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| The Watsons visit Notre-Dame Cathedral |
Today, The Watsons and The Grandma have flown to Paris to spend some hours in the French capital. It has been a present for Rennette, especially, but all the family has enjoyed this travel.
During the trip from Barcelona to Paris, The Watsons have continued studying their English for Sales course. They have revised Past Simple and its regular forms.
Rennette has been very excited with the idea of visiting the capital of her country, a wonderful city that she loves. She has sung some French songs during the trip and the rest of The Watsons and The Grandma have enjoyed all of them, especially La Vie en Rose.
More information: Past Simple-Regular Verbs
La Vie en Rose is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947.
The song became very popular in the US in 1950 with no fewer than seven different versions reaching the Billboard charts. These were by Tony Martin, Paul Weston, Bing Crosby, Ralph Flanagan, Victor Young, Dean Martin, and Louis Armstrong.
A version in 1977 by Grace Jones was also a successful international hit. La Vie en Rose has been covered by many other artists over the years, including a 1993 version by Donna Summer. Harry James also recorded a version in 1950. Bing Crosby recorded the song again for his 1953 album Le Bing: Song Hits of Paris.
The song's title can be translated as Life in happy hues, Life seen through happy lenses, or Life in rosy hues; its literal meaning is Life in Pink.
La Vie en Rose (May 1945) is a song by Édith Piaf, with music by Louiguy, Édith Piaf being the lyricist, but not the composer, registered with SACEM. It was probably Robert Chauvigny who finalised the music, and when Édith suggested to Marguerite Monnot that she sing the piece, the latter rejected that foolishness.
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| Edith Piaf |
It was eventually Louiguy who accepted the authorship of the music. It was broadcast before being recorded. Piaf offered the song to Marianne Michel, who modified the lyrics slightly, changing les choses (things) for la vie life". In 1943, Piaf had performed at a nightclub/bordello called La Vie en Rose.
Initially, Piaf's peers and songwriting team didn't 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. It became a favorite with audiences.
La Vie en Rose was the song that made Piaf internationally famous, with its lyrics expressing the joy of finding true love and appealing to those who had survived the difficult period of World War II.
La Vie en Rose was released on a 10" single in 1947 by Columbia Records, a division of EMI, with Un refrain courait dans la rue making the B-side. It met with a warm reception and sold a million copies in the US. It was the biggest-selling single of 1948 in Italy, and the ninth biggest-selling single in Brazil in 1949.
Piaf performed the song in the 1948 French movie Neuf garçons, un cœur. The first of her albums to include La Vie en Rose was the 10" Chansons parisiennes, released in 1950. It appeared on most of Piaf's subsequent albums, and on numerous greatest hits compilations. It went on to become her signature song and her trademark hit, sitting with Milord and Non, je ne regrette rien among her best-known and most recognizable tunes. Encouraged by its success, Piaf wrote 80 more songs in her career.
English lyrics were written by Mack David and numerous versions were recorded in the US in 1950.
Louis Armstrong recorded C'est si bon and La Vie en Rose in New York City with Sy Oliver and his Orchestra on June 26, 1950 and this reached the No. 28 position in the Billboard charts.
Bing Crosby also recorded the song in French in 1953 for his album Le Bing: Song Hits of Paris.
The song received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.
More information: French Moments
I want to make people cry even
when they don't understand my words.
Edith Piaf
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