French Singer-songwriter Yves Duteil: Messenger of Peace, Respect and Benevolence, Part 2 of 2

It’s said that behind every great man there is a great woman. Yves Duteil’s wife Noëlle Léonore Mallard, to whom he dedicated most of his songs, has been his “muse” for 50 years. Noëlle is also the inspiration behind one of his most moving songs, “Pour que tu ne meures pas” (So That You Don’t Die), which was written when Noëlle was battling cancer. “So that you don't die, I prayed day and night A God I ignored to keep you alive. I prayed on my knees that He would leave you to us. I was saying the prayers that I was reciting to myself When I was a child, I said Our Father, Hail Mary. And I searched in vain, in the sky down here Moments of respite that I finally found in the crook of your arms. For you to stay alive, I would have prayed to Buddha.”

Respect and benevolence toward all creatures are motives for this remarkable artist. These principles were implemented during the 25 years he devoted to improving the human-made and natural environments of Précy-sur-Marne. After being elected mayor of this city in Seine-et-Marne in Northern France, Yves Duteil worked tirelessly to promote harmony in society, and implement various green initiatives for sustainable development. “I think that this experience as a mayor has taught me, while keeping my head in the clouds to have my feet on the ground. To dream of tomorrow, but with the reality of today.”

Regarding the title of his newly published book “Chemins de liberté” (Paths of Freedom), Yves Duteil says the following: “And so this feeling of freedom, I think, is a bit the basis of our commitment in life. Provided we do what we want to do, the way we want to do it, and as we feel it, we are happy. So we have made it a point to follow this requirement of freedom, so the title came like that.”

A poet with a big heart, Yves Duteil is committed to many humanitarian organizations and has a vision of a benevolent world. “What I would like to have left of my songs, it's this reflection, it's this philosophy, this way of looking at the world with benevolence. Because benevolence will win. I think that humanity still has some chances to gain in benevolence so that we can live under the safeguard of one another, and no longer be in conflict with one another.”