In this episode of The A to Z of Wartime Song, hosts Lili Redman and Tom Carradine explore the romantic and iconic “La Vie en Rose”, the song that became Edith Piaf’s signature.
They trace its creation in post-war Paris, from Piaf’s own lyrics to Louiguy’s melody and Marianne Michel’s crucial lyric tweak that transformed “Les Choses en Rose” into “La Vie en Rose”. The discussion delves into Piaf’s extraordinary and often tragic life - from her childhood in a Normandy brothel, to her discovery in the streets of Paris, to her wartime years performing under Occupation and her daring role in helping prisoners escape.
Along the way, Tom and Lili uncover Django Reinhardt’s remarkable story of survival and innovation, examine the differences between the French original and Mack David’s American translation, and reflect on why Piaf’s chanson endures as one of the most beloved songs of the 20th century.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
You can listen to ALL of the songs that Tom and Lili talk about in the episode on their Spotify playlister here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN?si=b777dc33a703408a
REFERENCES
Belvoir Castle
https://www.belvoircastle.com/
Bluebird Bells @ Belvoir Castle
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOB-N5pjOHm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Lili Drenched at Belvoir Castle
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1417482409903905&set=a.312306463754844
Talbot House
https://www.talbothouse.be/en
Talbot House - Concert Party Pictures
https://www.facebook.com/talbothouse.be/posts/pfbid0gsiYG8fb3sFqutLhLp6WbpZauSxPf66TasbTstnLX5UciNBS5M2hMSFpF8YVZzh1l
Don’t Dilly Dally - London and SE Tour
https://www.dontdillydally.co.uk/
Kenneth Williams - My Crepe Suzette
https://youtu.be/6MbZjzIg5w8?si=UtTmkGpnMVwym8n_
Allo Allo - English Policeman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYNXMWRdCx0
Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose
https://youtu.be/rzeLynj1GYM?si=mHQw9e1H2YsIYTuN
Edith Cavell
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/london-statues-and-monuments/edith-cavell/
Edith Piaf - No Regrets
https://youtu.be/rzy2wZSg5ZM?si=gFlJGJ4pWXZrcKA5
Grand Hotel de Clermont - Hotel from Hell!
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187147-d3477361-Reviews-Grand_Hotel_de_Clermont-Paris_Ile_de_France.html
Kilburn Gaumont State Cinema
http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/KilburnTheatres.htm#gaumont
http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Kilburn/Tour/KilburnStateTour.htm
One-Two-Two Brothel in Paris
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/one-two-two-wartime-brothel
Edith Piaf Grave
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1334/%C3%A9dith-piaf
Saint-Saëns - The Swan
https://youtu.be/3qrKjywjo7Q?si=Cq6SWOGdKsGMT-eG
Edith Piad - L'accordéoniste
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhu-0IBZm5s
Be Our Guest
https://youtu.be/afzmwAKUppU?si=ks55JKywYhSnMYbp
Around the World - Victor Young and Harold Adamson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hScyoga67Tw
Fabulous Places - Doctor Doolittle
https://youtu.be/10AMqdJUcFY?si=eAUMRoaeQpvLaHAM
Charles Trenet - La Mer
https://youtu.be/PXQh9jTwwoA
Mein Kleiner Gruner Kaktus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjMw0kEw6B0
Knees Up Mother Brown (with Verse)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrvDiTB8QwA
International Al Jolson Society
https://www.jolson.org/
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:49 Catch Up
03:03 V = La Vie En Rose
07:22 Edith Piaf
11:46 Django Reinhart
17:49 Edith Piaf During WW2
26:08 Discussing the Sheet Music
27:45 When Did We First Discover It?
28:32 Discussing the Lyrics
34:14 Discussing the Music
39:01 Discussing Versions: Edith Piaf
40:39 If You Liked That You'd Like This
46:51 Mentioned in Dispatches
49:23 Teaser for Next Week
49:57 Outro
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
You can follow the podcast on social media:
http://instagram.com/warsongspod
https://www.facebook.com/warsongspod
Find more information about Lili Redman here:
https://liliredman.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lili__redman/
https://www.facebook.com/ScalaLil
Or Tom Carradine here:
https://www.tomcarradine.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tomcarradine
https://www.facebook.com/mrtomcarradine
CONTACT THE PODCAST
If there's a wartime song that you think they should discuss, or if you have a personal or family story connected to one, drop them a line at warsongspod@gmail.com to be "Mentioned in Dispatches".
LISTENING LINKS
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ktQ4nyudmPRLcCNyNxEfv?si=ac9e1babe6834f2b
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-a-to-z-of-wartime-song/id1806037318
If you’ve enjoyed this episode Lili and Tom would be grateful if you’d leave a review and make sure you’ve subscribed and turned on notifications so you’ll never miss an episode.
