Robert Charlebois’s son Jérôme covers his dad’s classic Je reviendrai à Montréal as a tribute to the Canadiens

Je reviendrai à Montréal is, hands down, one of Robert Charlebois’s greatest songs — and the iconic Québécois rockeur has more than his fair share of classics — and his son Jérôme just released a fine new version this week to fête the 50th anniversary of the track.

Quebec singer Robert Charlebois and his son Jérôme Charlebois perform at the Fête Nationale concert at Parc Maisonneuve in Montreal on June 24, 2012. Photo by Kristina Servant, courtesy of Jérôme Charlebois.

What’s really cool is Charlebois Jr. has rewritten some of the lyrics to turn the melodic 1976 hit into a tribute to the Montreal Canadiens on the eve of the team’s entry into the playoffs. Even better, the Canadiens organization lent a helping hand, giving Charlebois access to some clips of classic moments in Canadiens history, featuring legends like Maurice and Henri Richard, Jean Béliveau, Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy and Saku Koivu. And, yes, there are few images of the team winning Stanley Cups and holding parades down the usual route on Ste-Catherine St., something that used to happen a lot more regularly back in the day.

“I really just did it for fun and to underline the 50th anniversary of Je reviendrai à Montréal, my daddy’s song,” said Jérôme Charlebois, in a phone interview this week. “And we’re both big hockey fans. So it’s an original way to do something with the song. And then the Canadiens helped out with the archives. So did the National Film Board. It all came together naturally. It’s really just about the celebrating the Canadiens before the playoffs to get people in the mood.”

The new lyrics include the following verse:

“J’ai besoin de revoir les gens se rassemblaient le printemps/ J’ai besoin de cette lumière descendue droit de la Sainte-Flanelle/ Et qui fait rêver tout l’hiver d’une Coupe Stanley au Centre Bell / Je veux être fier d’être Québécois / Voir le trophée au bout de nos bras / Et le sourire de ces enfants qui passent l’hiver en espérant.”

(I need to see again people getting together in the spring/ I need to see this light coming straight from la Sainte-Flanelle/ And who’ve been dreaming all winter of a Stanley Cup at the Bell Centre / I want to be proud to be Québécois / To see the trophy in our arms / And to see the smile of the kids who have spent the whole winter hoping for this.)

The video also features scenes of kids playing hockey outdoors, intercut with Jérôme Charlebois on the ice in a Habs jersey.

He talks of being at the final game of the 1993 Stanley Cup Final at the Forum, watching the Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the series to win their 24th Cup. He was 14 at the time and he and his brother had standing-room tickets. And he’s still a huge fan 33 years later.

“I haven’t seen a team like this current one since the 1993 team,” said Charlebois, who has released several albums over the past two decades. “I lived through some pretty miserable years with the team. There were some exceptions. Some great years with Carey Price. They made the conference finals a couple of times. There was the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. But I think we have some great years ahead of us and I hope we go far this year. But there are loads of good teams in the league. So it won’t be easy. Still we’re allowed to dream.”

He said his dad was touched when he first heard the new version of the song last week.

Habs fans were just as touched as Robert Charlebois — reaction on social media was positive.

One fan on X wrote: “This needs to play at the Bell Centre instead of Sweet Caroline!!!” Another had a novel interpretation of the song: “Je reviendrai à MTL … c’est la coupe qui nous parle … qu’elle revient à Montréal!” (I will be returning to Montreal … it’s the Cup that’s talking to us … it’s coming back to Montreal!)

That last comment is the perfect encapsulation of the power of positive thinking of Habs fans on the eve of the playoffs.

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