Edith Piaf In Five Songs

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Milord

20240304

20251027 (R3)

Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five songs.

1: Milord by Lucy O'Meara.

She rose from utter poverty to international stardom but never truly left the streets behind both in her stage personae & in reality. Her realm was the chanson realiste-songs that evoked the lower depths and delighted the adoring bourgeois audiences. 'A song is a story but the audience must be able to believe it. I'm the lover, my song must be sad, it must be a cry from the heat, it's my life' said Piaf. Milord was composed in 1959 by Marguerite Monnot with lyrics by Piaf's then current lover Georges Moustaki. It dwells in the shadows of the street and a dialogue between high and low. Toff and a girl from the rough side of town.

Producer - Mark Burman

Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five songs. Milord by Lucy O'Meara.

Edith Piaf rose from the depths to the very heights of stardom. 'That huge voice, the voice of a pauper dreaming.' Lucy O'Meara sifts through the myths and legends of 'La Môme'.

Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five writers on five songs.

That huge voice, the voice of a pauper dreaming.' Piaf rose from utter poverty to international stardom but never truly left the streets behind both in he stage personae & in reality. Her realm was the chanson realiste - songs that evoked the lower depths and delighted the adoring bourgeois audiences. 'A song is a story but the audience must be able to believe it. I'm the lover, my song must be sad, it must be a cry from the heat, it's my life' said Piaf. Milord was composed in 1959 by Marguerite Monnot with lyrics by Piaf's then current lover Georges Moustaki. It dwells in the shadows of the street and a dialogue between high and low. Toff and a girl from the rough side of town.

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3

Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five songs. 1: Milord by Lucy O'Meara.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five writers on five songs. 1: Milord by Lucy O'Meara.

[LISTEN NOW]

Milord

20240304

Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five writers on five songs.

1: Milord by Lucy O'Meara.

That huge voice, the voice of a pauper dreaming.' Piaf rose from utter poverty to international stardom but never truly left the streets behind both in her stage personae & in reality. Her realm was the chanson realiste-songs that evoked the lower depths and delighted the adoring bourgeois audiences. 'A song is a story but the audience must be able to believe it. I'm the lover, my song must be sad, it must be a cry from the heat, it's my life' said Piaf. Milord was composed in 1959 by Marguerite Monnot with lyrics by Piaf's then current lover Georges Moustaki. It dwells in the shadows of the street and a dialogue between high and low. Toff and a girl from the rough side of town.

Producer - Mark Burman

Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five songs. 1 - Milord by Lucy O'Meara.

Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five writers on five songs. 1 - Milord by Lucy O'Meara.

L'accordeoniste

20240305

20251028 (R3)

Edith Piaf, from her mouth to your heart. From the lower depths of utter poverty to the very heights of international stardom. Her life and work explored in five songs.

2-L'Accordeoniste.

1940-Paris, the Germans wore grey, Piaf wore black as the City of Light was conquered and occupied. Like so many artists she sang throughout the war as the 'crow on pedals' - the Swastika - adorned streets and was stamped on all official documents. 'We felt nothing was permanent, that we were merely living day to day. Laughter was the only cover-up.' wrote Piaf's half sister and intimate Simone Berteaut. L'Accordeoniste was written in 1940 by Michel Emer. Legend has it that he appeared at Piaf's window in army uniform with the song, a deserter from the French army. Piaf would pay for his passage into Vichy, his true Jewish identity putting him at risk. But before he fled he offered her this song. Classic Piaf. A tale of a prostitute dreaming of being reunited with her absent accordionist lover sent off to war. It would become her first million-seller and she would perform it for 20 years.

Producer -Mark Burman

Catherine Franc dispels the fog of war that shrouds Piaf's 1940 song L'Accordieniste.

Historian Catherine France chooses the 1940 Piaf classic L'Accordeoniste to peer through the fog of war and collaboration enveloping the Parisian nightclubs where Piaf performed.

2. L'Accordéoniste

1940-Paris, the Germans wore grey, Piaf wore black as the City of Light was conquered and occupied. Like so many artists she sang throughout the war as the 'crow on pedals' - the Swastika adorned streets and was stamped on all official documents. 'We felt nothing was permanent, that we were merely living day to day. Laughter was the only cover-up.' wrote Piaf's 'half sister' and intimate Simone Berteaut. Historian Catherine Franc examines Piaf's war story through the prism of L'Accordéoniste. Written in 1940 by Michel Emer. Legend has it that he appeared at Piaf's window in army uniform with the song, a deserter from the French army. Piaf would pay for his passage into Vichy, his true Jewish identity putting him at risk. But before he fled he offered her this song. Classic Piaf. A tale of a prostitute dreaming of being reunited with her accordionist lover who has been sent off to war. It would become her first million-seller and she would perform it for 20 years.

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3

The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five of her songs.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

Historian Catherine Franc chooses the Edith Piaf classic 1940 song L'Accordéoniste to peer through the fog of war and collaboration enveloping the Paris nightclubs where she sang.

[LISTEN NOW]

L'accordeoniste

20240305

Edith Piaf, from her mouth to your heart. From the lower depths of utter poverty to the very heights of international stardom. Her life and work explored in five songs.

2-L'Accordeoniste.

1940-Paris, the Germans wore grey, Piaf wore black as the City of Light was conquered and occupied. Like so many artists she sang throughout the war as the 'crow on pedals' - the Swastika - adorned streets and was stamped on all official documents. 'We felt nothing was permanent, that we were merely living day to day. Laughter was the only cover-up.' wrote Piaf's half sister and intimate Simone Berteaut. L'Accordeoniste was written in 1940 by Michel Emer. Legend has it that he appeared at Piaf's window in army uniform with the song, a deserter from the French army. Piaf would pay for his passage into Vichy, his true Jewish identity putting him at risk. But before he fled he offered her this song. Classic Piaf. A tale of a prostitute dreaming of being reunited with her accordionist lover who has been sent off to war. It would become her first million-seller and she would perform it for 20 years.

Producer -Mark Burman

The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five of her songs.

Historian Catherine France chooses the Edith Piaf classic 1940 song L'Accordeoniste to peer through the fog of war and collaboration enveloping the Paris nightclubs where she sang.

Les Amants D'un Jour

20240306

20251029 (R3)

Edith Piaf could conjure worlds wreathed in smoke and fate with her chanson realistes. A suicide pact in a dingy hotel room by doomed lovers -that's quintessential Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects the fated melodrama of Piaf's 1956 classic and its intimate economy of means. 'In her plain black dress, her white face like a ghost, Piaf looks frail. In four years she will be dead. She announces the song, walks offstage, returning with a white dishcloth and a wine glass, as she starts to sing she begins to polish, mechanically. Like someone in a trance. Such is her psychic, mesmeric power.

Producer-Mark Burman

A suicide pact in a hotel room - perfect Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects Les Amants d'un jour.

A suicide pact in a dingy hotel room by doomed lovers - quintessential Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects the fated melodrama of Piaf's 1956 classic and its intimate economy of means.

Edith Piaf in 5 Songs.

3. Les Amants d'un jour 1956. Piaf could conjure worlds wreathed in smoke and fate with remarkable economy. A suicide pact in a dingy hotel room by doomed lovers -that's quintessential Piaf. The writer Muriel Zagha dissects the fated melodrama of her 1956 classic and her performance honed to minimalist heartbreak. 'In her plain black dress, her white face like a ghosts, Piaf looks frail. In four years she will be dead. She announces the song, walks offstage, returning with a white dishcloth and a wine glass, as she starts to sing she begins to polish, mechanically. Like someone in a trance. Such is her psychic, mesmeric power.

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3

The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart, through five classic songs.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

Edith Piaf's song Les Amants d'un jour from 1956. A lovelorn suicide pact in a dingy hotel room - essential Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects a fated melodrama of intimate economy.

[LISTEN NOW]

Les Amants D'un Jour

20240306

Edith Piaf in 5 Songs. 3. Les Amants d'un jour 1956. Piaf could conjure worlds wreathed in smoke and fate with remarkable economy. A suicide pact in a dingy hotel room by doomed lovers -that's quintessential Piaf. The writer Muriel Zagha dissects the fated melodrama of her 1956 classic and her performance honed to minimalist heartbreak. 'In her plain black dress, her white face like a ghost, Piaf looks frail. In four years she will be dead. She announces the song, walks offstage, returning with a white dishcloth and a wine glass, as she starts to sing she begins to polish, mechanically. Like someone in a trance. Such is her psychic, mesmeric power.

Producer-Mark Burman

The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart, through five classic songs.

Edith Piaf's song Les Amants d'un jour from 1956. A lovelorn suicide pact in a dingy hotel room - essential Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects a fated melodrama of intimate economy.

Hymne \u00e0 L'amour

20240307

20251030 (R3)

The life and art of Edith Piaf in five songs. The greatest love of Piaf's life was France's greatest boxer, Marcel Cerdan. They longed for each other, despite his family life. He was due to visit her by ship but such was their amour that he changed his plans and boarded Air France Flight 009 from New York on October 28 1949. The resulting plane crash left no survivors. Piaf recorded the song on May 2 1950. The music was by her regular contributor Marguerite Monnot but the lyrics were here own. A howl of love and loss. The song was subsequently covered by Eddie Constantine, Cyndi Lauper and numerous Japanese artists. The French Canadian singer and band leader Myriam Phyro has long been under the spell of Piaf. Here she explores performance, art and life in this song of love and loss.

Producer - Mark Burman

Edith Piaf defined in five songs. Myriam Phiro explores love and death in Hymne \u00e0 l'amour.

Passion and pain filled Piaf's work. Never more so than in a song she penned to her dead lover Marcel Cerdan in 1950. Singer Myriam Phiro unlocks art and pain in Hymne à l'amour.

4. Hymne à l'amour. 1950. The greatest love of Piaf's life was France's greatest boxer, Marcel Cerdan. They longed for each other, despite his family life. He was due to visit her by ship but such was their amour that he changed his plans and boarded Air France Flight 009 from New York on October 28 1949. The resulting plane crash left no survivors. Piaf recorded the song on May 2 1950. The music was by her regular contributor Marguerite Monnot but the lyrics were here own. A howl of love and loss. The song was subsequently covered by Eddie Constantine, Cyndi Lauper and numerous Japanese artists. The French Canadian singer and band leader Myriam Phiro has long been under the spell of Piaf. Here she explores performance, art and life in this song of love and loss.

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3

Edith Piaf defined five songs. Myriam Phiro explores love and death in Hymne \u00e0 l'amour.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

Edith Piaf defined in five songs. Singer Myriam Phiro unlocks the passion and pain of Piaf's song Hymne à l'amour she penned to her greatest love and greatest loss Marcel Cerdan.

[LISTEN NOW]

Hymne \u00e0 L'amour

20240307

The life and art of Edith Piaf in five songs. 4-Hymne à l'amour. 1950. The greatest love of Piaf's life was France's greatest boxer, Marcel Cerdan. They longed for each other, despite his family life. He was due to visit her by ship but such was their amour that he changed his plans and boarded Air France Flight 009 from New York on October 28 1949. The resulting plane crash left no survivors. Piaf recorded the song on May 2 1950. The music was by her regular contributor Marguerite Monnot but the lyrics were here own. A howl of love and loss. The song was subsequently covered by Eddie Constantine, Cyndi Lauper and numerous Japanese artists. The French Canadian singer and band leader Myriam Phiro has long been under the spell of Piaf. Here she explores performance, art and life in this song of love and loss.

Producer- Mark Burman

Edith Piaf defined five songs. Myriam Phiro explores love and death in Hymne \u00e0 l'amour.

Edith Piaf defined in five songs. Singer Myriam Phiro unlocks the passion and pain of Piaf's song Hymne à l'amour she penned to her greatest love and greatest loss Marcel Cerdan.

Non Je Ne Regrette Rien

20240308

20251031 (R3)

Edith Piaf's life and work deconstructed across five songs.

5. Non, je ne regrette rien. Elizabeth Alker explores a song that has come to define Piaf even though it wasn't meant for her and she almost turned it down. By 1960 Piaf was crippled by rheumatism, buoyed by painkillers and alcohol and had defied the obituarists after falling into a coma. Doctors warned her that taking to the stage again would kill her. An inauspicious context for song writer Charles Dumont to hit her up with a new ballad. Actually an old ballad, written in 1956 for Rosalie Dubois. But with a change in title Dumont thought the song the perfect vehicle for Piaf's soulful destruction and defiance. When he finally turned up at her apartment she thought he looked like a civil servant, barely daring to look at her. Dumont was sweating profusely. Things were looking pretty grim but then he started to play...

Elizabeth Alker celebrates the song that has come to define Piaf ever more.

Producer: Mark Burman

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3

Edith Piaf in five songs. Elizabeth Alker on Piaf's 1960 classic Non, je ne regrette rien.

Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

Edith Piaf in five songs: Non, je ne regrette rien. Elizabeth Alker celebrates the defiant spirit of the song that has come to define Piaf in the same way My Way did for Sinatra.

[LISTEN NOW]

Non Je Ne Regrette Rien

20240308

Edith Piaf's life & work deconstructed across five songs. 5-Non, je ne regrette rien. Elizabeth Alker explores a song that has come to define Piaf even though it wasn't meant for her and she almost turned it down. By 1960 Piaf was crippled by rheumatism, buoyed by painkillers and alcohol and had defied the obituarists after falling into a coma. Doctors warned her that taking to the stage again would kill her. An inauspicious context for song writer Charles Dumont to hit her up with a new ballad. Actually an old ballad, written in 1956 for Rosalie Dubois. But with a change in title Dumont thought the song the perfect vehicle for Piaf's soulful destruction and defiance. When he finally turned up at her apartment she thought he looked like a civil servant, barely daring to look at her. Dumont was sweating profusely. Things were looking pretty grim but then he started to play...

Elizabeth Alker celebrates the song that has come to define Piaf ever more.

Producer: Mark Burman

Edith Piaf in five songs. Elizabeth Alker on Piaf's 1960 classic Non, je ne regrette rien.

Edith Piaf in five songs: Non, je ne regrette rien. Elizabeth Alker celebrates the defiant spirit of the song that has come to define Piaf in the same way My Way did for Sinatra.

05 LAST

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

20240308

Non, je ne regrette rien wasn't even meant for Edith Piaf and she almost refused it. Yet it has come to define her, just like My Way did for Sinatra. By 1960 Piaf was crippled by rheumatism, buoyed by painkillers and alcohol and had seen off obituarists after falling into a coma. Doctors warned her that taking to the stage would kill her. An inauspicious context for songwriter Charles Dumont to hit her up with a new ballad. Actually an old ballad, written in 1956 for Rosalie Dubois. But with a change in title, Dumont thought the song the perfect vehicle for Piaf's soulful destruction and defiance. When he finally turned up at her apartment she thought he looked like a civil servant, barely daring to look at her. Dumont was sweating profusely. Things were looking pretty grim but then he started to play...

Elizabeth Alker celebrates the song that has come to define Piaf ever more.

Producer: Mark Burman

Elizabeth Alker celebrates Edith Piaf's defining 1960 anthem Non, je ne regrette rien.

Elizabeth Alker celebrates the defiant spirit of Edith Piaf in a song that has come to define her in the same way My Way did for Sinatra, 1960's Non, je ne regrette rien.

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	Milord	20240304	20251027 (R3)	Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five songs. 1: Milord by Lucy O'Meara. She rose from utter poverty to international stardom but never truly left the streets behind both in her stage personae & in reality. Her realm was the chanson realiste-songs that evoked the lower depths and delighted the adoring bourgeois audiences. 'A song is a story but the audience must be able to believe it. I'm the lover, my song must be sad, it must be a cry from the heat, it's my life' said Piaf. Milord was composed in 1959 by Marguerite Monnot with lyrics by Piaf's then current lover Georges Moustaki. It dwells in the shadows of the street and a dialogue between high and low. Toff and a girl from the rough side of town. Producer - Mark Burman Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five songs. Milord by Lucy O'Meara. Edith Piaf rose from the depths to the very heights of stardom. 'That huge voice, the voice of a pauper dreaming.' Lucy O'Meara sifts through the myths and legends of 'La Môme'. Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five writers on five songs. That huge voice, the voice of a pauper dreaming.' Piaf rose from utter poverty to international stardom but never truly left the streets behind both in he stage personae & in reality. Her realm was the chanson realiste - songs that evoked the lower depths and delighted the adoring bourgeois audiences. 'A song is a story but the audience must be able to believe it. I'm the lover, my song must be sad, it must be a cry from the heat, it's my life' said Piaf. Milord was composed in 1959 by Marguerite Monnot with lyrics by Piaf's then current lover Georges Moustaki. It dwells in the shadows of the street and a dialogue between high and low. Toff and a girl from the rough side of town. A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3 Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five songs. 1: Milord by Lucy O'Meara. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five writers on five songs. 1: Milord by Lucy O'Meara. [LISTEN NOW]
01	Milord	20240304		Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five writers on five songs. 1: Milord by Lucy O'Meara. That huge voice, the voice of a pauper dreaming.' Piaf rose from utter poverty to international stardom but never truly left the streets behind both in her stage personae & in reality. Her realm was the chanson realiste-songs that evoked the lower depths and delighted the adoring bourgeois audiences. 'A song is a story but the audience must be able to believe it. I'm the lover, my song must be sad, it must be a cry from the heat, it's my life' said Piaf. Milord was composed in 1959 by Marguerite Monnot with lyrics by Piaf's then current lover Georges Moustaki. It dwells in the shadows of the street and a dialogue between high and low. Toff and a girl from the rough side of town. Producer - Mark Burman Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five songs. 1 - Milord by Lucy O'Meara. Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart. The Essay explores her life and work through five writers on five songs. 1 - Milord by Lucy O'Meara.
02	L'accordeoniste	20240305	20251028 (R3)	Edith Piaf, from her mouth to your heart. From the lower depths of utter poverty to the very heights of international stardom. Her life and work explored in five songs. 2-L'Accordeoniste. 1940-Paris, the Germans wore grey, Piaf wore black as the City of Light was conquered and occupied. Like so many artists she sang throughout the war as the 'crow on pedals' - the Swastika - adorned streets and was stamped on all official documents. 'We felt nothing was permanent, that we were merely living day to day. Laughter was the only cover-up.' wrote Piaf's half sister and intimate Simone Berteaut. L'Accordeoniste was written in 1940 by Michel Emer. Legend has it that he appeared at Piaf's window in army uniform with the song, a deserter from the French army. Piaf would pay for his passage into Vichy, his true Jewish identity putting him at risk. But before he fled he offered her this song. Classic Piaf. A tale of a prostitute dreaming of being reunited with her absent accordionist lover sent off to war. It would become her first million-seller and she would perform it for 20 years. Producer -Mark Burman Catherine Franc dispels the fog of war that shrouds Piaf's 1940 song L'Accordieniste. Historian Catherine France chooses the 1940 Piaf classic L'Accordeoniste to peer through the fog of war and collaboration enveloping the Parisian nightclubs where Piaf performed. 2. L'Accordéoniste 1940-Paris, the Germans wore grey, Piaf wore black as the City of Light was conquered and occupied. Like so many artists she sang throughout the war as the 'crow on pedals' - the Swastika adorned streets and was stamped on all official documents. 'We felt nothing was permanent, that we were merely living day to day. Laughter was the only cover-up.' wrote Piaf's 'half sister' and intimate Simone Berteaut. Historian Catherine Franc examines Piaf's war story through the prism of L'Accordéoniste. Written in 1940 by Michel Emer. Legend has it that he appeared at Piaf's window in army uniform with the song, a deserter from the French army. Piaf would pay for his passage into Vichy, his true Jewish identity putting him at risk. But before he fled he offered her this song. Classic Piaf. A tale of a prostitute dreaming of being reunited with her accordionist lover who has been sent off to war. It would become her first million-seller and she would perform it for 20 years. A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3 The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five of her songs. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. Historian Catherine Franc chooses the Edith Piaf classic 1940 song L'Accordéoniste to peer through the fog of war and collaboration enveloping the Paris nightclubs where she sang. [LISTEN NOW]
02	L'accordeoniste	20240305		Edith Piaf, from her mouth to your heart. From the lower depths of utter poverty to the very heights of international stardom. Her life and work explored in five songs. 2-L'Accordeoniste. 1940-Paris, the Germans wore grey, Piaf wore black as the City of Light was conquered and occupied. Like so many artists she sang throughout the war as the 'crow on pedals' - the Swastika - adorned streets and was stamped on all official documents. 'We felt nothing was permanent, that we were merely living day to day. Laughter was the only cover-up.' wrote Piaf's half sister and intimate Simone Berteaut. L'Accordeoniste was written in 1940 by Michel Emer. Legend has it that he appeared at Piaf's window in army uniform with the song, a deserter from the French army. Piaf would pay for his passage into Vichy, his true Jewish identity putting him at risk. But before he fled he offered her this song. Classic Piaf. A tale of a prostitute dreaming of being reunited with her accordionist lover who has been sent off to war. It would become her first million-seller and she would perform it for 20 years. Producer -Mark Burman The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five of her songs. Historian Catherine France chooses the Edith Piaf classic 1940 song L'Accordeoniste to peer through the fog of war and collaboration enveloping the Paris nightclubs where she sang.
03	Les Amants D'un Jour	20240306	20251029 (R3)	Edith Piaf could conjure worlds wreathed in smoke and fate with her chanson realistes. A suicide pact in a dingy hotel room by doomed lovers -that's quintessential Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects the fated melodrama of Piaf's 1956 classic and its intimate economy of means. 'In her plain black dress, her white face like a ghost, Piaf looks frail. In four years she will be dead. She announces the song, walks offstage, returning with a white dishcloth and a wine glass, as she starts to sing she begins to polish, mechanically. Like someone in a trance. Such is her psychic, mesmeric power. Producer-Mark Burman A suicide pact in a hotel room - perfect Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects Les Amants d'un jour. A suicide pact in a dingy hotel room by doomed lovers - quintessential Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects the fated melodrama of Piaf's 1956 classic and its intimate economy of means. Edith Piaf in 5 Songs. 3. Les Amants d'un jour 1956. Piaf could conjure worlds wreathed in smoke and fate with remarkable economy. A suicide pact in a dingy hotel room by doomed lovers -that's quintessential Piaf. The writer Muriel Zagha dissects the fated melodrama of her 1956 classic and her performance honed to minimalist heartbreak. 'In her plain black dress, her white face like a ghosts, Piaf looks frail. In four years she will be dead. She announces the song, walks offstage, returning with a white dishcloth and a wine glass, as she starts to sing she begins to polish, mechanically. Like someone in a trance. Such is her psychic, mesmeric power. A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3 The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart, through five classic songs. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. Edith Piaf's song Les Amants d'un jour from 1956. A lovelorn suicide pact in a dingy hotel room - essential Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects a fated melodrama of intimate economy. [LISTEN NOW]
03	Les Amants D'un Jour	20240306		Edith Piaf in 5 Songs. 3. Les Amants d'un jour 1956. Piaf could conjure worlds wreathed in smoke and fate with remarkable economy. A suicide pact in a dingy hotel room by doomed lovers -that's quintessential Piaf. The writer Muriel Zagha dissects the fated melodrama of her 1956 classic and her performance honed to minimalist heartbreak. 'In her plain black dress, her white face like a ghost, Piaf looks frail. In four years she will be dead. She announces the song, walks offstage, returning with a white dishcloth and a wine glass, as she starts to sing she begins to polish, mechanically. Like someone in a trance. Such is her psychic, mesmeric power. Producer-Mark Burman The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart, through five classic songs. Edith Piaf's song Les Amants d'un jour from 1956. A lovelorn suicide pact in a dingy hotel room - essential Piaf. Muriel Zagha dissects a fated melodrama of intimate economy.
04	Hymne \u00e0 L'amour	20240307	20251030 (R3)	The life and art of Edith Piaf in five songs. The greatest love of Piaf's life was France's greatest boxer, Marcel Cerdan. They longed for each other, despite his family life. He was due to visit her by ship but such was their amour that he changed his plans and boarded Air France Flight 009 from New York on October 28 1949. The resulting plane crash left no survivors. Piaf recorded the song on May 2 1950. The music was by her regular contributor Marguerite Monnot but the lyrics were here own. A howl of love and loss. The song was subsequently covered by Eddie Constantine, Cyndi Lauper and numerous Japanese artists. The French Canadian singer and band leader Myriam Phyro has long been under the spell of Piaf. Here she explores performance, art and life in this song of love and loss. Producer - Mark Burman Edith Piaf defined in five songs. Myriam Phiro explores love and death in Hymne \u00e0 l'amour. Passion and pain filled Piaf's work. Never more so than in a song she penned to her dead lover Marcel Cerdan in 1950. Singer Myriam Phiro unlocks art and pain in Hymne à l'amour. 4. Hymne à l'amour. 1950. The greatest love of Piaf's life was France's greatest boxer, Marcel Cerdan. They longed for each other, despite his family life. He was due to visit her by ship but such was their amour that he changed his plans and boarded Air France Flight 009 from New York on October 28 1949. The resulting plane crash left no survivors. Piaf recorded the song on May 2 1950. The music was by her regular contributor Marguerite Monnot but the lyrics were here own. A howl of love and loss. The song was subsequently covered by Eddie Constantine, Cyndi Lauper and numerous Japanese artists. The French Canadian singer and band leader Myriam Phiro has long been under the spell of Piaf. Here she explores performance, art and life in this song of love and loss. A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3 Edith Piaf defined five songs. Myriam Phiro explores love and death in Hymne \u00e0 l'amour. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. Edith Piaf defined in five songs. Singer Myriam Phiro unlocks the passion and pain of Piaf's song Hymne à l'amour she penned to her greatest love and greatest loss Marcel Cerdan. [LISTEN NOW]
04	Hymne \u00e0 L'amour	20240307		The life and art of Edith Piaf in five songs. 4-Hymne à l'amour. 1950. The greatest love of Piaf's life was France's greatest boxer, Marcel Cerdan. They longed for each other, despite his family life. He was due to visit her by ship but such was their amour that he changed his plans and boarded Air France Flight 009 from New York on October 28 1949. The resulting plane crash left no survivors. Piaf recorded the song on May 2 1950. The music was by her regular contributor Marguerite Monnot but the lyrics were here own. A howl of love and loss. The song was subsequently covered by Eddie Constantine, Cyndi Lauper and numerous Japanese artists. The French Canadian singer and band leader Myriam Phiro has long been under the spell of Piaf. Here she explores performance, art and life in this song of love and loss. Producer- Mark Burman Edith Piaf defined five songs. Myriam Phiro explores love and death in Hymne \u00e0 l'amour. Edith Piaf defined in five songs. Singer Myriam Phiro unlocks the passion and pain of Piaf's song Hymne à l'amour she penned to her greatest love and greatest loss Marcel Cerdan.
05	Non Je Ne Regrette Rien	20240308	20251031 (R3)	Edith Piaf's life and work deconstructed across five songs. 5. Non, je ne regrette rien. Elizabeth Alker explores a song that has come to define Piaf even though it wasn't meant for her and she almost turned it down. By 1960 Piaf was crippled by rheumatism, buoyed by painkillers and alcohol and had defied the obituarists after falling into a coma. Doctors warned her that taking to the stage again would kill her. An inauspicious context for song writer Charles Dumont to hit her up with a new ballad. Actually an old ballad, written in 1956 for Rosalie Dubois. But with a change in title Dumont thought the song the perfect vehicle for Piaf's soulful destruction and defiance. When he finally turned up at her apartment she thought he looked like a civil servant, barely daring to look at her. Dumont was sweating profusely. Things were looking pretty grim but then he started to play... Elizabeth Alker celebrates the song that has come to define Piaf ever more. Producer: Mark Burman A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 3 Edith Piaf in five songs. Elizabeth Alker on Piaf's 1960 classic Non, je ne regrette rien. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. Edith Piaf in five songs: Non, je ne regrette rien. Elizabeth Alker celebrates the defiant spirit of the song that has come to define Piaf in the same way My Way did for Sinatra. [LISTEN NOW]
05	Non Je Ne Regrette Rien	20240308		Edith Piaf's life & work deconstructed across five songs. 5-Non, je ne regrette rien. Elizabeth Alker explores a song that has come to define Piaf even though it wasn't meant for her and she almost turned it down. By 1960 Piaf was crippled by rheumatism, buoyed by painkillers and alcohol and had defied the obituarists after falling into a coma. Doctors warned her that taking to the stage again would kill her. An inauspicious context for song writer Charles Dumont to hit her up with a new ballad. Actually an old ballad, written in 1956 for Rosalie Dubois. But with a change in title Dumont thought the song the perfect vehicle for Piaf's soulful destruction and defiance. When he finally turned up at her apartment she thought he looked like a civil servant, barely daring to look at her. Dumont was sweating profusely. Things were looking pretty grim but then he started to play... Elizabeth Alker celebrates the song that has come to define Piaf ever more. Producer: Mark Burman Edith Piaf in five songs. Elizabeth Alker on Piaf's 1960 classic Non, je ne regrette rien. Edith Piaf in five songs: Non, je ne regrette rien. Elizabeth Alker celebrates the defiant spirit of the song that has come to define Piaf in the same way My Way did for Sinatra.
05 LAST	Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien	20240308		Non, je ne regrette rien wasn't even meant for Edith Piaf and she almost refused it. Yet it has come to define her, just like My Way did for Sinatra. By 1960 Piaf was crippled by rheumatism, buoyed by painkillers and alcohol and had seen off obituarists after falling into a coma. Doctors warned her that taking to the stage would kill her. An inauspicious context for songwriter Charles Dumont to hit her up with a new ballad. Actually an old ballad, written in 1956 for Rosalie Dubois. But with a change in title, Dumont thought the song the perfect vehicle for Piaf's soulful destruction and defiance. When he finally turned up at her apartment she thought he looked like a civil servant, barely daring to look at her. Dumont was sweating profusely. Things were looking pretty grim but then he started to play... Elizabeth Alker celebrates the song that has come to define Piaf ever more. Producer: Mark Burman Elizabeth Alker celebrates Edith Piaf's defining 1960 anthem Non, je ne regrette rien. Elizabeth Alker celebrates the defiant spirit of Edith Piaf in a song that has come to define her in the same way My Way did for Sinatra, 1960's Non, je ne regrette rien.