Maps of Music
Chansons des Cafés de Paris (1950)
Where the lyrics of Chansons des Cafés de Paris take you, and where it was really made.
The title names the cafés of Paris, but the songs were recorded in Brussels for Decca.
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Recorded in Brussels, February 1947 (1947)
Recording site Brussels — Piaf recorded eleven songs for Decca in Brussels, after her Polydor contract expired. Eight of them were later chosen for this album. The point sits at the city centre, not at a specific studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Album story
Overview
- Chansons des Cafés de Paris: 10-inch long-playing album by Édith Piaf
- Released in 1950 on the CID label (catalog UM233118)
- Eight tracks; Raymond Legrand et son Orchestra accompanied Piaf
- Louis Untermeyer wrote the liner notes
Background
- Recorded after Piaf's contract with Polydor expired
- Piaf recorded 11 songs for Decca
- Ten of those songs were released on 78s in 1947 and 1948
- Eight of them were compiled for this album
- Four of the eight songs selected for the album were written by Michel Emer
Recording
- Recorded in February 1947 in Brussels
- Side A: "Les cloches sonnent" 2:59, "Si tu partais" 3:35, "Le geste" 3:36, "Sophie" 4:02
- Side B: "Monsieur Ernest a réussi" 3:30, "Monsieur X ..." 3:14, "Amour Du Mois De Mai" 2:34, "Une chanson à trois temps" 4:25
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | Les cloches sonnent | 2:55 |
| 2 | Si tu partais | 3:32 |
| 3 | Le Geste | 3:31 |
| 4 | Monsieur Ernest a réussi | 3:26 |
| 5 | Monsieur X | 3:13 |
| 6 | Amour du mois de mai | 2:36 |
| 7 | Sophie | 3:59 |
| 8 | Une chanson à trois temps | 4:23 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Career
- Born Édith Gassion on 19 December 1915 in Paris; died 10 October 1963 in Grasse, aged 47.
- Nicknamed "La Môme Piaf" early on; stage name later shortened to Édith Piaf.
- Began singing in the streets of Paris as a child with her father, a circus acrobat.
- Discovered by Louis Leplée, who managed the Gerny's cabaret on the Champs-Élysées and gave her the name La Môme Piaf.
- Breakthrough in the late 1930s at the ABC music hall in Paris, becoming a major star of French song.
- Wrote 87 songs, including Hymne à l'amour and La Vie en rose.
- Mentored Yves Montand, Les Compagnons de la chanson, Charles Aznavour and Georges Moustaki.
- Sustained international success, including a Carnegie Hall triumph in 1956 and a television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
- Her final years were marked by serious illness and morphine dependence; she made her last Olympia appearance in 1961.
Sources: fr.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Released in 1950 on the CID label as a 10-inch long-playing album
- Also released in the United States on Decca with the same eight tracks
- Louis Untermeyer wrote the liner notes
- Raymond Legrand et son Orchestra accompanied Piaf
- Side A: "Les cloches sonnent", "Si tu partais", "Le geste", "Sophie"
- Side B: "Monsieur Ernest a réussi", "Monsieur X ...", "Amour Du Mois De Mai", "Une chanson à trois temps"
Records
- Ten of the 11 songs Piaf recorded for Decca came out on 78s in 1947 and 1948
- US release on the Decca label, catalog DL6004
- CID release catalog UM233118
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- Four of the eight songs selected for the album were written by Michel Emer.
- Piaf recorded 11 songs for Decca in Brussels.
- Ten of those songs were released on 78s in 1947 and 1948.
- The album was also issued in the United States on Decca with the same eight tracks.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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