La Vie En Rose - Edith Piaf

 

Autumn Leaves

La Vie En Rose

Édith Piaf Sings In English

Columbia Records CL 898

1956

From the back cover: Édith Piaf first came to the United States in 1947; she has been back almost annually ever since, and occupies a position in music that is altogether unique. Popular musicians rate her as one of the foremost exponents of the popular style, while classical musicians acclaim her for her remarkable artistry and the general public at the same time revels in the magic that is hers alone. French singers have come since, droves of them, and most of those same singers have gone, by Piaf, in her stark little black dress, with her mournful songs, still weaves the same compelling spell.

In this collection, Piaf presents ten characteristic chansons, perhaps a little happier in mood than most of her work, in English, combining her own fascination with the added attraction of her accent. Whether in French or English her command of her art and her command of her audience are equally profound, and these songs, familiar to everyone, present a fresh approach to Piaf's work. Her singing of La Vie en Rose has already taken its place among the classic performances; this presentation is no less rewarding, and, being in English, has a slightly different atmosphere. Similarly, The Three Bells, which she made famous with Les Companions de la Chanson as Les trois cloches, loses no part of its dramatic atmosphere with the translation. Indeed, all of Piaf's performances in this collection brim over with the fervor that she brings to her singing, the controlled intensity that pervades her work.

So firmly has Piaf established herself as an artist that sometimes one forgets that not al French popular music is dramatic, or sad, or tragic, for many of her songs conceal disenchantment under their lilting waltz refrains. Even when she essays a merry song, one waits for the moment when she will revert to the wry facts of life. But whatever the mood of her songs, Piaf entertains, in the sense of providing her listeners with an experience that lifts them out of themselves or revealing a new emotional experience. So deftly does she carry her audience along that the most provincial member soon finds himself breathing the atmosphere of her Paris.

A native Parisienne, Piaf was the daughter of a circus acrobat and endured a childhood of unusual hardship. While still very young, she was blinded by illness, and remained so until at twelve her sight suddenly returned. Her father removed her from the care of her grandmother, and had her accompany him through the streets of Paris where he sometimes performed. The lilting tunes of the city caught in her head and frequently she sang in the streets, but few paid any attention to her. An attempt she made at fifteen to become a chanteuse was a failure until one day a gentleman stopped to hear her and, in fairy-tale fashion, offered her a job singing in one of his theatrical presentations. Her songs and personality were an immediate success, and her career has gone forward steadily ever since. During the war she worked tirelessly with the Underground, returning to the cafes only after the Liberation. Then, in 1947, she came to the United States and, singing only in French, won enormous acclaim. Little by little she has added translations and English songs to her repertoire, and her return visits are eagerly awaited by the faithful public. A truly international star, Édith Piaf here presents some of her most popular numbers – in English – in tribute to her American admires.

La Vie En Rose

My Lost Melody

Don't Cry

Chante Moi

Hymn To Love

Autumn Leaves

'Cause I Love You

I Shouldn't Care

Simply A Waltz

The Three Bells