Que reste-t-il de nos amours ?

Today Patrick Watson unveils a cover version of the classic French song “Que reste-t-il de nos amours?” by Charles Trenet. The song is available now on every streaming platform. Patrick shares what inspired him to reinterpret it: “I was watching an old French film, Baisers volés [François Truffaut, 1968], in which I heard the song, whose lyrics made me think of the pandemic. I instantly knew I had to cover it. This song is a good summary of what people are feeling right now, which is what I wanted to share.”

“Que reste-t-il de nos amours?” was written by Charles Trenet in 1942, with music by his piano accompanist, Léo Chauliac. Patrick Watson is adding his voice to a long line of singers who have covered the song, including Dalida, Nana Mouskouri, and Françoise Hardy & Alain Bashung (who sang it as a duet). The English version (I Wish You Love) was sung by Frank Sinatra, Marlene Dietrich, Barbra Streisand, and several others. The song eventually became a jazz standard, notably played by Chet Baker.

Last October, Patrick Watson shared Lost With You, his first original composition since the release of the award-winning, critically acclaimed album Wave. Lost With You was a gift to his fans, to offer them a little comfort during the confinement forced by the global pandemic. The song has now been streamed more than two million times. The Wave album and concert won two Félix at the Gala de l’ADISQ last year: Anglophone Album of the Year and Anglophone Concert of the Year. Patrick Watson also received two nominations at the Juno Awards for this album, in the Songwriter of the Year and Alternative Album of the Year categories. To date the album has garnered over 15 million streams.

Patrick Watson composes, performs and records his albums with his full band, which includes Joe Grass (guitar), Evan Tighe (drums), Mishka Stein (bass). The recipients of Canada’s Polaris Music Prize, in addition to multiple Juno and Polaris nominations, Watson and his band have toured on all continents, on occasion playing with full orchestras to bring their rich music to life. Venues for their tour dates last February and March of 2020 were the largest yet, including the Barbican (London), L’Olympia (Paris), Coliseu (Lisbon), El Plaza Condesa (Mexico City), and more. Raised and still living in Montreal, Watson has composed several scores for both film and television, including a trailer for The Walking Dead and Wim Wenders’ 3D film Everything Will Be Fine.