Marie-Madeleine Lison, a florist in Brussels of whom Brel was a client, was convinced she was the inspiration for the song.

[1] A more likely theory is that the song is based on a good friend of Brel's, who he was introduced to through Georges Brassens.

Madeleine Zeffa Biver was the daughter of a communist father and a Jewish mother[2] She "escaped the Nazis in 44 then an abusive husband a few years later.

When she was twenty, she often visited the poets, musicians, and artists of Saint-Germain-des-Prés while she worked as a model for hairdressers in Paris.

[3] She once stood up Brel on a date, hence the subject matter of the song: "Ce soir, j'attends Madeleine; j'ai apporté des lilas; j'en apporte toutes les semaines…" ("Tonight, I'm waiting for Madeleine, I brought lilacs, I bring them every week...")[4] 1962: 1964: 1966: 1973: In 2003, Madeleine appeared in the compilation album Infiniment[16] The song has been covered by Quebecois singer Michel Rivard on the album Maudit bonheur in 1998, and by Pierre Bachelet in 2003 on the album Tu ne nous quittes pas An English translation by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman was included in the revue, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, and on the album released in 1968.