ÉDITH PIAF: A Unique French Voice Among “La Foule” (The Crowd) Posted by Hichem on Mar 29, 2012 in Culture, Music, Vocabulary
Who said that la culture française rarely opened itself to cross-border influences and inspirations, and that the French always lived secluded within the stone walls of their village gaulois ?
With her outstanding song “La Foule” (“the Crowd”), Édith Piaf dispels such prevaling misconceptions about her country, by interpreting a Peruvian Waltz titled “Que nadie sepa mi sufrir” (“Let no one know my suffering”), originally conceived by two Argentinian-born songwriters…
Et quelle interprétation (and what an interpretation) delivered by Madame Édith Piaf!
* * *
First, the original Piaf – “La Foule” (“The Crowd”)…
… then a Guitar reprise (cover) by MattRach, which you may wish to discover!
* La Foule | ||
---|---|---|
Je revois la ville en fête et en délire Suffoquant sous le soleil et sous la joie Et j’entends dans la musique les cris, les rires Qui éclatent et rebondissent autour de moiEt perdue parmi ces gens qui me bousculent Étourdie, désemparée, je reste là Quand soudain je me retourne, il se recule Et la foule vient me jeter entre ses bras |
Emportés par la foule qui nous traîne
Nous entraîne
Écrasés l’un contre l’autre
Nous ne formons qu’un seul corps
Et le flot sans effort
Nous pousse, enchaînés l’un et l’autre
Et nous laisse tous deux
Épanouis, enivrés, et heureux
Entraînés par la foule qui s’élance
Et qui danse
Une folle farandole
Nos deux mains restent soudées
Et parfois soulevés
Nos deux corps enlacés s’envolent
Et retombent tous deux
Épanouis, enivrés et heureux
Et la joie éclaboussée par son sourire
Me transperce et rejaillit au fond de moi
Mais soudain je pousse un cri parmi les rires
Quand la foule vient l’arracher d’entre mes bras
Emportés par la foule qui nous traîne
Nous entraîne
Nous éloigne l’un de l’autre.
Je lutte et je me débats
Mais le son de sa voix
S’étouffe dans les rires des autres
Et je crie de douleur, de fureur et de rage
Et je pleure
Entraînée par la foule qui s’élance
Et qui danse
Une folle farandole
Je suis emportée au loin
Et je crispe mes poings
Maudissant la foule qui me vole
L’homme qu’elle m’avait donné
Et que je n’ai jamais retrouvé I still can see again the town, festive and in a frenzy
Joyfully suffocating beneath the sun
And I hear amid the music the shouts, the laughters
That burst and resound around meAnd lost amongst these people that push me around
Dazed and confused, I stay there
When all of a sudden I turn around, he moves back
And the crowd threw me into his arms
Carried by the crowd that drags us along
Carries us away
Crushed against each other
We are but one body
And the stream easily
Pushes us, chained to each other
And leaves us bith
Beaming, exhilarated, and happy
Carried away by the crowd that goes on
And that dances
A crazy farandole
Our two hands are firmly joined
And sometimes lifted up
Our two intertwined bodies fly off
And both fall back
Beaming, exhilarated and happy
And the joy splashed by his smile
Pierces me and gushes within me
But suddenly I scream in the midst of the laughters
When the crowd came to pull him off my arms
Carried by the crowd that drags us along
Carries us away
Move us away from each other
I wrestle and struggle
But the sound of his voice
Is muffled by the laughters of the others
And I scream out of pain, fury and rage
And I cry
Carried away by the crowd that goes on
And that dances
A crazy farandole
I am carried far away
And I clench my fists
Cursing the crowd that robs me
Of the man that it gave me
And that I never found again
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Comments:
NIle B:
J’aime la chanson!! Edith est géniale!