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

Edith Piaf was a French singer and film actress. The diva gained international recognition 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 neighbourhoods of Belleville and Menilmontant adhere to the fact that the great singer, an icon of an entire era, came from these very streets... Here - you can see pictures of the legendary diva in literally every bar! And some establishments even hold regular evenings in honour 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 offer you a selection of "Edith Piaf's Greatest Hits"!

"La Vie en rose"

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

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 that conveys exactly the sentiments that people of all countries were striving for from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Not for nothing was the phrase "La Vie en rose" chosen as the title of a biographical film about Piaf's life 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... This composition did not have as long a career as "La Vie en rose"... However, "Non, je ne regrette rien" certainly left its mark on music history. Today it is considered to be Piaf's second most popular known work.....

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

"Milord."

It's no secret that Piaf spent most of her life in a Parisian brothel with her grandmother... It's hard to imagine what young Edith experienced within the walls of this institution....

The composition "Milord" tells the story of a girl "for one night" who falls in love with a lord... This girl knows that they will never be together. But 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 Edith drew much of her inspiration from this tumultuous period of her life...

"Padam, padam..."

The composition "Padam, padam..." has been interpreted in many different ways. Mainly because Piaf herself had very little to say about this song....

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

"This song (i.e. "Padam, padam...") comes from as far away as I do...".

Some believe that the repetition in the title demonstrates the monotony of celebrity life. The non-stop, repetitive charade of travelling and concerts that Piaf enjoyed less and less....

"Hymne à l'amour."

Edith Piaf was a hopeless romantic... There were so many loves in her life... But none could compare to 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 her...

"La goualante du pauvre Jean."

The title of this song translates as "the poor of Paris". It was originally a French folk song, and it became world famous thanks to a recording by Piaf. Since then, many other artists have also done covers of this 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 was much conflict between France and Algeria in North Africa.

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

"Les trois cloches"

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

Piaf's American fans loved this composition, which is why the singer used to open "Les trois cloches" concerts during her US tours.

"La foule."

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

In "La foule" Piaf sings about a large crowd of people in which a woman is lurking. Suddenly she bumps into a man and instantly falls in love! But soon she is whisked 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 is much history to suggest that she connected with 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 yet enough memories with that person... The song is very sensitive and extremely desperate in content. It is now clear 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, made famous and eventually buried, was a popular theme of her songs. So, "Sous le ciel de Paris" simply tells of all 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 behaviour who uses music (specifically the 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 mate of the singer... During World War II, Piaf helped Emer discreetly escape from the country 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. "Jezebel" escaped this fate, however, because it was originally written in English by songwriter Wayne Shanklin! This composition was first made a hit by Frankie Laine....

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