La môme : une chanteuse exceptionnelle

Edith Piaf - La foule

Hello my friends,

I would like to introduce you today to a very "particular" singer, a french singer who is probably the greatest or one of the greatest singer in France and all over the world !

Édith Piaf, born Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 - 10 October 1963), was a French singer and cultural icon who "is almost 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), "Hymne à l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960), "l'Accordéoniste" (1941), "Padam...Padam", and "La Foule".

Edith Piaf - La vie en rose




She was born Edith Giovanna Gassion in Belleville, Paris, a high-immigration district. Legend has it that she was born on the pavement of Rue de Belleville 72

She was named Édith after the World War I British nurse Edith Cavell, who was executed for helping French soldiers escape from German captivity.Piaf—a Francilien colloquialism for "sparrow"—was a nickname she would receive 20 years later.

Her mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard, was of French-Italian descent on her father's side and of Moroccan Berber origin on her mother's. She was a native of Livorno, a port city on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy.

Edith Piaf - Les amants d'un jour




Louis-Alphonse Gassion, Édith's father, was a Norman street acrobat with a past in the theatre. Édith's parents soon abandoned her, and she lived for a short time with her maternal grandmother, Emma (Aïcha) Saïd ben Mohammed
Before he enlisted with the French Army in 1916 to fight in World War I, her father took her to his mother, who ran a brothel in Normandy. There, prostitutes helped look after Piaf.

In 1929, at 14, she joined her father in his acrobatic street performances all over France, where she first sang in public

She took a room at Grand Hôtel de Clermont and separated from him, going her own way as a street singer in Pigalle, Ménilmontant, and the Paris suburbs

She joined her friend Simone Berteaut ("Mômone") in this endeavor, and the two became lifelong partners in mischief. She was about 16 when she fell in love with Louis Dupont, a delivery boy.

At 17, she had her only child, a girl named Marcelle, who died of meningitis at age two.Like her mother, Piaf found it difficult to care for a child while living a life of the streets, so she often left Marcelle behind while she was away, and Dupont raised her until her death. So , her life was very hard and you can see now that it was not easy for her ! she represented the streets and nobody can know what does that mean ! if you didn't live in the streets, i do think that you can't imagine how it is, how rude it is , not only phusically but above all for mental !

Edith Piaf - L'étranger




In 1935 Piaf was discovered in the Pigalle area of Paris by nightclub owner Louis Leplée, whose club Le Gerny off the Champs-Élysées 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 1.42m, inspired him to give her the nickname that would stay with her for the rest of her life and serve as her stage name, La Môme Piaf

During this time she was in great demand and very successful in Paris

After the war, she became known internationally, touring Europe, the United States, and South America. In Paris, she gave Atahualpa Yupanqui (Héctor Roberto Chavero)—the most important Argentine musician of folklore—the opportunity to share the scene, making his debut in July 1950. She helped launch the career of Charles Aznavour in the early 1950s, taking him on tour with her in France and the United States and recording some of his songs. At first she met with little success with U.S. audiences, who regarded her as downcast. After a glowing review by a prominent New York critic, however, her popularity grew, to the point where she eventually appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show eight times and at Carnegie Hall twice.

Edith Piaf - Non je ne regrette rien



Oh this song is so special, so particular ! listen to it , listen to theses lyrics because what she said is a message of hope , hopeful so very important ! so listen , listen it in french and if you don't manage to understand it , you tell me !I will translate it !

Edith Piaf - Milord




Oh what a song , what a voice, what a woman !!
She was so great so strong, so beautiful ! As we say in french "du pur bonheur"
so enjoy , enjoy and enjoy it more !


Edith Piaf - Her biography




So my friends, here was just an image of a small part of Edith this greatest singer ! she was so great and her career was incredible ! her songs were so pure whereas when you had a look at her she was so weak ! oh thank you Edith thank you
You were, you are and you walways stay a very great and incredible singer !

Thank you so much to offer us your life, your talent ! thank you so much
your voice was very incredible ! we are proud of you

So my friends, i really encourage and invite you to pursue this discover of Edith Piaf , to listen to her songs

byeee
your french reporter
arc