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.
Demain
Édith Piaf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
C'est quand tout est perdu que tout commence
Demain il fera jour
Après l'amour, un autre amour commence
Un petit gars viendra en sifflotant demain
Il aura les bras chargés de printemps demain
Les cloches sonneront dans votre ciel, demain
Car demain
Tu vas sourire encore
Aimer encore, souffrir encore, toujours
Demain il fera jour
Dans ton cœur brisé pour toujours
Il reste encore de l'amour
Tu crois ta douleur si profonde
Que ta vie va s'arrêter là
La plus belle fille du monde
Peut toujours donner plus qu'elle a
Demain il fera jour
C'est quand tout est perdu que tout commence
Demain il fera jour
Après l'amour, un autre amour commence
Un petit gars viendra en sifflotant demain
Il aura les bras chargés de printemps demain
Les cloches sonneront dans votre ciel, demain
Tu verras la lune de miel briller, demain
Car demain
Tu vas sourire encore
Aimer encore, souffrir encore, toujours
Demain il fera jour
Demain
The song "Demain il fera jour" or "Tomorrow It Will Be Day" by Édith Piaf is a hopeful and uplifting ballad that speaks about the beginning of a new day and a new love, even after everything seems to be lost. The first verse emphasizes the idea that sometimes it's only when we think we've lost everything that we can truly start over again. Piaf sings that "after love, another love begins," and that even after heartbreak, we can still feel love, smile, and endure through suffering. The second verse speaks to the idea that even if we believe that our pain is too deep and that our life has come to a halt, there is always more to give and more love to be found. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the idea that tomorrow always brings new opportunities to love and to live.
One of the most interesting facts about this song is that it was written during World War II, when France was occupied by Nazi Germany. Piaf, who was known for her patriotic spirit and her love for France, sang this song as a way to uplift the spirits of her countrymen and women during a difficult time. Additionally, the melody of the song is based on an Italian tune called "Vivere!" which means "To Live!" This reflects the idea of hope and resilience that is present throughout the lyrics of the song.
Another interesting fact about this song is that it has been covered by many other artists, including the French singer Ginette Reno and the Portuguese singer Amalia Rodrigues. In addition, the song has been featured in numerous films and television shows, including the 2011 film "The Intouchables" and the 2018 television series "Trust." The song has also been translated into several languages, including English, Spanish, and German.
The chords for "Demain il fera jour" are as follows: F, G7, C, and Am.
Line by Line Meaning
Demain il fera jour
Tomorrow the sun will rise, bringing a new day and new opportunities
C'est quand tout est perdu que tout commence
It is when everything seems lost that new beginnings can emerge
Demain il fera jour
Tomorrow will bring a new chance, a fresh start
Après l'amour, un autre amour commence
After one love ends, another can begin
Un petit gars viendra en sifflotant demain
Tomorrow a young man will come whistling, with the promise of happiness and new beginnings
Il aura les bras chargés de printemps demain
He will carry with him the freshness and renewal of spring
Les cloches sonneront dans votre ciel, demain
Tomorrow bells will ring in your sky, announcing the start of something new
Tu verras la lune de miel briller, demain
You will see the honeymoon phase shining brightly tomorrow
Car demain
Because tomorrow
Tu vas sourire encore
You will smile again
Aimer encore, souffrir encore, toujours
Love again, suffer again, always
Demain il fera jour
Tomorrow brings a new day, new hopes and new dreams
Dans ton cœur brisé pour toujours
In your heart, shattered forever
Il reste encore de l'amour
There is still love left
Tu crois ta douleur si profonde
You think your pain is so deep
Que ta vie va s'arrêter là
That your life will stop there
La plus belle fille du monde
The most beautiful girl in the world
Peut toujours donner plus qu'elle a
Can always give more than she has
Demain il fera jour
Tomorrow brings the chance for a new beginning
C'est quand tout est perdu que tout commence
It is when everything seems lost that new beginnings can emerge
Demain il fera jour
Tomorrow brings a new day and new opportunities
Après l'amour, un autre amour commence
After one love ends, another can begin
Un petit gars viendra en sifflotant demain
Tomorrow a young man will come whistling, with the promise of happiness and new beginnings
Il aura les bras chargés de printemps demain
He will carry with him the freshness and renewal of spring
Les cloches sonneront dans votre ciel, demain
Tomorrow bells will ring in your sky, announcing the start of something new
Tu verras la lune de miel briller, demain
You will see the honeymoon phase shining brightly tomorrow
Car demain
Because tomorrow
Tu vas sourire encore
You will smile again
Aimer encore, souffrir encore, toujours
Love again, suffer again, always
Demain il fera jour
Tomorrow brings a new day, new hopes and new dreams
Lyrics © BEUSCHER ARPEGE
Written by: Marguerite Monnot, Marcel Achard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind