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.
Un Refrain Courait Dans Les Rues
Édith Piaf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dans un amour, faut de la fierté,
savoir se taire, de la dignité,
Il faut partir au bon moment,
Cacher son mal en souriant,
Et je pensais tout en marchant
Que j'avais su partir à temps.
Il ne m'aura pas vu pleurer.
Un refrain courait dans la rue,
Bousculant les passants,
il se faufilait dans la cohue
D'un petit air engageant.
J'étais sur son passage.
Il s'arrêta devant moi
Et me dit d'un ton sage.
"Tu es triste, mon Dieu, pourquoi ?
Viens, et rentre dans ma chanson.
Il y a de beaux garçons...
Jette ton chagrin dans le ruisseau
Et tourne-lui le dos..."
Si cet air qui court dans la rue
Peut chasser vos tourments
Alors entrez dans la cohue
Y a de la place en poussant.
Il faut que mon couplet soit gai,
Alors parlons du mois de mai,
Des arbres en robe, de lilas
Et de l'été qui pousse en tas.
Y a des violettes, un balcon.
Un vieux poète chante une chanson.
Ma robe est tachée de soleil.
Je le garde pour mes réveils.
Un refrain courait dans la rue,
Bousculant les passants,
il se faufilait dans la cohue
D'un petit air engageant.
Les gens sur son passage,
Se regardaient l'air surpris,
Cessant leurs bavardages :
"Quel est donc ce malappris ?"
Oui, mais l'air était entrainant
Et les mots engageants
Et surtout, il y avait dedans
Du rire à bout portant...
Si cet air qui court dans la rue
Peut chasser vos tourments,
Alors entrez dans la cohue.
'y a d'la place en poussant...
"Un refrain courait dans la rue" is a song that talks about dealing with heartbreak in a dignified and proud way. The song advises that when in love, one must have some pride, and learn to leave at the right time despite the pain, and hide the sadness behind a fake smile. The singer of the song reflects on how she has managed to leave a past love without being seen crying, implying that she has kept her dignity intact. However, while she may have left unscathed, her heart is still broken, and she is sad.
While walking, the singer hears a catchy tune playing on the street, sung by a mysterious singer. The tune is full of encouraging words and urges those with a heavy heart to join in and forget their sorrow. The melody is highly infectious, and people find themselves pausing to listen to the words of the singer.
The song ends with a suggestion that people let go of their worries and join in with the group, who are singing the refrain, and get lost in the crowd's rhythm. This song illustrates how sometimes a catchy tune can help people forget their worries, even for a brief moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Dans un amour, faut de la fierté,
In love, one must have pride,
savoir se taire, de la dignité,
know when to be silent, be dignified,
Il faut partir au bon moment,
It's important to leave at the right moment,
Cacher son mal en souriant,
hide one's pain behind a smile,
Et je pensais tout en marchant
And as I walked I thought,
Que j'avais su partir à temps.
That I had left at the right moment.
Si mon cœur est désespéré,
If my heart is desperate,
Il ne m'aura pas vu pleurer.
It won't have seen me crying.
Un refrain courait dans la rue,
A song was running through the street,
Bousculant les passants,
Pushing through the crowds,
il se faufilait dans la cohue
It weaved its way through the chaos
D'un petit air engageant.
With a charming little tune.
J'étais sur son passage.
I was in its path.
Il s'arrêta devant moi
It stopped in front of me,
Et me dit d'un ton sage.
And said to me in a wise tone.
"Tu es triste, mon Dieu, pourquoi ?
"You're sad, oh my God, why?
Viens, et rentre dans ma chanson.
Come, and enter into my song.
Il y a de beaux garçons...
There are handsome boys...
Jette ton chagrin dans le ruisseau
Throw your sorrow into the stream
Et tourne-lui le dos..."
And turn your back on it..."
Si cet air qui court dans la rue
If this song running in the street
Peut chasser vos tourments
Can chase away your troubles,
Alors entrez dans la cohue
Then enter into the chaos,
Y a de la place en poussant.
There's room if you push.
Il faut que mon couplet soit gai,
My verse must be cheerful,
Alors parlons du mois de mai,
So let's talk about the month of May,
Des arbres en robe, de lilas
About trees in bloom, about lilacs,
Et de l'été qui pousse en tas.
And about summer piling up.
Y a des violettes, un balcon.
There are violets, a balcony.
Un vieux poète chante une chanson.
An old poet is singing a song.
Ma robe est tachée de soleil.
My dress is stained with sunlight.
Je le garde pour mes réveils.
I'm keeping it for my awakenings.
Les gens sur son passage,
People in its path,
Se regardaient l'air surpris,
Were looking at each other surprised,
Cessant leurs bavardages :
Stopping their conversations:
"Quel est donc ce malappris ?"
"Who is this badly-mannered one?"
Oui, mais l'air était entraînant
Yes, but the tune was catchy
Et les mots engageants
And the words were inviting
Et surtout, il y avait dedans
And above all, there was in it
Du rire à bout portant...
Laughter at close range...
Si cet air qui court dans la rue
If this song running in the street
Peut chasser vos tourments,
Can chase away your troubles,
Alors entrez dans la cohue.
Then enter into the chaos.
'y a d'la place en poussant...
There's room if you push...
Lyrics © BEUSCHER ARPEGE
Written by: EDITH PIAF (EDITH GASSION), ROBERT CHAUVIGNY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rover clover😉
Pure beauty
Baron Déficit
Dans un amour, faut de la fierté,
Savoir se taire, de la dignité,
Savoir partir au bon moment,
Cacher son mal en souriant,
Et je pensais tout en marchant
Que j'avais su partir à temps.
Si mon cœur est désespéré,
Il ne m'aura pas vu pleurer.
Un refrain courait dans la rue,
Bousculant les passants,
Il se faufilait dans la cohue
D'un petit air engageant.
J'étais sur son passage.
Il s'arrêta devant moi
Et me dit d'un ton sage.
"Tu es triste, mon Dieu, pourquoi?
Viens, et rentre dans ma chanson.
Il y a de beaux garçons...
Jette ton chagrin dans le ruisseau
Et tourne-lui le dos..."
Si cet air qui court dans la rue
Peut chasser vos tourments
Alors entrez dans la cohue
Y a de la place en poussant.
Il faut que mon couplet soit gai,
Alors parlons du mois de mai,
Des arbres en robe, de lilas
Et de l'été qui pousse en tas.
Y a des violettes, un balcon.
Un vieux poète chante une chanson.
Ma robe est tachée de soleil.
Je le garde pour mes réveils.
Un refrain courait dans la rue,
Bousculant les passants,
Il se faufilait dans la cohue
D'un petit air engageant.
Les gens sur son passage,
Se regardaient l'air surpris,
Cessant leurs bavardages:
"Quel est donc ce malappris?"
Oui, mais l'air était entrainant
Et les mots engageants
Et surtout, il y avait dedans
Du rire à bout portant...
Si cet air qui court dans la rue
Peut chasser vos tourments,
Alors entrez dans la cohue.
'Y a d'la place en poussant...
Abu el chad
Edith,coeur de Paris..
DARIYA YESSEMBAEVA
🏵️💎💎
Daniel Le Solliec
Oh toi Edith, toi qui chante les airs de Paris, je me sens si près de toi mon Amour. . Mais si je pouvais t'emmener plus loin Mon Trésor, j'en serai comblé, je t'aime Edith aujourd'hui et pour toujours 💞🌍☘️🕊️💋🌹🥰🥰
Fer Almaraz
Me da tristesa trstesa infinita si se me salen las lagr