Edith Piaf, the "little songbird" who rose from the gutters of Paris to share her gorgeous voice also wrote great lyrics.
In this profoundly moving song, she speaks of her philosophy of living without regret for the past, feeling chagrin for "ni le bien qu'on ma fait, ni le mal, tout ca m'est bien egale." It's all one to me, she says.
In 1983, a small theatre on Thurlow Street called City Stage produced a play called Piaf: her Songs, her Loves, directed by Ray Michal. This electrifying performance launched the career of Joelle Rabu, who played the lead role.
Seeing that production started my Piaf craze. For years in my twenties, alone in a little house on the east side, I danced around the small living room, singing along with a record of Piaf. To this day, the only time my French sounds reasonably accented is when I sing the lyrics of Edith Piaf.
There's a CD I haven't listened to in ages. Thanks for the reminder - going to look for it now. :)
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