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Who’s the Best: Yves Montand Or Édith Piaf? Posted by on Jun 11, 2011 in Music, Vocabulary

Today everyone is invited to vote, even though le départage, the “decide between” two towering giants of French song such as Yves Montand and Édith Piaf is by no means an easy task!

Yves Montand’s “Sous le ciel de Paris”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A2GVWRgP9s

Édith Piaf’s “Sous le ciel de Paris”


* “SOUS LE SOLEIL DE PARIS”
(“Under the Paris Sky”):

 

Sous le ciel de Paris

Under the Paris Sky

S’envole une chanson

Flies off a song

 

Hum Hum

Hum Hum

Elle est née d’aujourd’hui

It was born today

Dans le cœur d’un garçon

In the heart of a boy

Sous le ciel de Paris

Under the Paris sky

Marchent des amoureux

Lovers walk

Hum Hum

Hum Hum

Leur bonheur se construit

Their happiness is built up

Sur un air fait pour eux

 

On a tune made for them

Sous le pont de Bercy

Under the Bercy Bridge

Un philosophe assis

A philosopher sitting

Deux musiciens, quelques badauds

Two musicians, some onlookers

Puis les gens par milliers

Then people by the thousands

Sous le ciel de Paris

Under the Paris sky

Jusqu’au soir vont chanter

Until the night will sing

Hum Hum

Hum Hum

L’hymne d’un peuple épris

The hymn of a people infatuated

De sa vieille cité

With their old city

Près de Notre Dame

Near Notre Dame

Parfois couve un drame

Sometimes a drama brews

Oui mais à Paname

Yes but in Paname [i.e. Paris]

Tout peut s’arranger

Everything can be settled

Quelques rayons

Some sunlight rays

Du ciel d’été

Of the Summer sky

L’accordéon

The accordion

D’un marinier

Of a bargeman

L’espoir fleurit

Hope flourishes

Au ciel de Paris

In the sky of Paris

Sous le ciel de Paris

Under the sky of Paris

Coule un fleuve joyeux

Flows a joyous river

Hum Hum

Hum Hum

Il endort dans la nuit

He puts to sleep

Les clochards et les gueux

Bums and beggars

Sous le ciel de Paris

Under the sky of Paris

Les oiseaux du Bon Dieu

The birds of the Good Lord

Hum Hum

Hum Hum

Viennent du monde entier

Come out of the whole world

Pour bavarder entre eux

To chat among themselves

Et le ciel de Paris

And the sky of Paris

A son secret pour lui

Has his own secret to keep

Depuis vingt siècles il est épris

Since twenty centuries he is in love

De notre Ile Saint Louis

Of our Saint Louis Island

Quand elle lui sourit

When she smiles at him

Il met son habit bleu

He puts on his blue clothes

Hum Hum

Hum Hum

Quand il pleut sur Paris

When it rains on Paris

C’est qu’il est malheureux

That means he’s sad

Quand il est trop jaloux

When he is too jealous

De ses millions d’amants

Of his millions of lovers

Hum Hum

Hum Hum

Il fait gronder sur nous

He booms upon us

Son tonnerre éclatant

His deafening thunder

Mais le ciel de Paris

But the sky of Paris

N’est pas longtemps cruel

Is not cruel for too long

Hum Hum

Hum Hum

Pour se faire pardonner

To apologize

Il offre un arc en ciel!

He offers a rainbow!

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Comments:

  1. Fatemeh:

    I really prefer Yves Montan. I just love Édith Piaf’s voice but about this song, I have so many memorable feeling with Yves Montan`s “Sous le ciel de Paris”. I always wish to be under the sky of paris.

  2. Tejal:

    I love both the versions!! How can one choose!!??

  3. starman:

    Quincy Jones’ version is the best!

  4. Tudor:

    je suis sûr et choisis toutes les deux.

  5. Micheal Thompson:

    Impossible not to vote for Edith Piaf – but impossible to vote against Yves Montand!

  6. Diane R. Johnson:

    toujours Piaf.

  7. Shannon Fabry:

    Ahh! I’d have to say Edith on this one, but normally Yves.

  8. Bev:

    Montand pour moi

  9. Anna Whitney:

    I would have to say Édith Piaf–but only because I grew up listening to her but had never heard Yves Montand. I am American 🙂 I just listened to some of Montand’s music and it is excellent. But I asked a few of my American friends and none of them had heard of Montand either. I wonder why many Americans have heard of Piaf but not Montand?

  10. fereydoon:

    J’adore les deux chanteurs mais j’aime la version de Yves Montand.

  11. mohamad:

    absolument Yves…il est unique…

  12. Denise LaTart:

    Tous les deux, bien sur. La voix d’un homme e la voix d’une femme bien connues.