Parlez-vous Français? No, but listening to Edith Piaf, speaking French is not a necessity. Why have my thoughts turned to Edith? Her famous voice has graced the soundtracks of several movies and television shows of late and every time I hear her voice, I say to myself, “Such raw emotion and I have no idea what she is singing about!” So, I plugged her name into Apple Music for more musical exploration!

The two songs used most frequently in movies, TV shows, and commercials are “La vie en rose” and “Non, je neRegrette rien”. La vie en rose translates to “Life in pink” or as we might say in English “life through rose-colored glasses”. Non, je ne regrette rien translates to “No, I do not regret anything”. My favorite of the two is “La vie en rose”. I like it because it induces that feeling of nostalgia or natsukashi. Even though I do not fully understand the lyrics, Edith’s voice is so powerful and emotionally charged that I feel what she is singing. And isn’t that why we listen to music in the first place? To feel something? 

© 2023 Gregory Vessar. A Thousand Miles from Kansas. All Rights Reserved.