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Édith Piaf (US /pˈɑːf/ or UK /ˈpæf/; French: [edit pjaf]; 19 December 1915 – 11 October 1963; real name Édith Lamboukas, previously Pills, née Gassion), was a French singer who became widely regarded as France's national diva, as well as being one of France's greatest international stars.[1] Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being of Chanson and ballads, particularly of love, loss and sorrow. 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).

Contents[]

 [hide*1 Family

Family[edit][]

Despite numerous biographies, much of Piaf's life is shrouded in mystery.[2] She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion[3] in Belleville, Paris. Legend has it that she was born on the pavement ofRue de Belleville 72, but her birth certificate cites the Hôpital Tenon, on 15 December 1915.[4] the hospital for the 20th arrondissement, of which Belleville is part.

She was named Édith after the World War I British nurse Edith Cavell, who was executed for helping French soldiers escape from German captivity.[5][disputed – discuss] Piaf – an argotcolloquialism for "sparrow" – was a nickname she received 20 years later.

Louis-Alphonse Gassion (1881–1944), Édith's father, was a street acrobat performer from Normandy with a past in the theatre. He was the son of Victor Alphonse Gassion (1850–1928) and Léontine Louise Descamps (1860–1937), known as Maman Tine, who ran a brothel in Normandy.[6]

Her mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard (1895–1945), was of French descent on her father's side and of Italian and Berber origin on her mother's. She was a native of Livorno, a port city on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. She worked as a café singer under the name Line Marsa. Her parents were Auguste Eugène Maillard (1866–1912) and Emma (Aïcha) Saïd ben Mohammed (1876–1930), daughter of Said ben Mohammed (1827–1890), a Moroccan acrobat born in Mogador (now Essaouira),[7] and Marguerite Bracco (1830–1898), born in Murazzano in Italy.[4][8][9]

Early life[edit][]

Édith's mother abandoned her at birth, and she lived for a short time with her maternal grandmother, Emma (Aïcha). 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.[1]

From the age of three to seven, Piaf was allegedly blind as a result of keratitis. According to one of her biographies, she recovered her sight after her grandmother's prostitutes pooled money to send her on a pilgrimage honouring SaintThérèse of Lisieux. Piaf claimed this result was a miraculous healing.[10] However, since keratitis is usually caused by HSV (herpes), HPV, etc. just the removal from prostitutes' care to a clean home could have been the curative medicine. Also, keratitis is very often mistaken for allergic conjunctivitis, which would also better account for her improved health.[11]

In 1929, at 14, she joined her father in his acrobatic street performances all over France, where she first sang in public. At the age of 15, Edith met Simone "Mômone" Berteaut, who may have been her half-sister, definitely a companion for most of her life, and together they toured the streets singing and earning money for themselves for the first time. With the additional money Edith earned as part of an acrobatic trio, Edith and Mômone were able to rent their own living space.[1] She separated from her father and took a room at Grand Hôtel de Clermont (18 rue Veron, Paris 18ème), working with Marmone as a street singer in PigalleMénilmontant, and the Paris suburbs (cf. the song "Elle fréquentait la Rue Pigalle").

In 1932 she met and fell in love with Louis Dupont. Within a very short time he moved into their small room, where the three lived despite Louis and Mômone's dislike for each other. Louis was never happy with the idea of Edith's roaming the streets, and continually persuaded her to take jobs he found for her. She resisted his persuasions whenever possible, until she became pregnant and worked for a short while making wreaths in a factory.[12]

In February 1933, when Edith was 17 years old, her daughter, Marcelle, was born in the Hôpital Tenon. Like her mother, Piaf found it difficult to care for a child while living a life of the streets, as she had little maternal instinct, parenting knowledge or domestic skills. She rapidly returned to street singing, until the summer of 1933, when she opened at Juan -les-Pins, Rue Pigalle.[12] Marcelle's father, Louis, whom Edith never married, was incensed. They quarrelled and Edith left, taking Mômone and Marcelle. The three of them stayed at the Hôtel Au Clair de Lune, Rue André-Antoine. Marcelle was often left alone in the room while Edith and Mômone were out on the streets or at the club singing, and died of meningitis at age two.[12]

Singing career[edit][]

[1][2]Columbia Records poster of Piaf in her trademark black dress

In 1935 Piaf was discovered in the Pigalle area of Paris[1] by nightclub owner Louis Leplée,[3] whose club Le Gerny off the Champs-Élysées[6] 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 142 centimetres (4 ft 8 in),[4][13] 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[3] (Paris slang meaning "The Waif Sparrow" or "The Little Sparrow").[1] Leplée taught her the basics of stage presence and told her to wear a black dress, which became her trademark apparel. Later, she would always appear in black.[1] Leplée ran an intense publicity campaign leading up to her opening night, attracting the presence of many celebrities, including actor Maurice Chevalier.[1] Her nightclub gigs led to her first two records produced that same year,[13] with one of them penned byMarguerite Monnot, a collaborator throughout Piaf's life and one of her favourite composers.[1]

On 6 April 1936,[1] Leplée was murdered. Piaf was questioned and accused as an accessory, but acquitted.[3] Leplée had been killed by mobsters with previous ties to Piaf.[14] A barrage of negative media attention[4] now threatened her career.[1] To rehabilitate her image, she recruited Raymond Asso, with whom she would become romantically involved. He changed her stage name to "Édith Piaf", barred undesirable acquaintances from seeing her, and commissioned Monnot to write songs that reflected or alluded to Piaf's previous life on the streets.[1]

In 1940, Édith co-starred in Jean Cocteau's successful one-act play Le Bel Indifférent.[1] She began forming friendships with prominent people, including Chevalier and poet Jacques Borgeat. She wrote the lyrics of many of her songs and collaborated with composers on the tunes. In 1944, she discovered Yves Montand in Paris, made him part of her act, and became his mentor[4]and lover.[14] Within a year, he became one of the most famous singers in France. She broke off their relationship when he had become almost as popular as she was.[1]

During this time, she was in great demand and very successful in Paris[3] as France's most popular entertainer.[13] After the war, she became known internationally,[3] 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.[1] At first she met with little success with U.S. audiences, who regarded her as downcast.[1] After a glowing review by a prominent New York critic, however, her popularity grew,[1] to the point where she eventually appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show eight times and at Carnegie Hall twice (1956[6] and 1957).

Édith Piaf's signature song, "La vie en rose",[1] was written in 1945 and was voted a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.

Bruno Coquatrix's famous Paris Olympia music hall is where Piaf achieved lasting fame, giving several series of concerts at the hall, the most famous venue in Paris,[4] between January 1955 and October 1962. Excerpts from five of these concerts (1955, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962) were issued on record and CD and have never been out of print. The 1961 concerts, promised by Piaf in an effort to save the venue from bankruptcy, debuted her song "Non, je ne regrette rien".[4] In April 1963, Piaf recorded her last song, "L'Homme de Berlin".

Second World War[edit][]

During the Second World War, she was a frequent performer at German Forces social gatherings in occupied France, and many people considered her a traitor; following the war she stated that she had been working for the French Resistance. While there is no evidence of this, it does seem to be true that she was instrumental in helping a number of people (including at least one Jew) escape Nazi persecution. Throughout it all, she remained a national and international favourite.[15] Piaf dated a Jewish pianist during this time and co-wrote a subtle protest song with Monnot.[1] According to one story, singing for high-ranking Germans at the One Two Two Club[16] earned Piaf the right to pose for photographs with French prisoners of war, to boost their morale. The Frenchmen were supposedly able to cut out their photos and use them as forged passport photos.[16]

Personal life[edit][]

Except for the daughter she had with her boyfriend, Louis Dupont, at age 17 - who died at age 2 of meningitis and neglect - Piaf never wanted nor had any more children.

The love of Piaf's life, the married boxer Marcel Cerdan, died in a plane crash in October 1949, while flying from Paris to New York City to meet her. Cerdan's Air France flight, flown on a Lockheed Constellationcrashed in the Azores, killing everyone on board, including noted violinist Ginette Neveu.[17] Piaf and Cerdan's affair made international headlines,[4] as Cerdan was the former middleweight world champion and a legend in France in his own right.

In 1951, Piaf was seriously injured in a car crash along with Charles Aznavour, breaking her arm and two ribs, and thereafter had serious difficulties arising from morphine and alcohol addictions.[1] Two more near-fatal car crashes exacerbated the situation.[6] Jacques Pills, a singer, took her into rehabilitation on three different occasions to no avail.[1]

Piaf married Jacques Pills, her first husband, in 1952 (her matron of honour was Marlene Dietrich) and divorced him in 1957. In 1962, she wed Théo Sarapo (Theophanis Lamboukas), a Greek hairdresser-turned-singer and actor[1] who was 20 years her junior. The couple sang together in some of her last engagements.

Piaf lived in Belleville, Paris, with her parents from 1915–1934. From 1934–1941, she lived at 45 rue de Chézy in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. She lived at 45 rue Decazes in Marseille, France alone from 1941–1952 and with Jacques Pills from 1953–1956. She continued to live there alone from 1956–1959. In her final years she lived at 23 rue Édouard Nortier in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France – alone from 1959–1962 and with Théo Sarapo from 1962–1963 until her death.

Death and legacy[edit][]

[3][4]Piaf's grave in Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

Piaf died of liver cancer at age 47 at her villa in Plascassier (Grasse), on the French Riviera, on 11 October 1963.[18][19][20] She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for several months.[6] Her last words were "Every damn fool thing you do in this life, you pay for."[21] It is said that Sarapo drove her body back to Paris secretly so that fans would think she had died in her hometown.[1][16] She is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris next to her daughter Marcelle, where her grave is among the most visited.[1] Buried in the same grave are her father, Louis-Alphonse Gassion, & Thèo (Lamboukas) Sarapo. The name inscribed at the foot of the tombstone is 'Famille Gassion-Piaf'. Her named is engraved on the side as 'Madame Lamboukas dite Edith Piaf'.

Although she was denied a funeral mass by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Paris because of her lifestyle,[16] her funeral procession drew tens of thousands[1] of mourners onto the streets of Paris and the ceremony at the cemetery was attended by more than 100,000 fans.[16][22] Charles Aznavour recalled that Piaf's funeral procession was the only time since the end of World War II that he saw Parisian traffic come to a complete stop.[16]

In Paris, a two-room museum is dedicated to her, the Musée Édith Piaf[16][23] (5, Rue Crespin du Gast).

In popular culture[edit][]

[5][6]Bust of Piaf in Kielce, Poland

Piaf's work and name can still be found in popular culture and music today.

Numerous songs by Piaf are used in films and other media. Films such as Saving Private RyanInceptionBull DurhamLa HaineThe Dreamers and the animated film, Madagascar 3 all have Piaf's songs in them. Love Me If You Dare pays tribute to her song La Vie En Rose by including various versions of the song in its soundtrack. Musicians have paid tribute to her by covering her songs, for instance "Johnny, tu n'es pas un ange" was covered by Vaya Con Dios on their debut album.

Furthermore, Piaf's life has been the subject of multiple films and plays:

Films about Piaf[edit][]

The film Piaf (1974) depicted her early years, and starred Brigitte Ariel, with early Piaf songs performed by Betty Mars.

Piaf's relationship with Cerdan was also depicted in film by Claude Lelouch in the film Édith et Marcel (1983), with Marcel Cerdan Jr. in the role of his father and Évelyne Bouix portraying Piaf.

Piaf...Her Story...Her Songs (2003) is a film starring Raquel Bitton in her performance tribute to Édith Piaf. Bitton performs Piaf's most famous songs and describes her tempestuous life. Woven into the filmed concert is a luncheon in Paris, hosted by Bitton, in which some of Piaf's composers, friends, lovers, and family share their memories. These include Michel Rivgauche and Francis Lai, two of Piaf's composers, as well as Marcel Cerdan, Jr., son of the boxing champion who was her greatest love.

La Vie en Rose (2007), a film about her life directed by Olivier Dahan, debuted at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2007. Titled La Môme in France, the film stars Marion Cotillard in the role that won her the Academy Award for Best Actress (Oscar), as Piaf. Dahan's film follows Piaf's life from early childhood to her death in 1963. David Bret's 1988 biography, Piaf, A Passionate Life, was re-released by JR Books to coincide with the film's release.

Plays about Piaf[edit][]

  • "Piaf" (1978), by Pam Gems
  • "Piaf Piaf" (1988), by Juha Siltanen and Jorma Uotinen
  • "The Sparrow and the Birdman" (1999), by Raquel Bitton. Commissioned by Theatreworks
  • "Edith and Simone" (2000 and 2006), by Ronny Verheyen
  • "PIAF ... Her Story ... Her Songs" (2000), by Raquel Bitton
  • "Hearts ... Le Ballet des Coeurs" (1985), by Raquel Bitton. Choreography Michael Smuin, Set Designs Tony Walton, Costumes Willa Kim
  • "Pure Piaf" (2006), by Alex Ryer
  • "No Regrets" (2009), by Scotti Sween (Off-Off-Broadway)
  • "Piaf de Musical" (1999 and 2009), a Dutch musical
  • "Piaf, het legendarische verhaal van Edith Piaf" (2009), by Yves Caspar
  • "Edith Piaf Alive" (2011), by Flo Ankah
  • "The Sparrow and the Mouse: Creating the Music of Edith Piaf" (2011), by Melanie Gall
  • "Tonight ... Piaf" (1989), by Joelle Rabu and Ted Galay, directed by Ray Michal
  • "Piaf, Her Songs, Her Loves" (1978), City Stage, Vancouver, directed by Ray Michal
  • "The Power of Piaf" (1986), by Lily Charpentier, starring Daniele Pascal
  • "Edith" (1988), by Pluto Panoussis and Daniele Pascal
  • "Piaf, A Passionate Life" (2007 and 2008), by Daniele Pascal
  • "Hymne à l'amour - The Songs of Edith Piaf" (2013), by Daniele Pascal
  • "Edith Piaf on Stage" (2013), by Leslie Fitzwater
  • "Madame Piaf" (2013) by Stephen Quinn
  • "Jag ångrar ingenting" / "No regrets" (2012) by Anna Bromee on tour in Sweden

Songs[edit][]

1925
  • Comme un Moineau
1933
  • Entre Saint-Ouen et Clignancourt
1934
  • L'Étranger
1935
  • Mon Apéro
  • La Java de Cézigue
  • Fais-Moi Valser
1936
  • Les Mômes de la Clôche
  • J'Suis Mordue
  • Mon légionnaire
  • Le Contrebandier
  • La Fille et le Chien
  • La Julie Jolie
  • Va Danser
  • Chand d'Habits
  • Reste
  • Les Hiboux
  • Quand Même (from the film La Garçonne)
  • La Petite Boutique
  • Y'Avait du Soleil
  • Il N'Est Pas Distingué
  • Les Deux Ménétriers
  • Mon Amant de la Coloniale
  • C'est Toi le Plus Fort
  • Le Fanion de la Légion
  • J'Entends la Sirène
  • Ding, Din, Dong
  • Madeleine Qu'Avait du Cœur
  • Les Marins Ça Fait des Voyages
  • Simple Comme Bonjour
  • Le Mauvais Matelot
  • Celui Qui Ne Savait Pas Pleurer
1937
  • Le Grand Voyage du Pauvre Nègre
  • Un Jeune Homme Chantait
  • Tout Fout le Camp
  • Ne M'Écris Pas
  • Partance (with Raymond Asso)
  • Dans un Bouge du Vieux Port
  • Mon Cœur Est au Coin d'une Rue
1938
  • С'est Lui Que Mon Cœur A Choisi
  • Paris-Méditerranée
  • La Java en Mineur
  • Browning
  • Le Chacal
  • Corrèqu'et Réguyer
1939
  • Y'En A un de Trop
  • Elle Fréquentait la Rue Pigalle
  • Le Petit Monsieur Triste
  • Les Deux Copains
  • Je N'en Connais Pas la Fin
1940
  • Embrasse-Moi
  • On Danse sur Ma Chanson
  • Sur une Colline
  • C'est la Moindre des Choses
  • Escale
  • La Fille de Joie Est Triste (L'Accordéoniste)
1941
  • Où Sont-Ils, Mes Petits Copains?
  • C'Était un Jour de Fête
  • C'est un Monsieur Très Distingué
  • J'ai Dansé avec l'Amour (from the film Montmartre-sur-Seine)
  • Tu Es Partout (from the film Montmartre-sur-Seine)
  • L'Homme des Bars
  • Le Vagabond
1942
  • Jimmy, C'est Lui
  • Un Coin Tout Bleu (from the film Montmartre-sur-Seine)
  • Sans Y Penser
  • Un Monsieur Me Suit dans la Rue
1943
  • J'ai Qu'à l'Regarder...
  • Le Chasseur de l'Hôtel
  • C'Était une Histoire d'Amour
  • Le Brun et le Blond
  • Monsieur Saint-Pierre
  • Coup de Grisou
  • De l'Autre Côté de la Rue
  • La Demoiselle du Cinqième
1944
  • Les Deux Rengaines
  • Y'A Pas d'Printemps
  • Les Histoires de Coeur
  • C'est Toujours la Même Histoire
1945
  • Le Disque Usé
  • Elle A...
  • Regarde-Moi Toujours Comme Ça
  • Les Gars Qui Marchaient
  • Il Riait
  • Monsieur Ernest A Réussi
1946
  • La Vie en rose
  • Les Trois Cloches (with Les Compagnons de la chanson)
  • Dans Ma Rue
  • J'M'En Fous Pas Mal
  • C'est Merveilleux (from the film Etoile sans Lumière)
  • Adieu Mon Cœur
  • Le Chant du Pirate
  • Céline (with Les Compagnons de la Chanson)
  • Le Petit Homme
  • Le Roi A Fait Battre Tambour (with Les Compagnons de la Chanson)
  • Dans les Prisons de Nantes (with Les Compagnons de la Chanson)
  • Mariage
  • Un Refrain Courait dans la Rue
  • Miss Otis Regrets
  • Il est ne le divin enfant
1947
  • C'est pour Ça (from the film Neuf Garçons, Un Cœur)
  • Qu'As-Tu Fait John?
  • Sophie (from the film Neuf Garçons, Un Cœur)
  • Le Geste
  • Si Tu Partais
  • Une Chanson à Trois Temps
  • Un Homme Comme les Autres
  • Les Cloches Sonnent
  • Johnny Fedora et Alice Blue Bonnet
  • Le Rideau Tombe Avant la Fin
  • Elle Avait Son Sourire
1948
  • Monsieur Lenoble
  • Les Amants de Paris
  • Il A Chanté
  • Les Vieux Bateaux
  • Il Pleut
  • Cousu de Fil Blanc
  • Amour du mois de Mai
  • Monsieur X
1949
  • Bal dans Ma Rue
  • Pour Moi Tout' Seule
  • Pleure Pas
  • Le Prisonnier de la Tour (Si le Roi Savait Ça Isabelle)
  • L'Orgue des Amoureux
  • Dany
  • Paris (from the film L'Homme aux Mains d'Argile)
  • Hymne à l'amour
1950
  • Hymne à l'amour
  • Le Chevalier de Paris
  • Il Fait Bon T'Aimer
  • La P'Tite Marie
  • Tous les Amoureux Chantent
  • Il Y Avait
  • C'est d'la Faute à Tes Yeux
  • C'est un Gars
  • Hymn to Love
  • Autumn Leaves
  • The Three Bells
  • Le Ciel Est Fermé
  • La Fête Continue
  • Simply a Waltz
  • La Vie en rose (English version)
1951
  • Padam... Padam...
  • Avant l'Heure
  • L'Homme Que J'aimerai
  • Du Matin Jusqu'au soir
  • Demain (Il Fera Jour)
  • C'Est Toi (with Eddie Constantine)
  • Rien de Rien
  • Si, Si, Si, Si (with Eddie Constantine)
  • À l'Enseigne de la Fille sans Cœur
  • Télégramme
  • Une Enfant
  • Plus Bleu Que Tes Yeux
  • Le Noël de la Rue
  • La Valse de l'Amour
  • La Rue aux Chansons
  • Jezebel
  • Chante-Moi (with M. Jiteau)
  • Chanson de Catherine
  • Chanson Bleue
  • Je Hais les Dimanches
1952
  • Au Bal de la Chance
  • Elle A Dit
  • Notre-Dame de Paris
  • Mon Ami M'A Donné
  • Je T'Ai dans la Peau (from the film Boum sur Paris)
  • Monsieur et Madame
  • Ça Gueule Ça, Madame (with Jacques Pills) (from the film Boum sur Paris)
1953
  • Bravo pour le Clown
  • Sœur Anne
  • N'Y Va Pas Manuel
  • Les Amants de Venise
  • L'Effet Qu'Tu M'Fais
  • Johnny, Tu N'es Pas un Ange
  • Jean et Martine
  • Et Moi...
  • Pour Qu'Elle Soit Jolie Ma Chanson (with Jacques Pills) (from the film Boum sur Paris)
  • Les Croix
  • Le Bel Indifférent
  • Heureuse
1954
  • La Goualante du Pauvre Jean
  • Enfin le Printemps
  • Retour
  • Mea Culpa
  • Le "Ça Ira" (from the film Si Versailles M'Était Conté)
  • Avec Ce Soleil
  • L'Homme au Piano
  • Sérénade du Pavé (from the film French Cancan)
  • Sous Le Ciel de Paris
1955
  • L'Accordéoniste
  • Un Grand Amour Qui S'Achève
  • Miséricorde
  • C'est à Hambourg
  • Légende
  • Le Chemin des Forains
  • La Vie en Rose (Spanish)
1956
  • Heaven Have Mercy
  • One Little Man
  • 'Cause I Love You
  • Chante-Moi (English)
  • Don't Cry
  • I Shouldn't Care
  • My Lost Melody
  • Avant Nous
  • Et Pourtant
  • Marie la Française
  • Les Amants d'un Jour
  • L'Homme à la Moto
  • Soudain une Vallée
  • Une Dame
  • Toi Qui Sais
1957
  • La Foule
  • Les Prisons du Roy
  • Opinion Publique
  • Salle d'Attente
  • Les Grognards
  • Comme Moi
1958
  • C'est un Homme Terrible
  • Je Me Souviens d'une Chanson
  • Je Sais Comment
  • Tatave
  • Les Orgues de Barbarie
  • Eden Blues
  • Le Gitan et la Fille
  • Fais Comme Si
  • Le Ballet des Cœurs
  • Les Amants de Demain
  • Les Neiges de Finlande
  • Tant Qu'Il Y Aura des Jours
  • Un Étranger
  • Mon Manège à Moi
1959
1960
  • Non, je ne regrette rien
  • La Vie, l'Amour
  • Rue de Siam
  • Jean l'Espagnol
  • La Belle Histoire d'Amour
  • La Ville Inconnue
  • Non, La Vie N'Est Pas Triste
  • Kiosque à Journaux
  • Le Métro de Paris
  • Cri du Cœur
  • Les Blouses Blanches
  • Les Flons-Flons du Bal
  • Les Mots d'Amour
  • T'Es l'Homme Qu'Il Me Faut
  • Mon Dieu
  • Boulevard du Crime
  • C'est l'Amour
  • Des Histoires
  • Ouragan
  • Je Suis à Toi
  • Les Amants Merveilleux
  • Je M'Imagine
  • Jérusalem
  • Le Vieux Piano
1961
  • C'est Peut-Être Ça
  • Les Bleuets d'Azur
  • Quand Tu Dors
  • Mon Vieux Lucien
  • Le Dénicheur
  • J'N'Attends Plus Rien
  • J'En Ai Passé des Nuits
  • Exodus
  • Faut Pas Qu'Il Se Figure
  • Les Amants (with Charles Dumont)
  • No Regrets
  • Le Billard Électrique
  • Marie-Trottoir
  • Qu'Il Était Triste Cet Anglais
  • Toujours Aimer
  • Mon Dieu (English version)
  • Le Bruit des Villes
  • Dans Leur Baiser
1962
  • À Quoi Ça Sert L'Amour?
  • Le Droit d'Aimer
  • À Quoi Ça Sert L'Amour? (with Théo Sarapo)
  • Fallait-Il
  • Une Valse
  • Inconnu Excepte de Dieu (with Charles Dumont)
  • Quatorze Juillet
  • Les Amants de Teruel (with Mikis Theodorakis/Jacques Plante)
  • Roulez Tambours
  • Musique à Tout Va
  • Le Rendez-Vous
  • Toi, Tu l'Entends Pas!
  • Carmen's Story
  • On Cherche un Auguste
  • Ça Fait Drôle
  • Emporte-Moi
  • Polichinelle
  • Le Petit Brouillard (Un Petit Brouillard)
  • Le Diable de la Bastille
  • Elle Chantait (with Théo Sarapo)
1963
  • C'Était Pas Moi
  • Le Chant d'Amour
  • Tiens, V'là un Marin
  • J'En Ai Tant Vu
  • Traqué
  • Les Gens
  • Margot Cœur Gros
  • Monsieur Incognito
  • Un Dimanche à Londres (with Théo Sarapo)
  • L'Homme de Berlin (her last recording)

Filmography[edit][]

Theatre credit[edit][]

Discography[edit][]

The following titles are compilations of Édith Piaf's songs, and not reissues of the titles released while Édith Piaf was active.

  • Edith Piaf: Edith Piaf (Music For Pleasure MFP 1396) 1961
  • Ses Plus Belles Chansons (Contour 6870505) 1969
  • The Voice of the Sparrow: The Very Best of Édith Piaf, original release date: June 1991
  • Édith Piaf: 30th Anniversaire, original release date: 5 April 1994
  • Édith Piaf: Her Greatest Recordings 1935–1943, original release date: 15 July 1995
  • The Early Years: 1938–1945, Vol. 3, original release date: 15 October 1996
  • Hymn to Love: All Her Greatest Songs in English, original release date: 4 November 1996
  • Gold Collection, original release date: 9 January 1998
  • The Rare Piaf 1950–1962 (28 April 1998)
  • La Vie en rose, original release date: 26 January 1999
  • Montmartre Sur Seine (soundtrack import), original release date: 19 September 2000
  • Éternelle: The Best Of (29 January 2002)
  • Love and Passion (boxed set), original release date: 8 April 2002
  • The Very Best of Édith Piaf (import), original release date: 29 October 2002
  • 75 Chansons (Box set/import), original release date: 22 September 2005
  • 48 Titres Originaux (import), (09/01/2006)
  • Édith Piaf: L'Intégrale/Complete 20 CD/413 Chansons, original release date: 27 February 2007
  • "Édith Piaf: The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection/Proper Records UK," original release date: 31 May 2011

There are in excess of 80 albums of Édith Piaf's songs available on online music stores.

Édith Piaf on DVD[edit][]

  • Édith Piaf – A Passionate Life (24 May 2004)
  • Édith Piaf : Eternal Hymn (Éternelle, l'hymne à la môme, Non-US Format, Pal, Region 2, import)
  • Piaf – Her Story, Her Songs (June 2006)
  • Piaf: La Môme (2007)
  • La Vie en rose (biopic, 2008)
  • Édith Piaf – The Perfect Concert and Piaf The Documentary (February 2009)
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