Marc Chagall,
Le Ciel Bleu, Paris, 1964
Over time, "Sous Le Ciel de Paris" ("Under Paris Sky") and the Paris sky itself (personified in the song) became iconic symbols of Paris. Hubert Giraud composed the music and Jean Drejac wrote the lyrics for an eponymous 1951 film directed by Julien Duvivier. Jean Bretonnier sang in the movie. In the same year, Anny Gould and Juliette Greco released recordings and in 1954 Edith Piaf released her own recording, followed in 1964 by Yves Montand. American lyricist Kim Gannon wrote English lyrics titled “Under Paris Skies” that were recorded in the US by Andy Williams in 1960 and Bing Crosby in 1962.
Paris Skies
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Sous le ciel de Paris S’envole une chanson Hum hum Elle est née d’aujourd’hui Dans le cœur d’un garçon Sous le ciel de Paris Marchent des amoureux Hum hum Leur bonheur se construit Sur un air fait pour eux Sous le pont de Bercy Un philosophe assis Deux musiciens, quelques badauds Puis les gens par milliers Sous le ciel de Paris Jusqu’au soir vont chanter Hum hum L’hymne d’un peuple épris De sa vieille cité Près de Notre Dame Parfois couve un drame Oui mais à Paname Tout peut s’arranger Quelques rayons Du ciel d’été L’accordéon D’un marinier L’espoir fleurit Au ciel de Paris Sous le ciel de Paris Coule un fleuve joyeux Hum hum Il endort dans la nuit Les clochards et les gueux Sous le ciel de Paris Les oiseaux du Bon Dieu Hum hum Viennent du monde entier Pour bavarder entre eux Et le ciel de Paris A son secret pour lui Depuis vingt siècles il est épris De notre Île Saint Louis Quand elle lui sourit Il met son habit bleu Hum Hum Quand il pleut sur Paris C’est qu’il est malheureux Quand il est trop jaloux De ses millions d’amants Il fait gronder sur nous Son tonnerre éclatant Mais le ciel de Paris N’est pas longtemps cruel Pour se faire pardonner Il offre un arc-en-ciel |
Under the sky of Paris A song flies away Hum hum She was born today In a young man’s heart Under the sky of Paris Lovers walk around Hum hum Their happiness builds Upon a tune made for them Under the Bercy bridge A philosopher seated Two musicians, a few onlookers And then thousands of people Under the sky of Paris Until night they will sing Hum hum The song of people in love With their old city Near Notre Dame Sometimes a drama brews Yes, but in Paris Everything can be worked out A few rays From the summer sky The accordion Of a sailor Hope blooms In the Paris sky Under the sky of Paris Flows a joyous river Hum hum It sleeps in the night The homeless and paupers Under the sky of Paris The birds of the good Lord Hum hum Come from all over the world To chat among themselves And the sky of Paris Has its own secret For twenty centuries it is smitten With our Ile Saint Louis When she (Ile) smiles at him (the sky) He dons his blue outfit Hum Hum When it rains on Paris It’s that he’s unhappy. When he is too jealous Of her millions of lovers He rumbles over us His bursting thunder But the sky of Paris Isn’t cruel for long To pardon himself He offers a rainbow |
NB:
- “Paname:” a nickname for Paris (pronounced puh-nam). Although the French effort beginning 1881 to construct the Panama Canal became a disaster costing 20,000 lives, the Panama hat became a fashion statement for trendy Parisians, especially at outdoor sporting events during summer, and the name has become enshrined in songs (by Leo Ferré, Jean Ferrat, and this one).
- This song highlights the importance of noun gender in the French language. In the song, “Il” (he) and “lui” (him) refer to the sky, while the “chanson” and Île Saint Louis are “elle” (she). It is difficult to follow the song without knowing what nouns the male and female pronouns refer to.
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