‘Edith Piaf’: Lovely in Any Language

Edith Piaf had just one Top 40 U.S. pop hit--an English version of the classic “La Vie En Rose” in 1950--but she is one of the most celebrated vocalists of the modern pop era. Cited as an influence by artists as varied as David Bowie and Linda Ronstadt, Piaf combined a cabaret brightness, a blues soulfulness and a pop accessibility.

Her distinctive and affecting style is showcased in “Edith Piaf: 30th Anniversaire,” a two-disc set from Capitol Records marking the 30th anniversary of her death.

Though most of the album is sung in Piaf’s native French, the celebration and the occasional melancholic touches in her music easily transcend language barriers.

Besides, a few of the songs on the album should be well-known to older pop fans in the United States through hit English versions by other artists.

Among them: “Les Trois Cloches” (a U.S. hit in 1952 when retitled “Three Bells” and sung by Les Compagnons De La Chanson, who accompanied Piaf on the French version of the song) and “La Goualante Du Pauvre Jean” (a 1956 hit when retitled “The Poor People of Paris” and performed by the Les Baxter Orchestra).

Piaf’s own story is almost as remarkable as her musical legacy--though it is hard to find two accounts that agree in every detail.

As generally agreed, Piaf--whose real name was Edith Giovanna Gassion--was born in a working-class district of Paris in 1915. Her mother was believed to have been an Italian cafe singer and her father has been described variously as a circus acrobat and a traveling showman.

Abandoned by her mother, the infant was placed by her father in the care of a madam of a cheap Normandy brothel, according to the liner notes in the Capitol set.

She rejoined her father around the age of 7 and accompanied him on his circus travels, during which period he reportedly encouraged her to begin singing.

Louis Lepee, the owner of a cabaret, later hired her as a performer. He was apparently the one who suggested the singer change her surname to the French word for sparrow. She landed a recording contract and soon became one of the most popular entertainers in all of Europe. She died in 1963.