Le chant des goals (ENG)
There are stories that are greater than a club, a song, or a melody. They blow through time, cross borders, and connect even people who have never met. This is also the case with Union Saint-Gilloise: a Belgian club that not only plays football but also breathes folklore.
Many football fans know the famous "Bruuuuuuuuuxelles, ma ville je t'aime..." that resounds incessantly from the stands at Duden Park. But true Unionists also sing, with the passion that characterizes Union, the more than hundred-year-old club song Le chant des goals, with the refrain "C'est l'Union qui sourit" ("It's Union that smiles").
"Il rayonne dans les sports en Belgique, parmi tous ceux qui luttent pour l'honneur - Un club fameux dont la force magique - domine tout d'une pure splendeur. Dans les combats, maître des destinées - il fut toujours le héros éclatant - Son nom s'évoque en de glorieux trophées. Et c'est pour lui que nous allons chantant: c'est l'Union, c'est l'Union, c'est l'Union qui sourit..."
What began more than a century ago in the Brussels streets of Saint-Gilles continues to echo in memories, cafés, stadiums—now also during the Champions League—even with echoes reaching the great stories of the world, such as those of the Titanic and the Great War. Or how music, sport, myths, and people met and continue to meet.
Bobinus - The chronicler
The original version of Le chant des goals was written by Bobinus. He was active as an author at the beginning of the 20th century and was also called le barde saint-gillois—the bard or poet of Saint-Gilles. As a columnist (chroniqueur) for the magazine Le Football, he used Bobinus as a pseudonym, as was customary at the time.
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| Le Football |
In 1912, on the occasion of Union's 15th anniversary, he wrote the legendary Le chant des goals with the refrain "C'est l'Union qui sourit". He is also credited with the famous expression that perfectly captures the bond between club and neighborhood: "Un unioniste est quelqu'un qui a fait sa première crotte sur la Butte!" ("A Unionist is someone who laid their first turd on La Butte!") [RTBF]. La Butte was the name of Union's stadium before it was renamed the Joseph Marien Stadium in 1933, after the legendary president's death. That year also marked the beginning of the epic "Union 60" series, in which the club remained unbeaten for 60 matches in the top division.
Bobinus was clearly an ardent Union enthusiast who intensively followed the club during its glory years. His biographical details are scarce (just keep reading, he will be unmasked), but his role in Union folklore is unmistakable. His club anthem still echoes through Parc Duden more than a century later.
Jean Narcy - The folk singer
This is partly thanks to Brussels singer Jean Narcy (1932 - Uccle, 2014), who in 1987—75 years after Bobinus—released his version of C'est l'Union qui sourit [Discogs]. Remarkably, he did this during a period when Union had been playing in the lower divisions for 14 years and was experiencing difficult times.
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| Jean Narcy (1932 - Uccle, 2014) |
Jean Narcy (his real name Jean Huet) was a Brussels cabaret singer with a characteristic mustache. He began his career at thirteen in the café-concert La Capitale along Boulevard Anspach [BRUZZ]. He became THE voice of Brussels football and sang club songs for Union Saint-Gilloise (Le Chant des Goals), RWDM (Eviva Molenbeek), Anderlecht, and also for Standard Liège (Allons les rouges et blancs).
His greatest success was Bravo Eddy (1969), an ode to cycling icon Eddy Merckx after his first Tour de France victory. He made this song together with the legendary accordionist Hector Delfosse, in whose orchestra he played for almost 25 years.
He died in 2014, but his musical legacy lives on in Belgian football stadiums.
François-Joseph Popy - The composer
That Bobinus wrote the text and Jean Narcy enhanced the song's popularity is certain. But who composed the original melody?
Bobinus's Chant des Goals appears to be unmistakably based on the work La marche de Paris by François-Joseph Popy from 1904.
A reference to Popy can be found on [ArchivIris] with the lyrics of Le chant des goals. The credits of Jean Narcy's version also reference F. Popy[Discogs].
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| François-Joseph Popy (Lyon, 1874 – Belleville, 1928) |
François-Joseph Popy (Lyon, 1874 – Belleville, 1928), also known as Francis Popy, was a French composer whose music is typical of the Belle Époque [Wikipedia]. His slow waltz Sphynx was included in the White Star Line's music book. And thus we can make a remarkable connection: it was part of the Titanic orchestra's repertoire. James Cameron used a fragment of this work in his masterpiece Titanic from 1997.
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| Song book White Star Line Titanic 1912 |
Benoni Van der Gheynst - The writer, the painter, the jokester
The attentive reader noticed in the credits of the song lyrics in the ArchivIris article the mention Paroles de Benoni Van der Ghenyst dit "Bobinus" (1912). Yes indeed, Bobinus is the alter ego of Benoni Van der Gheynst!
Benoni Van der Gheynst (Ronse, 1876 – Nice, 1946) was not only a satirical sports journalist who immortalized Brussels types and sports culture in word and image, but also a recognized painter. He trained around 1895-1897 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels and painted portraits, figures, landscapes, and beach scenes, often with an impressionist touch. Known works include Oriental Carpet Seller on the Beach, Village Road in the Snow, View of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Walk on the Breakwater, and cityscapes of Nice and Venice. His work was exhibited at the Brussels Triennial and in the Musée Moderne [BraveFineArt]. His paintings are also in public collections, including in the municipality of Anderlecht.
With his biting humor, he was popular in Brussels sports circles before the war. In 1904, he worked on a project Types et Caractères par Benoni Van der Gheynst, in which he captured Brussels folk figures and characters in paintings and sketches. From 1909, he published the magazine Le Football, in which he provided his articles with caricatures that he signed with 'Bobinus'. The publication of Le Football was interrupted in 1914 and resumed after the armistice.
In 1910, he published the book Sport Gai, a collection of sporting and satirical chronicles from the period 1909-1910. This was the first real Belgian book about football. It provides a nice overview of what football is, and especially what the customs and practices were at the time [Le Vif].
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| Sport Gai, 1910 |
Benoni Van der Gheynst proved to be one of the artists in occupied Brussels who resisted with humor by sketching the difficult daily life of the Brussels population. Perhaps because laughing at one's own adversity helped to endure it better. But these artists did not limit themselves to self-mockery: they also pointed out those responsible for all that misfortune: naturally the German occupier, but also those Brussels residents who somehow benefited from the occupation [CAIRN.info].
By giving voice to local culture and community through art and satire, Benoni Van der Gheynst was unmistakably a contributor to the famous "Brussels zwanze" (Brussels humor) [erfgoed.brussels].
Le chant des goals - Timeless music, many styles
The most popular - Jean Narcy
The most popular version of Union's club anthem is naturally that of Jean Narcy from 1987. His version of C'est l'Union qui sourit is still played before every home match at Parc Duden.
The earliest traceable 7" version – Orchestre de Georges Legrand
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| Marche officielle de l'Union Royale Saint-Gilloise, G. Legrand, 1968 |
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| 7" Marche officielle de l'Union Royale Saint-Gilloise, G. Legrand, 1968 |
The most eclectic - Jaune Toujours
The most surprising - Sitardust
"Sans connaître d'inutiles richesses - Sans s'abaisser à de vilains désirs - Sans avoir eu d'écœurants bassesses - Toujours il a su vaincre sans s'asservir, Son souvenir retentit par le monde - C'est un hymne superbe et triomphant - Il éblouit en sa beauté féconde - Et c'est pour lui que nous allons chantant: c'est l'Union, c'est l'Union, c'est l'Union qui sourit..."
"Comme tous ceux qui dépassent les autres - Il a son peuple attiré d'ennemis - C'est son orgueil et c'est aussi le nôtre - On est puissant quand on est tant maudit Pour notre équipe, nous donnons notre vie - Nous y croyons comme au ciel rayonnant - Nous lui crions notre extase ravie - Et c'est pour lui que nous allons chantant: c'est l'Union, c'est l'Union, c'est l'Union qui sourit..."
Even more styles in 2025 - DEAF8
This version is part of an album containing multiple renditions of Le chant des goals: an EDM dance version, a solid rock version, an instrumental jazz version, and a symphonic version in magical Christmas atmosphere (reminiscent of Popy's original waltz).
A mythical conclusion
The voice of Bobinus, the bard of Saint-Gilles, still echoes through time: his words gave Union a soul that proved stronger than defeats or oblivion. Jean Narcy gave that soul new breath, so the club anthem lived on when the stands were quieter. And somewhere, in the echo of François-Joseph Popy's melodies, the same melancholy resonates that once crossed the ocean.
Thus three stories meet: the poet who immortalized his neighborhood, the club that refused to bend, and the music that preserved its beauty even in the Titanic's demise.
Together they form a legend in which Brussels, Union, and many generations of people touch each other. A reminder that true folklore doesn't perish and that people will eternally continue to sing: c'est l'Union qui sourit!
Erik Pieraert, Saturday 11/01/2025, on the occasion of the 128th anniversary of reigning national champion Union Saint-Gilloise.
Annex
Le chant de goals - paroles - lyrics
Français | Nederlands | English |
Il rayonne dans les sports en Belgique, parmi tous ceux qui luttent pour l’honneur Un club fameux dont la force magique domine tout d’une pure splendeur. Dans les combats, maître des destinées, il fut toujours le héros éclatant Son nom s’évoque en de glorieux trophées. Et c’est pour lui que nous allons chantant: | Zij straalt in de Belgische sport, tussen allen die strijden voor de eer. Een beroemde club waarvan de magische kracht alles overheerst met pure pracht In de strijd, meester van het lot, was ze altijd de schitterende held. Haar naam wordt opgeroepen in glorieuze trofeeën En het is voor haar dat wij zingen: | It shines in Belgian sports, among all those who fight for honor. A famous club whose magical strength dominates everything with pure splendor. In battles, master of destinies, it was always the brilliant hero. Its name is evoked in glorious trophies. And it's for them that we go singing: |
C’est l’Union, c’est l’Union! C’est l’Union qui sourit. C’est l’Union, c’est l’Union Saint-Gilloise. L’astre des sports grandit dans une aube vermeille. C’est l’Union qui sourit. C’est l’Union l’éternelle merveille Chacun l’envie et dit: l’Union s’éveille | Het is Union, het is Union! Het is Union dat glimlacht. Het is Union, het is Union Saint-Gilloise. De ster van de sport groeit in een rode dageraad. Het is Union dat glimlacht. Het is Union, het eeuwige wonder. Iedereen benijdt haar en zegt: Union ontwaakt. | It's Union, it's Union! It's Union that smiles. It's Union, it's Union Saint-Gilloise. The star of sports grows in a vermillion dawn. It's Union that smiles. It's Union the eternal marvel. Everyone envies it and says: Union awakens. |
Sans connaître d'inutiles richesses Sans s'abaisser à de vilains désirs Sans avoir eu d'écœurants bassesses Toujours il a su vaincre sans s'asservir Son souvenir retentit par le monde C'est un hymne superbe et triomphant Il éblouit en sa beauté féconde Et c'est pour lui que nous allons chantant: | Zonder te zoeken naar nutteloze rijkdommen Zonder zich te verlagen tot gemene verlangens Zonder ooit walgelijke laagheid te kennen. Steeds wist zij te zegevieren zonder zich te onderwerpen. Haar herinnering weergalmt door de wereld. Het is een prachtige en triomfantelijke hymne. Zij schittert in haar vruchtbare schoonheid En het is voor haar dat wij zingen: | Without knowing useless riches Without stooping to vile desires Without having had disgusting baseness Always it knew how to win without enslaving itself Its memory resounds through the world. It's a superb and triumphant hymn. It dazzles in its fertile beauty And it's for them that we go singing: |
C'est l' Union, c'est l' Union! ... | Het is Union, het is Union! Het is Union dat glimlacht... | It's Union, it's Union! It's Union that smiles... |
Comme tous ceux qui dépassent les autres Il a son peuple attiré d'ennemis C'est son orgueil et c'est aussi le nôtre On est puissant quand on est tant maudit Pour notre équipe, nous donnons notre vie Nous y croyons comme au ciel rayonnant Nous lui crions notre extase ravie Et c'est pour lui que nous allons chantant: | Zoals allen die de anderen overtreffen, heeft zij vijanden haar tot haar volk aangetrokken. Het is haar trots en het is ook de onze. Men is machtig wanneer men zo vervloekt is. Voor ons team geven wij ons leven. Wij geloven erin zoals in de stralende hemel. Wij roepen haar (Union) onze verrukte extase toe. En het is voor haar dat wij zingen: | Like all those who surpass others It has attracted enemies to its people. It's its pride and it's also ours One is powerful when one is so cursed For our team, we give our life We believe in it like in the radiant sky We shout to it our delighted ecstasy. And it's for them that we go singing: |
C'est l' Union, c'est l' Union! ... | Het is Union, het is Union! Het is Union dat glimlacht... | It's Union, it's Union! It's Union that smiles... |
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