La Mer (AKA) Somewhere Beyond the Sea

 This song "La Mer was written by a French composer named Charles Trenet. However this song has a notoriously famous reputation for its diversity. The song alone has over 400 versions. To name a few would be the English version "Beyond the Sea", the Italian version "Ll Mare, and the Dutch version "De zee". This is due partly to its popular and catchy tune, and the deeply romantic meaning behind the song.

Trenet wrote the lyrics in 1943 on a train along the coast of the Mediterranean in France. However being a French citizen, and under German occupation, he did not have the opportunity to even record the song, until after the war, in 1946. Discouraged by many friends, Trenet was told that it would be a failure, because they believed it wasn't, "swing" enough. It was also more of a poem, than a actual song. In reality though, the moment after its official release, it became a hit. The song was so popular that it was a majorly popular to 1960. Fortunately that was not the end of the song. It appeared in many famous movies, and television shows. A recent movie by Bernado Bertolucci's in his 2003 film, "The Dreamers" the song was played. It has also played in numbers TV shows, such as "Lost".

Analysis:

The sound of this song differs much depending on the speed it is played. It often varies from a slow relaxing melody, to at fast moving pitch. The lyrics themselves are part of poem that uses the sea as an analogy to help explain love and desire. Many people appreciate this song as a romantic melody and is in fact used in many romantic scenes in movies. This song is classified as a romantic song, with rich background, and deep passion.