Non, je ne regrette rien

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Non, je ne regrette rien ( French , “No, I have no regrets”) is the most famous chanson by Édith Piaf , written by Charles Dumont (music) and Michel Vaucaire (text) and published in 1960.

History

The song was composed in 1956, but remained unpublished until 1960. On the afternoon of October 5, 1960, the lyricist Michel Vaucaire (1904–1980) and the composer Charles Dumont (* 1929) performed the song Non, je ne regrette rien on the piano at her home in Paris at 67 Boulevard Lannes for the terminally ill Piaf in front. Vaucaire emphasized the often repeated "non" when singing. The defiant intro immediately piqued her interest. After the bold assertion in the last stanza "je repars à zéro" ("I'm going back to zero" in the sense of "I'll start over") she wanted to hear the text again. That night Vaucaire had to read his text more than 20 times in front of Piaf and her confidante ( Marguerite Monnot, Robert Chauvigny, Suzanne Flon and Bruno Coquatrix ). All listeners were enthusiastic about this composition, which could describe Piaf's life.

In the text, the protagonist remembers her past with good and bad experiences and confirms her clear conscience with love, worries and joys. The song ends optimistically with the affirmation that now her life and her joy begin with the new lover ("car ma vie, car mes joies, aujourd'hui, ça commence avec toi" - "because my life, because my joys, she start with you today "). The dark and defiant intro builds up to bring the song to a jubilant and triumphant end and to give up the attitude towards the past. As a prognosis, she turned to the composer Dumont: “Young man, don't worry anymore. I've been waiting for this all my life. This song will go around the world. "

There were still two obstacles to overcome. Piaf had collapsed on September 20, 1959 on the stage of New York's Waldorf Astoria . As a result of her cancer treatment, all planned performances had to be canceled for 1960. In addition, Coquatrix and his Olympic theater were facing financial ruin. Piaf asked Coquatrix to reserve the theater for her at the end of 1960 so that the wonderful song could be presented.

Meaning of the song in the French military

Between 1954 and 1962, France was in the Algerian War . Piaf decided to dedicate the song to the French Foreign Legion ; which was largely stationed in Algeria. At the time of publication, the conflict was in full swing. After the failure of the coup by French generals against Charles de Gaulle on April 23, 1961, the song was sung by soldiers of the Foreign Legion, whose paratroopers had participated in the coup almost as a whole, and, with a different text, by French opponents of Algerian independence. To this day the song is part of the music repertoire of the Foreign Legion.

Publication and Success

Édith Piaf - Non, je ne regrette rien (A-side of the EP)

The chanson was recorded on November 10, 1960 with the Robert Chauvigny Orchestra in the Paris Pathé-Marconi recording studios of the EMI . Piaf took over the clear emphasis on "non" and sang the text very convincingly. The ode to the will to live and the power of love was published in December 1960 as EP Non, je ne regrette rien / Les mots d'amour / Jérusalem (Columbia ESRF 1303).

The song marked the climax of Piaf's return. On the opening night of the Paris Olympia, December 30, 1960, thousands of ticket holders (including government officials and generals) waited to enter. Piaf wore an old Pierre Balmain dress , was greeted by 15-minute applause and opened with Les mots d'amour (“Words of Love”), the second title on the A-side of the EP. The day after the event, the headline in the Parisian newspapers was: “Love has revived Piaf.” By the end of 1961, 1 million records were sold in France alone. The EP remained at number one on the French charts for a total of 21 weeks - with interruptionsfrom January 23, 1961 to February 12, 1961, between February 27 and March 5, 1961 and again from June 12 to July 2, 1961. The chanson also took first place in the Dutch charts . In Germany, the single Non, je ne regrette rien / Jérusalem was also launched in December 1960 (Columbia C 21 725), but did not hit the charts.

Cover versions

There are at least 39 cover versions , including Milva with Italian lyrics and the title Nulla rimpiangerò (recorded on May 3, 1961). Kay Starr brought out the first English-language cover version of No Regrets (May 9, 1963), followed by Kathy Kirby under music producer Peter Sullivan (released October 2, 1964), then Shirley Bassey (released April 9, 1965). Gisela May published a German version in 1965 under the title No, I'm not sorry (text: Ralph Maria Siegel ; LP Chansons; 1965), theMireille Mathieu took up again (LP Star 90; 1985). The Bad Boys Blue produced by Tony Hendrik adopted the English version (LP The Fifth; October 1989). Johnny Hallyday sang the original live at Olympia on August 25, 2000 (LP Olympia 2000; November 2000), Jule Neigel also took over the French version (LP voice with wing (s); August 2006). Vicky Leandros followed with No, I have no regrets (LP Zeitlos ; September 2010). A French version of reggae is featuring by DenakilU-Roy (LP Echoes du temps; February 2011), Patricia Kaas also adopted the French version (studio version from June 2012; live Royal Albert Hall , London , November 5, 2012).

In May 1961 Piaf published in Great Britain under the title No Regrets an English-language version written by Hal David , which, however, missed the local hit parade.

Non, je ne regrette rien also appears in the biography adaptation La Vie en rose (premiere in Germany: February 22, 2007).

An idiosyncratic interpretation of the subject can be found with the title Spring in Paris on the 2009 album Liebe ist für alle da by Rammstein .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Robert Dimery, 1001 Songs: You Must Hear Before You Die , 2011, no page number
  2. ↑ a b A song for a whole life , Süddeutsche Zeitung of January 11, 2011.
  3. ^ A b Carolyn Burke: No Regrets: The Life of Édith Piaf. 2012, p. 197 ff.
  4. ↑ James J. Cooke: Alexander Harrison. Challenging de Gaulle: The OAS and the Counterrevolution in Algeria, 1954–1962 . In: The International Journal of African Historical Studies . Boston University African Studies Center, Boston 1990.
  5. ^ Douglas Porch: The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History . Macmillan, London 1991, ISBN 0-333-43427-7 .
  6. ↑ Non, je ne regrette rien - appearance of the French Foreign Legion on YouTube