Edith Piaf’s short life (1915-1963) traced a trajectory from abuse, abandonment, tragedy and life in the streets to fame, riches, multiple love affairs and finally addiction, crippling arthritis and early death in poverty at the age of 47. Her career began singing in the streets with her acrobat father and in the shabby cafes of Pigalle like Au Lapin Agile. It ended in fancy cafes like La Coupole on the Boulevard du Montparnasse, concert halls of the Champs Elysées, and the Opéra.
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Her diminutive physical stature (4’8”) brought her a nickname “La Môme Piaf” (“little sparrow”) but her powerful and melodramatic voice conveyed the full range of her life experience. The latter included abandonment by her family, childhood in a brothel, death by meningitis of her own child at two years old, murder of her first manager Louis Leplée, death by plane crash of her boxing champion lover Marcel Cerdan, and three car accidents that led to morphine and alcohol addiction. Piaf was as much an impresario as a singer and played a large role in channeling upcoming young talent (Yves Montand, Charles Aznavour, Georges Moustaki) into the Paris music scene. After a short but illustrious career, she died an iconic symbol of France.
Edith Piaf Songs:
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No, I Regret Nothing)
Milord (Ombre de la Rue) (Milord, Shadow of the Street)
La Vie En Rose (Life in Pink)
Sous Le Ciel de Paris (Under the Sky of Paris)
Her diminutive physical stature (4’8”) brought her a nickname “La Môme Piaf” (“little sparrow”) but her powerful and melodramatic voice conveyed the full range of her life experience. The latter included abandonment by her family, childhood in a brothel, death by meningitis of her own child at two years old, murder of her first manager Louis Leplée, death by plane crash of her boxing champion lover Marcel Cerdan, and three car accidents that led to morphine and alcohol addiction. Piaf was as much an impresario as a singer and played a large role in channeling upcoming young talent (Yves Montand, Charles Aznavour, Georges Moustaki) into the Paris music scene. After a short but illustrious career, she died an iconic symbol of France.
Edith Piaf Songs:
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No, I Regret Nothing)
Milord (Ombre de la Rue) (Milord, Shadow of the Street)
La Vie En Rose (Life in Pink)
Sous Le Ciel de Paris (Under the Sky of Paris)