Le Plat Pays

"Le plat pays" (French) or in Dutch "Mijn vlakke land" is a song by the Belgian singer Jacques Brel, who performed the song in both languages.

The success encountered in Paris by his Swiss mentor friend Jean Villard Gilles' "La Venoge", about an unknown little river, inspired and encouraged him to write the song.

The flat country referred to in the song is West Flanders, the region in Belgium from which his family originated. It is a region with many open fields and few trees. Because this landscape is rather typical not only of the West Flanders, but of large swathes of the Low Countries, the Dutch version of the song is popular in the Netherlands.

The French lyrics are by Jacques Brel, the Dutch lyrics by Ernst van Altena.

Valencian singer Ovidi Montllor wrote a largely modified version, "El Meu Poble Alcoi" ("My Hometown Alcoi"), which he dedicated to the city where he was born and grown up.

The song was also referenced in the original French language version of Asterix in Belgium, where the Belgian leader tells Asterix, Obelix and Vitalstatistix that "in his flat country oppidums are the only mountains."

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