The Édith Piaf basic is without doubt one of the most well-known songs ever to return out of France.
Celine Dion performs onstage throughout the 2016 Billboard Music Awards at T-Cellular Enviornment on Might 22, 2016 in Las Vegas.
Kevin Winter/Getty Pictures
Even in the event you don’t know the very first thing about sports activities, you’ll need to tune into the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer season Olympics in Paris on Friday (July 26). There is a wonderful likelihood you’ll hear the timeless French normal “La Vie en Rose” – presumably sung by the megastar teaming of Céline Dion and Girl Gaga. (That duet is unconfirmed, however is a tantalizing chance.)
Each singers have a historical past with the track, which was made well-known by French chanteuse Édith Piaf. Dion sang it on Michael Drucker’s TV present in Paris in 1993 (when she was all of 15). Gaga sang it in 2016 on the Emmy-nominated TV particular Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Greatest Is But to Come and once more two years later within the Oscar-nominated movie A Star Is Born.
“La Vie En Rose” was written in 1945 and have become a worldwide hit for Piaf within the late ’40s – and within the U.S. in 1950. The track’s wistful high quality captured the unhappy, but hopeful temper of a individuals who had endured the horrors and hardships of World Conflict II.
The lyrics have been written by Piaf, with music composed by Louiguy. English lyrics have been later written by Mack David, the older brother of Hal David. Based on legend, individuals in Piaf’s camp thought the track was weaker than the remainder of her repertoire. (Are you able to think about?) Heeding their recommendation, Piaf put the track apart, solely to later change her thoughts. Good factor she did! The ballad turned Piaf’s signature track, and probably the most well-known songs ever to return out of France.
The literal translation of the track title is “life in pink,” however it could additionally imply “life in completely happy hues” or “life in rosy hues.”
Piaf died from liver most cancers in 1963 at simply 47, however her track will reside ceaselessly. Listed below are 13 of essentially the most well-known renditions of the longtime pop normal.
-
Edith Piaf, 1947
Picture Credit score: Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Pictures Piaf carried out her most well-known track within the 1948 French film Neuf garçons, un cœur. The primary of her albums to incorporate the track was Chansons Parisiennes, launched in 1950. That very same 12 months, her model reached No. 23 on the Billboard pop charts of the period. Piaf’s recording was launched 11 years earlier than the inception of the Grammy Awards, nevertheless it was inducted into the Grammy Corridor of Fame in 1998. It was heard within the 2007 biopic La Vie En Rose, for which Marion Cotillard received an Oscar for greatest actress.
Hear right here
-
Louis Armstrong, 1950
Many artists lined the track in 1950, together with Louis Armstrong, whose model reached No. 28. Satchmo’s model was later featured within the 1995 movie French Kiss and the 2008 Disney/Pixar movie WALL-E.
Hear right here
-
Bing Crosby, 1950
Crosby’s model reached No. 13. Three years later, he included the track on his French-language album, Le Bing: Tune Hits of Paris. Crosby recorded the whole album in sooner or later – Might 16, 1953. All recordings have been made with Paul Durand et Son Grand Orchestre. Of his try at a French accent, the genial Crosby remarked that any complaints needs to be despatched “to the again door of the United Nations.”
Piaf, Armstrong and Crosby weren’t the one artists to position the track on Billboard pop charts in 1950. (Such “cowl battles” have been frequent in that period.) Tony Martin (No. 9), Paul Weston (No. 12), Ralph Flanagan (No. 27) and Victor Younger (No. 27) additionally charted variations.
Hear right here
-
Dean Martin, 1962
The ultra-cool singer recorded the track on his album French Fashion, which was his debut album for Reprise Information, the label based by fellow Rat-Packer Frank Sinatra. The album featured French-themed in style songs and chansons organized by Neal Hefti. Others included “C’est Si Bon,” the title track from the 1958 musical Gigi and two basic Cole Porter tunes.
Hear right here
-
Dionne Warwick, 1966
The pop and R&B singer included the track on her reside album Dionne Warwick in Paris, which was recorded in January 1966 on the Olympia Theater. The album featured such different French songs as “C’est Si Bon” and “The Good Life” (the latter made well-known by Tony Bennett), in addition to Cole Porter’s “I Love Paris” and French translations of her earlier Bacharach/David hits “A Home Is Not a Residence” and “You’ll By no means Get to Heaven.” Bacharach and David produced the album, which reached No. 76 on the Billboard 200.
Hear right here
-
Grace Jones, 1977
Picture Credit score: Bettmann/Getty Pictures Jones included the track on her debut album, Portfolio, which reached No. 109 on the Billboard 200. Launched as a single, an edited model bubbled below the Scorching 100 at No. 109 (coincidentally, the identical because the album’s peak place). Disco pioneer Tom Moulton produced Jones’ album. Jones’ model performs over the closing credit of Robert Altman’s 1994 movie Prêt-à-Porter. Her model was later included on the soundtrack to the 1999 movie Summer season of Sam, which was set in 1977. The track was additionally featured in Grace Jones: A One-Man Present, which obtained a 1984 Grammy nod for greatest lengthy kind music video.
Hear right here
-
Bette Midler, 1977
This was the closing monitor on Midler’s eclectic album Damaged Blossom, which was produced by Brooks Arthur. The album reached No. 51 on the Billboard 200.
Hear right here
-
Three Tenors, 1990
Picture Credit score: Franco Origlia/Getty Pictures The facility trio consisting of Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti sang the track of their July 1990 live performance on the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. The live performance was recorded and have become the hit album Carreras/Domingo/Pavarotti in Live performance. The album, produced by Zubin Mehta, reached No. 35 on the Billboard 200 and received a Grammy for greatest classical vocal efficiency. It was additionally nominated for greatest classical album.
Domingo additionally sang the track on his 1991 album Be My Love…An Album of Love. The album reached No. 171 on the Billboard 200.
Take heed to the Three Tenors right here and Domingo’s solo model right here.
-
Tony Bennett & okay.d. lang, 2002
The superlative singers, who had first teamed to sing “Moonglow” on Bennett’s Grammy-winning MTV Unplugged album, sang the track on their album A Great World. T Bone Burnett and Bennett’s son Danny Bennett produced the gathering, which reached No. 41 on the Billboard 200 and received a Grammy for greatest conventional pop vocal album.
Hear right here
-
Andrea Bocelli, 2013
The Italian tenor recorded the track as a digital duet with Piaf and included it on his album, Passione, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The album was produced by David Foster.
Hear right here
-
Madonna, 2015
Madonna carried out the track in honor of the victims of the Nov. 13 2015, terrorist assaults in Paris. Introducing the track, she stated, “Right here is my favourite half; my favourite second within the present. I don’t simply do that as a result of I’m in Paris. To me, this is without doubt one of the best love songs ever written – carried out by one in all my favourite singers in the entire world – and it’s my honor (and I hope I don’t f–okay it up) – to sing it for you now. A track about love, once more.” Madonna additionally carried out the track on her Insurgent Coronary heart tour.
Hear right here
-
Michael Bublé, 2018
This bilingual model featured French/American jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant. It was featured on Love, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The album marked the Canadian crooner’s reunion with producer David Foster. The deluxe version of the album was nominated for a Grammy for greatest conventional pop vocal album.
Hear right here
-
Girl Gaga, 2018
Picture Credit score: Antony Jones/Getty Pictures Gaga sang the track on the 2016 TV particular Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Greatest Is But to Come and once more two years later within the reboot of A Star Is Born, for which she obtained an Oscar nomination for greatest actress. It additionally appeared on the soundtrack, which topped the Billboard 200 for 4 nonconsecutive weeks and received a Grammy for greatest compilation soundtrack for visible media.
Take heed to the TV present model right here and the movie model right here.
