“The Middle Class (Les bourgeois)” by Mort Shuman, Wolfgang Knittel from Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris [1968]

The music of Frenchman Jacques Brel was brought to American audiences in humorous translations in the 1968 off-broadway show Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. For a detailed account of how and why Brel’s music ended up in a musical, read the top review on Amazon (and download the album if you want—Brel was a great songwriter). While the concept of the bourgeoise doesn’t really equate to American notions of the middle class, the song remains pretty sharp. Maybe it would have translated better in modern terms: the one percent.