A selection of the main compositions of the performer Edith Piaf...

Edith Piaf is a French singer and film actress. The diva was recognized worldwide thanks to her timeless songs: "La Vie en rose", "Non, je ne regrette rien", "Hymne à l'amour", "Mon légionnaire", "Mon Dieu"...

Edith Piaf is the pride and joy of the eastern suburbs of Paris, and for good reason! To this day, the Belleville and Menilmontant districts adhere to the fact that the great singer, an icon of an entire era, was born on these streets... Here - you can see pictures of the legendary diva in literally every bar! And some establishments even hold regular evenings in honor of her work...

Piaf's songs have stood the test of time, which is why they can rightfully be called iconic pages in the history of world music... And that's why we bring to your attention a selection of "Greatest Hits of Edith Piaf"!

"La Vie en rose"

This is undoubtedly Edith Piaf's most famous song! The fact that "La Vie en rose" has been sung by countless artists from all over the world attests to this at least!

There are few songs in the history of music so globally connected to France as this one... "La Vie en rose" is a ballad that has become a reflection of the essence of France as well as a lyrical masterpiece, conveying exactly the feelings that people of all countries sought from the 1940s to the 1960s.

It is not for nothing that the phrase "La Vie en rose" was chosen as the title of a biographical film about the life of Piaf, released in 2007 by director Olivier Daan.

"Non, je ne regrette rien"

"Non, je ne regrette rien" was the last song Piaf released before her death... It did not have as long a career as "La Vie en rose"... But "Non, je ne regrette rien" certainly left its mark on music history. Today it is considered Piaf's second most popular work...

Sometimes this song is called "Edith Piaf's Last Cry" because in it the singer talks about all the mistakes she made throughout her life: lost love, missed opportunities... At the same time - proudly declaring that she has absolutely no regrets.

"Milord."

It is no secret that Piaf spent most of her life in a brothel in Paris with her grandmother... It is hard to imagine what young Edith had to experience within the walls of this institution...

The composition "Milord" tells the story of a "one-night stand" girl who falls in love with a lord... This girl knows that they will never be together. But she continues to love him...

The actual events that inspired Piaf to write Milord have never been revealed, and largely remain a mystery. However, music historians believe that for the most part Edith drew inspiration from this tumultuous period of her life...

"Padam, padam..."

The song "Padam, padam..." is interpreted in different ways. Mainly because Piaf herself said very little about this song...

It is known that Edith Piaf loved Paris with all her heart, and did not lose her fierce passion for this city during the years of touring and making music... She once said:

"This song (i.e., 'Padam, padam...') comes as far as I go..."

Some believe that the repetition in the title demonstrates the monotony of celebrity life. A nonstop, repetitive charade of travel and concerts that Piaf enjoyed less and less...

"Hymne à l'amour"

Edith Piaf was a hopeless romantic... There were many loves in her life... But none could compare with the singer's earliest love, Marcel Cerdan, a heavyweight boxer who tragically died...

"Hymne à l'amour" ("Ode to Love") is a final thank you and farewell to her beloved... In the song, Piaf tries to put into words how his love felt while she had it...

"La goualante du pauvre Jean"

The title of this song translates as "poor people of Paris. It was originally a French folk song, and it became famous all over the world thanks to a recording by Piaf. Since then, many other artists have covered the song.

The title itself is incredibly misleading. This song is not about poor Parisians at all, but about a big Parisian crook who manages to get himself arrested and imprisoned.

"Mon legionnaire"

In the early years of Piaf's rise to fame, there were many conflicts between France and Algeria in North Africa.

This is another ballad dedicated to Piaf's endless search for true love...

"Les trois cloches"

This song was originally written in Sweden, but quickly became one of Piaf's most popular songs for international performances.

Piaf's American fans really liked this song, which is why the singer usually opened "Les trois cloches" concerts during her U.S. tour.

"La foule"

Another heartbreaking ballad that explores the seemingly impossible task of finding true love...

In "La foule," Piaf sings about a large crowd of people in which a woman lurks. Suddenly she bumps into a man and instantly falls in love! But soon she is swept away in the opposite direction, and they never see each other again...

"Mon Dieu"

Although Piaf never spoke much about her personal resonance with the song, there are many historical developments to suggest that she related to it on many emotional and experiential levels.

"Mon Dieu" is a plea to God to keep a loved one alive for just a few days, as there are not enough memories with that person yet... The song is very sensitive and extremely desperate in content. Now I understand why Piaf herself never went into detail about "Mon Dieu"...

"Sous le ciel de Paris

The beautiful city of Paris, where Edith Piaf was born, became famous and was eventually buried, was a popular theme of her songs. Thus, "Sous le ciel de Paris" simply recounts everything that can happen "Under the skies of Paris" at any given time. It's romantic and sweet, and it's a fitting tribute to the city the singer called home...

"L'Accordeoniste

The composition "L'Accordeoniste" tells the story of a girl of easy virtue who uses music (in particular, Ball musette and the accompanying Java dance) to escape the torment of her life...

The song was written by Michel Emer, a composer and old friend of the singer... During World War II, Piaf helped Emer to flee the country unnoticed before the Nazis could catch him.

"Jezebel."

Most of Edith Piaf's most famous songs were eventually translated from French into several other languages for performance around the world. However, "Jezebel" escaped that fate because it was originally written in English by songwriter Wayne Shanklin! This composition first became a Frankie Layne hit...

The lyric "Jezebel" tells the heartbreaking story of a woman... And Piaf's version, translated by Charles Aznavour, is both dramatic and playful!