| Édith Piaf |
 |
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Édith Giovanna Gassion |
| Also known as |
La Môme Piaf
(The Kid Sparrow) |
| Born |
(1915-12-19)19 December 1915
Belleville, Paris, France |
| Died |
11 October 1963(1963-10-11) (aged 47)
Plascassier, France |
| Genres |
Cabaret
Torch songs
Chanson |
| Occupations |
Singer, songwriter, actress |
| Instruments |
Voice |
| Years active |
1935–1963 |
| Labels |
Pathé Records, Pathé-Marconi |
Édith Piaf (US /piːˈɑːf/ or UK /ˈpiːæf/; French: [eˈdit pjaf]; 19 December 1915 – 11 October 1963), born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's national popular singer, as well as being one of France's greatest international stars.[1] Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads. 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).
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 of Rue de Belleville 72, but her birth certificate cites the Hôpital Tenon,[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] Piaf—an argot colloquialism for "sparrow"—was a nickname she would receive 20 years later.
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.[6][7] 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.[4]
Louis-Alphonse Gassion (1881–1944), Édith's father, was a Norman street acrobat[8] 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 (1876–1930). 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,[citation needed] she recovered her sight after her grandmother's prostitutes pooled money to send her on a pilgrimage honoring Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, which the author claims resulted in a miraculous healing.[citation needed]
In 1929, at 14, she joined her father in his acrobatic street performances all over France, where she first sang in public.[1]
She 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 the Paris suburbs (cf. the song "Elle fréquentait la Rue Pigalle").
She joined her friend Simone Berteaut ("Mômone")[4] in this endeavor, and the two became lifelong partners in mischief.[1] She was about 16 when she fell in love with Louis Dupont, a delivery boy.[1]
At 17, she had her only child, a girl named Marcelle, who died of meningitis at age two.[8] 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.[1]
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[8] 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][9] 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] (Parigot translatable as "The Waif Sparrow", "The Little Sparrow", or "Kid Sparrow").[1] Leplée taught her the basics of stage presence and told her to wear a black dress, later to become her trademark apparel.[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,[9] with one of them penned by Marguerite Monnot, a collaborator throughout Piaf's life.[1]
On 6 April 1936,[1] Leplée was murdered and Piaf was questioned and accused as an accessory, but was acquitted.[3] Leplée had been killed by mobsters with previous ties to Piaf.[10] 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.[10] Within a year, he became one of the most famous singers in France, and 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.[9] 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[8] 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".
During World War II, she was a frequent performer at German Forces social gatherings in occupied France, and many 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 individuals (including at least one Jew) escape Nazi persecution. Throughout it all, she remained a national and international favorite.[11] 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[12] 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.[12]
The love of Piaf's life,[3] 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 Constellation, crashed in the Azores, killing everyone on board, including noted violinist Ginette Neveu.[13] 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.[8] Jacques Pills, a singer, took her into rehabilitation on three different occasions to no avail.[1]
Piaf married Jacques Pills in 1952 (her matron of honour was Marlene Dietrich) and divorced him in 1956. 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.[1]
Piaf died of liver cancer at age 47 at her villa in Plascassier, on the French Riviera, on 11 October 1963.[14][15][16] She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for several months.[8] Her last words were "Every damn fool thing you do in this life, you pay for."[17] It is said that Sarapo drove her body back to Paris secretly so that fans would think she had died in her hometown.[1][12] She is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris next to her daughter Marcelle, where her grave is among the most visited.[1]
Although she was denied a funeral mass by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Paris because of her lifestyle,[12] 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.[12][18] 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.[12]
In Paris, a two-room museum is dedicated to her, the Musée Édith Piaf[12][19] (5 rue Crespin du Gast).
Bust of Piaf in
Kielce, Poland
Numerous songs by Piaf are used in films (such as Saving Private Ryan, Inception and The Dreamers (film)) and other media. Singers have paid tribute to her by covering her songs. Piaf's name can still be found in popular culture and music today. Her life has been the subject of multiple films and plays:
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 movie 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.
- Piaf (1978), by Pam Gems
- Piaf Piaf (1988), by Juha Siltanen and Jorma Uotinen
- The Sparrow and the Birdman By Raquel Bitton (1999) Commissioned by Theatreworks
- Edith and Simone (2000 and 2006), by Ronny Verheyen
- PIAF..Her story..Her songs" By Raquel Bitton (2000)
- Hearts..Le Ballet des Coeurs By Raquel Bitton (1985) 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 and living in New York(2011), by Floanne 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" City Stage, Vancouver 1978, Directed by Ray Michal
- 1925
- 1933
- Entre Saint-Ouen et Clignancourt
- 1934
- 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 movie 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
- 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 movie Montmartre-sur-Seine)
- L'Homme des Bars
- Le Vagabond
- 1942
- Jimmy, C'Est Lui
- Un Coin Tout Bleu (from the movie Montmartre-sur-Seine)
- Sans Y Penser
- Un Monsieur Me Suit dans la Rue
- 1943
- Tu Es Partout (from the movie Montmartre-sur-Seine)
- 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
- 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
|
- 1947
- C'Est pour Ça (from the movie Neuf Garçons, Un Cœur)
- Qu'As-Tu Fait John?
- Sophie (from the movie 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 movie 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 movie Boum sur Paris)
- Monsieur et Madame
- Ça Gueule Ça, Madame (with Jacques Pills) (from the movie 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 movie 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 movie Si Versailles M'Était Conté)
- Avec Ce Soleil
- L'Homme au Piano
- Sérénade du Pavé (from the movie 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
|
- 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 (anglais)
- 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
- L'Homme de Berlin (her last recording)
|
- La garçonne (1936), Jean de Limur
- Montmartre-sur-Seine (1941), Georges Lacombe
- Étoile sans lumière (1946), Marcel Blistène
- Neuf garçons, un cœur (1947), Georges Freedland
- Si Versailles m'était conté (1954), Sacha Guitry
- French Cancan (1954), Jean Renoir
- Música de Siempre (1958), sang La vida en rosa, the Spanish version of "La Vie en rose".
- Les Amants de demain (1959), Marcel Blistène
The following titles are compilations of Édith Piaf's songs, and not reissues of the titles released while Édith Piaf was active.
- 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
There are in excess of 80 albums of Édith Piaf's songs available on online music stores.
- 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)
- The Wheel of Fortune: The Autobiography of Édith Piaf by Édith Piaf (originally written in 1958, 5 years before her death), Peter Owen Publishers; ISBN 0-7206-1228-4
- Édith Piaf, by Édith Piaf and Simone Berteaut, published January 1982; ISBN 2-904106-01-4
- Berteaut, Simone; Boulanger, G. (translator) (1958). Robert Laffont. ed (in French, translated into English). Au bal de la chance (1965 (translation) ed.). Paris: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-003669-5. memoirs, written by stepsister
- The Piaf Legend, by David Bret, Robson Books,1988.
- Piaf: A Passionate Life, by David Bret, Robson Books, 1998, revised JR Books, 2007
- "The Sparrow – Edith Piaf," chapter in Singers & The Song (pp. 23–43), by Gene Lees, Oxford University Press, 1987, insightful critique of Piaf's biography and music.
- Marlene, My Friend, by David Bret, Robson Books, 1993. Dietrich dedicates a whole chapter to her friendship with Piaf.
- Oh! Père Lachaise, by Jim Yates, Édition d'Amèlie 2007, ISBN 978-0-9555836-0-5. Piaf and Oscar Wilde meet in a pink-tinted Parisian Purgatory.
- No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf, by Carolyn Burke, Alfred A. Knopf 2011, ISBN 978-0-307-26801-3. An in-depth and insightful look at Piaf's life.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Huey, Steve. "Edith Piaf: Biography". Yahoo! Music. http://music.yahoo.com/edith-piaf/biography/. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- ^ Morris, Wesley (15 June 2007). "A complex portrait of a spellbinding singer". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2007/06/15/a_complex_portrait_of_a_spellbinding_singer/. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rainer, Peter (8 June 2007). "'La Vie en Rose': Édith Piaf's encore". The Christian Science Monitor (Boston). http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0608/p14s03-almo.html. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Biography: Édith Piaf". Radio France Internationale Musique. http://www.rfimusique.com/siteen/biographie/biographie_6057.asp. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- ^ Vallois, Thirza (February 1998). "Two Paris Love Stories". Paris Kiosque. http://www.paris.org/Kiosque/feb98/love.html. Retrieved 9 August 2007.
- ^ Her grand-mother Emma Saïd ben Mohamed was born in Mogador, Morocco in December 1876, « Emma Saïd ben Mohamed, d'origine kabyle et probablement connue au Maroc où renvoie son acte de naissance établi à Mogador, le 10 décembre 1876 », Pierre Duclos and Georges Martin, Piaf, biographie, Éditions du Seuil, 1993, Paris, p. 41
- ^ "Her mother, half-Italian, half-Berber", David Bret, Piaf: a passionate life, Robson Books, 1998, p.2
- ^ a b c d e f Ray, Joe (11 October 2003). "Édith Piaf and Jacques Brel live again in Paris: The two legendary singers are making a comeback in cafes and theatres in the City of Light". The Vancouver Sun (Canada): p. F3. http://joearay2.tripod.com/vancouversun/brel_et_piaf.html. Retrieved 18 July 2007.
- ^ a b c Fine, Marshall (4 June 2007). "The soul of the Sparrow". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2007/06/04/2007-06-04_the_soul_of_the_sparrow.html. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
- ^ a b Mayer, Andre (8 June 2007). "Songbird". CBC. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/lavieenrose.html. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
- ^ Amazon.com: "Know About Édith Piaf?"
- ^ a b c d e f g Jeffries, Stuart (8 November 2003). "The love of a poet". The Guardian (UK). http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,1079383,00.html. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
- ^ Marcel Cerdan's tragic disappearance (1949) – Marcel Cerdan Heritage
- ^ Edith Piaf. Nndb.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-22.
- ^ "Edith Giovanna Piaf (1915–1963)". Findagrave.com. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1334. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ^ "Edith Piaf Profile – The Tragic Life of Edith Piaf – About.com". Worldmusic.about.com. http://worldmusic.about.com/od/bandsartistsaz/p/EdithPiaf.htm. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
- ^ "Edith Piaf - Famous Last Words". Life.com. 31 October 2011. http://www.life.com/gallery/66931/image/89860134/famous-last-words#index/30. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ (French) Édith Piaf funeral – Video – French tv, 14 October 1963, INA
- ^ Musée Édith Piaf
| Persondata |
| Name |
Piaf, Édith |
| Alternative names |
Gassion, Édith Giovanna |
| Short description |
Singer, songwriter, actress |
| Date of birth |
19 December 1915 |
| Place of birth |
Belleville, Paris, France |
| Date of death |
11 October 1963 |
| Place of death |
Placassier, France |
![Edith Piaf - La vie en rose (Officiel) [Live Version]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121114132020im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rzeLynj1GYM/default.jpg "Edith Piaf - La vie en rose (Officiel) [Live Version]")
![Edith Piaf - Non, je ne regrette rien (Officiel) [Live Version]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121114132020im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rzy2wZSg5ZM/0.jpg "Edith Piaf - Non, je ne regrette rien (Officiel) [Live Version]")
![Edith Piaf - La vie en rose (Officiel) [Live Version]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121114132020im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rzeLynj1GYM/0.jpg "Edith Piaf - La vie en rose (Officiel) [Live Version]")
![Edith Piaf Non Je Ne Regrette Rien [Live]](http://web.archive.org./web/20121114132020im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fpHAsb2XQOY/0.jpg "Edith Piaf Non Je Ne Regrette Rien [Live]")
