Édith Piaf (born Édith Giovanna Gassion, 19 December, 1915 – 11 October, 19… Read Full Bio ↴Édith Piaf (born Édith Giovanna Gassion, 19 December, 1915 – 11 October, 1963), was a French singer and cultural icon who became universally regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads. Among her songs are "La Vie en rose" (1946), "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960), "Hymne à l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), "La Foule" (1957), "l'Accordéoniste" (1955), and "Padam... Padam..." (1951).
Despite the numerous biographies, many facts and events of Édith's life are shrouded in mystery. She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion in Belleville, Paris, France, the high-immigration district later described by Daniel Pennac. Legend has it that she was born on the pavement of Rue de Belleville 72 but according to her birth certificate that was at Hôpital Tenon, the Belleville arrondissement hospital. She was named Édith after the executed British nurse Edith Cavell (Piaf —Parisian jargon for "sparrow"— came from a nickname she would receive twenty years later).
Her mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard (1898 – 1945), was a partly-Italian 17-year-old girl, native of Livorno, working as a café singer under the pseudonym Line Marsa; from her, Édith took the middle name of Giovanna. Her father, Louis-Alphonse Gassion (1881 – 1944), was a street acrobat with a theatrical past. The little Édith was soon abandoned and left for a short time to her maternal grandmother, Mena (probably a Kabyle). Shortly after, Édith's father brought the child to his mother, who ran a brothel in Normandy, and then joined the French Army (1916). Thus Édith was in contact with the prostitutes and the various attenders of the brothel since her early years, a circumstance which must have had a deep impact on her personality and vision of life.
From the age of three to seven she was blind. As part of Piaf's legend, she allegedly recovered her sight after her grandmother's prostitutes went on a pilgrimage to Saint Thérèse de Lisieux. In 1929 she joined her father in his acrobatic street performances. Then took a room at Grand Hôtel de Clermont (18 rue Veron, Paris 18ème) and separated from him, going her own way as a street singer in Pigalle, Ménilmontant and Paris suburbs (cf. the song "Elle fréquentait la Rue Pigalle"). She was about 16 years of age when she fell in love with a delivery-boy, Louis Dupont, and shortly after had a child, a little girl named Marcelle. Sadly, Marcelle died in infancy of meningitis.
In 1935, Édith was discovered in the Pigalle area of Paris by the nightclub owner Louis Leplée, whose club was frequented by the upper and lower classes alike. He persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness, which, combined with her height of only 4' 8" (142 cm) inspired him to give her the nickname that would stay with her for the rest of her life and become her stage name: La Môme Piaf (The Little Sparrow). Her first record was produced in the same year. Shortly afterwards, Leplée was murdered and Piaf was accused of being an accessory; she was acquitted.
In 1940, Jean Cocteau wrote the successful play Le Bel Indifférent for her to star in. She began to make friends with famous people, such as the actor Maurice Chevalier and the poet Jacques Borgeat. She wrote the lyrics of many of her songs, and collaborated with composers on the tunes.
Her signature song, "La vie en rose" (which was voted a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998) was written in the middle of the German occupation of Paris in World War II. During this time, she was in great demand and very successful. She befriended many high-ranking Germans and sang for them. It is said that she collaborated with the Nazis, too. After the war, she toured Europe, the United States, and South America, becoming an internationally known figure. Her popularity in the U.S. was such that she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show eight times. She helped to launch the career of Charles Aznavour, taking him on tour with her in France and the United States.
The great love of Piaf's life, the boxer Marcel Cerdan, died in 1949. Piaf was married twice. Her first husband was Jacques Pills, a singer; they married in 1952 and divorced in 1956. Her second husband, Theophanis Lamboukas (also known as Théo Sarapo), was a hairdresser-turned-singer and actor, and was twenty years younger than Piaf; they married in 1962.
In 1951 she was in a car accident, and thereafter had difficulty breaking a serious morphine habit.
The Paris Olympia is the place where Piaf achieved fame and where, just a few months before her death, she gave one of her most memorable concerts while barely able to stand. In early 1963, Piaf recorded her last song, "L'homme de Berlin".
At the early age of 47, Piaf died of cancer in Plascassier, on the French riviera, on October 10, 1963. Her friend Jean Cocteau, very shocked and afflicted by her death, died a few hours later. Her body was returned to Paris where her death was only announced on October 11, the official date of her death. She was buried in Père Lachaise cemetery, Paris. Although she was forbidden a Mass by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Paris (because of her lifestyle), her funeral procession drew hundreds of thousands of mourners onto the streets of Paris and the ceremony at the cemetery was jammed with more than forty thousand fans. Charles Aznavour recalled that Piaf's funeral procession was the only time, since the end of World War II, that Parisian traffic came to a complete stop.
There is a museum dedicated to Piaf, the Musée Édith Piaf at 5, rue Crespin du Gast, 75011, Paris.
Today she is still remembered and revered as one of the greatest singers France has ever produced. Her life was one of sharp contrasts: the range of her fame as opposed to her tragic personal life, and her fragile small figure on stage with the resounding power of her voice.
Despite the numerous biographies, many facts and events of Édith's life are shrouded in mystery. She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion in Belleville, Paris, France, the high-immigration district later described by Daniel Pennac. Legend has it that she was born on the pavement of Rue de Belleville 72 but according to her birth certificate that was at Hôpital Tenon, the Belleville arrondissement hospital. She was named Édith after the executed British nurse Edith Cavell (Piaf —Parisian jargon for "sparrow"— came from a nickname she would receive twenty years later).
Her mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard (1898 – 1945), was a partly-Italian 17-year-old girl, native of Livorno, working as a café singer under the pseudonym Line Marsa; from her, Édith took the middle name of Giovanna. Her father, Louis-Alphonse Gassion (1881 – 1944), was a street acrobat with a theatrical past. The little Édith was soon abandoned and left for a short time to her maternal grandmother, Mena (probably a Kabyle). Shortly after, Édith's father brought the child to his mother, who ran a brothel in Normandy, and then joined the French Army (1916). Thus Édith was in contact with the prostitutes and the various attenders of the brothel since her early years, a circumstance which must have had a deep impact on her personality and vision of life.
From the age of three to seven she was blind. As part of Piaf's legend, she allegedly recovered her sight after her grandmother's prostitutes went on a pilgrimage to Saint Thérèse de Lisieux. In 1929 she joined her father in his acrobatic street performances. Then took a room at Grand Hôtel de Clermont (18 rue Veron, Paris 18ème) and separated from him, going her own way as a street singer in Pigalle, Ménilmontant and Paris suburbs (cf. the song "Elle fréquentait la Rue Pigalle"). She was about 16 years of age when she fell in love with a delivery-boy, Louis Dupont, and shortly after had a child, a little girl named Marcelle. Sadly, Marcelle died in infancy of meningitis.
In 1935, Édith was discovered in the Pigalle area of Paris by the nightclub owner Louis Leplée, whose club was frequented by the upper and lower classes alike. He persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness, which, combined with her height of only 4' 8" (142 cm) inspired him to give her the nickname that would stay with her for the rest of her life and become her stage name: La Môme Piaf (The Little Sparrow). Her first record was produced in the same year. Shortly afterwards, Leplée was murdered and Piaf was accused of being an accessory; she was acquitted.
In 1940, Jean Cocteau wrote the successful play Le Bel Indifférent for her to star in. She began to make friends with famous people, such as the actor Maurice Chevalier and the poet Jacques Borgeat. She wrote the lyrics of many of her songs, and collaborated with composers on the tunes.
Her signature song, "La vie en rose" (which was voted a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998) was written in the middle of the German occupation of Paris in World War II. During this time, she was in great demand and very successful. She befriended many high-ranking Germans and sang for them. It is said that she collaborated with the Nazis, too. After the war, she toured Europe, the United States, and South America, becoming an internationally known figure. Her popularity in the U.S. was such that she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show eight times. She helped to launch the career of Charles Aznavour, taking him on tour with her in France and the United States.
The great love of Piaf's life, the boxer Marcel Cerdan, died in 1949. Piaf was married twice. Her first husband was Jacques Pills, a singer; they married in 1952 and divorced in 1956. Her second husband, Theophanis Lamboukas (also known as Théo Sarapo), was a hairdresser-turned-singer and actor, and was twenty years younger than Piaf; they married in 1962.
In 1951 she was in a car accident, and thereafter had difficulty breaking a serious morphine habit.
The Paris Olympia is the place where Piaf achieved fame and where, just a few months before her death, she gave one of her most memorable concerts while barely able to stand. In early 1963, Piaf recorded her last song, "L'homme de Berlin".
At the early age of 47, Piaf died of cancer in Plascassier, on the French riviera, on October 10, 1963. Her friend Jean Cocteau, very shocked and afflicted by her death, died a few hours later. Her body was returned to Paris where her death was only announced on October 11, the official date of her death. She was buried in Père Lachaise cemetery, Paris. Although she was forbidden a Mass by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Paris (because of her lifestyle), her funeral procession drew hundreds of thousands of mourners onto the streets of Paris and the ceremony at the cemetery was jammed with more than forty thousand fans. Charles Aznavour recalled that Piaf's funeral procession was the only time, since the end of World War II, that Parisian traffic came to a complete stop.
There is a museum dedicated to Piaf, the Musée Édith Piaf at 5, rue Crespin du Gast, 75011, Paris.
Today she is still remembered and revered as one of the greatest singers France has ever produced. Her life was one of sharp contrasts: the range of her fame as opposed to her tragic personal life, and her fragile small figure on stage with the resounding power of her voice.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Les 100 Plus Belles Chansons D'Edith Piaf
Édith Piaf Lyrics
Adieu mon coeur ADIEU MON CŒUR Adieu mon cœur Mon amour Ma douceur Ton abse…
Bal dans ma rue Ce soir, il y a bal dans ma rue. Jamais encore,…
Browning Y avait qu'à r'garder sa figure Et tout de suite on…
C'est d'la faute à tes yeux J'avais tant d'amour pour un homme Il en avait si peu…
C'est La Moindre Des Choses C'était un jour de printemps, on n'avait pas le temps De…
C'est lui que mon coeur a choisi Je me rappelle plus comment qu´on s´était rencontrés Je n´sa…
C'est merveilleux Le jour où tu m'as rencontrée Était un jour triste à…
C'est pour ça Il était une amoureuse Qui vivait sans être heureuse. Son am…
C'est toi le plus fort Ah, c'que t'es grand ! Qu't'as une belle gueule Et quand ton…
C'est Toujours La Même Histoire J'ai bien connu le gars qui rencontra la fille J'ai bien…
C'est un gars Sous mes pieds mes semelles se dérobent On voit le jour…
C'etait Un Jour De Fete C'était un jour de fête J'crois bien qu'c'était l'printemps …
C'Etait Une Histoire D'Amour C'était une histoire d'amour C'était comme un beau jour de f…
Celui Qui Ne Savait Pas Pleurer C'est l'histoire d'un citoyen Qui n'avait jamais pu pleurer …
Correqu' et reguyer Le grand Totor qu'est en ménage avec Totoche Qui la filoche…
Coup De Grisou C'était un homme sans condition, un type qu'avait pas d'ambi…
Dans Les Prisons De Nantes Dans les prisons de Nantes Il y a un prisonnier Il y…
Ding Din Don Quand il naquit, ses pères et mères Depuis longtemps, ne s'a…
Elle Fréquentait La Rue Pigalle Ell' fréquentait la rue Pigalle. Ell' sentait l'vice à bon …
Embrasse-moi C'? tait dans un quartier de la ville Lumi? re O?…
Entre Saint-Ouen et Clignancourt J'ai vendu des fleurs aux terrasses Quand j'avais dix-sept a…
Escale Le ciel est bleu, la mer est verte Laisse un peu…
Fais-moi valser Le jazz reprend pour nous sa valse d'amour Pourtant, du beau…
Histoire De Coeur J'ai connu des jours magnifiques. L'amour était mon serviteu…
Hymne à l'amour Le ciel bleu sur nous peut s'effondrer Et la terre peut…
Hymne A L'Amour La vie, la vie ça se trouve Dans l'amour. L'amour, l'amour…
Hymne à l'amour Le ciel bleu sur nous peut s`effrondrer Et la terre peut…
Il a Chante Il est venu pour la moisson. C'était un fort et beau…
Il Fait Bon T'Aimer Un jour que j'avais du chagrin, Tu l'as fait voler en…
Il N'est Pas Distingué Zidor qu'on s'arrache à la ronde C'est un titi sans instruct…
il pleut Il pleut. Les pépins, tristes compagnons, Comme d'immenses c…
Il Riait IL RIAIT… C’était un gars que la déveine Avait un jour pris…
Il y avait Il y avait un garçon qui vivait simplement, Travaillant dans…
J'ai dansé avec l'amour J'ai dansé avec l'amour J'ai fait des tours et des tours C…
J'm'en fous pas mal Je suis née, Passage de la Bonne Graine J’en ai pris…
J'suis mordue Quand les copines parlent de mon p'tit homme Disent "ah! c'q…
Je n'en connais pas la fin Depuis quelque temps l'on fredonne Dans mon quartier une cha…
L'Accordéoniste La fille de joie est belle Au coin de la rue…
L'Accordeoniste La fille de joie est belle Au coin de la rue…
L'etranger Il avait un air très doux, Des yeux rêveurs un peu…
L'orgue des amoureux Un vieil orgue de Barbarie Est venu jouer l'autre jour Sous …
La fête continue La fête bat son plein, musique et manèges, Nougats, carabin…
La fille et le chien Minuit se décroche dans le vent qui sanglote Tout semble noi…
La java de Cézigue Cézigue est un p'tit bonhomme Aux joues joufflues comme une …
La Julie Jolie A la luée de la Saint-Jean Un fermier qui se raclait…
La p'tite Marie Tout comme je traversais l'avenue, Quelqu'un s'est cogné da…
La petite boutique Je sais, dans un quartier désert Un coin qui se donne…
La vie en rose Des yeux qui font baisser les miens Un rire qui se…
Le Brun Et Le Blond Dans ma p'tite vie y a deux garçons Y en a…
Le Chacal On l'avait surnommé l'Chacal. C'était un type phénoménal, Un…
Le Chant Du Pirate Marchant par-dessus les tempêtes, Courant dans la vague et l…
Le chasseur de l'hôtel Le chasseur de l'hôtel Aime d'un amour fou Une certaine made…
Le chevalier de Paris Le grand chevalier du cœur de Paris Se rappelait plus du…
Le ciel est ferme Fatigué des gens de la terre, Le Bon Dieu, qui est…
Le contrebandier Il était né sur la frontière, Là-haut dans l'Nord où c'qu'y…
Le fanion de la Légion Tout en bas, c'est le Bled immense Que domine un petit…
Le geste Bien souvent, le malheur frappe à la porte C'est le…
Le grand voyage du pauvre negre LE GRAND VOYAGE DU PAUVRE NÈGRE Soleil de feu sur la…
Le petit homme Il y avait de tous les jours, Il y avait le…
Le Petit Monsieur Triste Le petit monsieur triste Qui ne sort que la nuit A de…
Le prisonnier de la tour Le prisonnier de la Tour S'est tué ce matin, Grand-mère. Nou…
Le roi a fait battre tambour Le roi a fait battre tambour Pour voir toutes ses dames Et…
Le vagabond LE VAGABOND 1. J'ai l'air comm'ça d'un fill' de rien, Mais…
Les amants de Paris Les amants de Paris couchent sur ma chanson A Paris, les…
Les Cloches sonnent Les cloches sonnent ce matin Pour la mort de notre…
Les Deux Copains Y avait une fois deux bons copains Poil dans la main,…
Les Deux Menetriers Sur les noirs chevaux sans mors, Sans selle et sans étriers,…
Les Deux Rengaines Y a un refrain dans la ville Un refrain sans domicile Et…
Les Hiboux Il y en a qui viennent au monde veinards D'autres, au…
Les momes de la cloche D'un bout à l'autre de la semaine Sur les boulevards, dans…
Les Trois Cloches Les Trois Cloches lyrics Paroles et Musique: Jean Villard-G…
Madeleine qu'avait du coeur Elle avait l'âme sereine Et des anges la candeur On…
Mon amant de la coloniale Il était fort et puis si tendre Que, dès notre première…
Mon apero On peut donner des leçons de morale Quand on possède bonne…
Mon légionnaire Il avait de grands yeux très clairs Où parfois passaient des…
Monsieur Lenoble Monsieur Lenoble est très triste Depuis que sa femme l'a qui…
Monsieur Saint Pierre Monsieur Saint-Pierre 1. Y'a pas à dir', j'aim'bien la vie…
On Danse Sur Ma Chanson J’ai voulu finir la chanson Qu'au printemps j'avais commencé…
Pleure pas Pleure pas. T'as les yeux trop beaux pour ça. Pleure pas, Ou…
Pour moi tout' seule Des murs fanés, Des jours sans joie, Rideau passé, Un lit…
Reste On s'? tait quitt? s tous les deux Et, brusquement, l?,…
Si tu partais Notre bonheur est merveilleux. Notre amour fait plaisir à Di…
Simple comme bonjour C'est une histoire si banale Vraiment si peu originale Que j…
Tous les amoureux chantent Dans la rue, Tous les amoureux chantent, Tous les amoureux c…
tu es partout Nous nous aimions bien tendrement Comme s'aiment tous les am…
Un coin tout bleu UN COIN TOUT BLEU Voilà l'printemps Les fleurs jolies Tou…
Un Homme Comme les Autres A l' voir comme ça, un homme c'est rien, Mais pour…
Un jeune homme chantait Sur la route, la grand'route, Un jeune homme va chantant. …
Un Monsieur Me Suit Dans La Rue J'étais une petite fille Du moins, je le croyais Portais des…
un refrain courait dans la rue Dans un amour, faut de la fierté, Pouvoir se taire, de…
Va Danser Au mois d'août, en fauchant les blés, On crevait de soif…
Y'a pas d'printemps Y'A PAS D'PRINTEMPS 1. Jamais d'repos, Toujours courir, Mé…