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Édith Piaf
“La Vie En Rose” literally translates to “life in pink,” but it’s a French idiom that means to see life through rose-colored glasses, or to view life in a happy, optimistic, or romantic way. It conveys a feeling of bliss and happiness, often brought on by being in love.
It is the signature song of legendary French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945. The song became very popular in the United States in 1950, when seven versions reached the Billboard charts including covers by Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and of course, Louis Armstrong.
OK, this is interesting. You would think that a songwriter would know an immortal hit when they wrote it. Right? However, Piaf’s peers and songwriting team did not think the song would be successful, finding it weaker than the rest of her repertoire. Heeding their advice, the singer put the song aside, only to change her mind the next year. It was performed live in concert for the first time in 1946.
However, “La Vie En Rose” became a favorite with audiences and was the song that made Piaf internationally famous! It’s lyrics expressed the joy of finding true love and appealed to those who had endured the hardships of World War II. The song received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.
Enjoy,
Dr. Weiss
Some info from Wikipedia
Dedicated to my French patients
PS. I learned this song in French long ago, but I won’t sing it now, because I apparently it didn’t occur to me until recently that it was more appropriately sung by a woman to her lover. Like yesterday, with “Que Reste-t-il de nos Amours“, here is another great example of how lyrics in different languages can completely transform the meaning and character of a song.
French [English] literal lyric comparison
Des yeux qui font baisser les miens
[A gaze that make me lower my own]
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche
[A laugh that is lost on his lips]
Voila le portrait sans retouche
[That is the un-retouched portrait]
De l’homme auquel j’appartiens
[Of the man to whom I belong]
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
[When he takes me into his arms]
Il me parle tout bas
[He speaks to me softly]
Je vois la vie en rose
[And I see life through rose-colored glasses]
Il me dit des mots d’amour
[He speaks words of love to me]
Des mots de tous les jours
[They are every day words]
Et ça m’ fait quelque chose
[And they do something to me]
Il est entré dans mon coeur
[He has entered into my heart]
Une part de bonheur
[A bit of happiness]
Dont je connais la cause
[That I know the cause of]
C’est lui pour moi
[It’s only him for me]
Moi pour lui dans la vie
[And me for him, for life]
Il me l’a dit, l’a jure pour la vie
[He told me, he swore to me, for life]
Et, dès que je l’aperçois
[As soon as I notice him]
Alors je sens en moi
[I feel inside me]
Mon coeur qui bat
[My heart beating]
Des nuits d’amour à plus en finir
[Endless nights of love]
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
[Bring great happiness]
Les ennuis, les chagrins, s’effacent
[The pain and bothers fade away]
Heureux, heureux à en mourir
[Happy, so happy I could die]
English lyrics to La Vie En Rose (Mack David)
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you kiss me, heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I’m in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak, angels sing from above
Everyday words seem to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose |
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