch a later train too.

Love knows no boundaries and is the very essence of our life. In the 1966 version of the song Marianne Faithful sings of eyes kissing eyes and the light of love in them that shines.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EWw-Ohh04hU

We know of course that the eyes are the very window to the soul and often it is the eyes of the person loved that we see when we think of them. One of my friends unselfishly told me that he was pleased that his wife died first as he would not have wanted her to suffer the pain that he had suffered in the many years alone.

Elvis summed it all up when he told us you can’t help falling in love for it truly is a joy that we embrace and never forget. For those who have yet to experience the joy I wish you well and tell you to get ready for when it strikes it strikes quickly and you’ll know it when you see it. In the eyes of the person they will see the light that shines sparked by an unknown for a hardly known. I believe in love at first sight as it happened for me the moment I saw my now wife.

As for Martini he went on to write much in his illustrious career and his song has crossed into four centuries bringing that joy to many. Try listening to it , for me Joan Baez’s version is unique a close beater to that of Marianne. Try it both versions available on You Tube.

This post of 1st February 2023 is reposted on the day of the passing of Marianne Faithful aged 78. The lady brought joy to many , Mick Jagger included and her version of the song in 1966 aged 19 reminds us of her beauty and an icon of the 20th century.

RIP Marianne.