"I want to make people cry even when they don't understand my words."
-Edith Piaf
If you have never heard of Edith Piaf before, think French. Think very French. She is the queen of traditional French music, the kind you imagine when you think of a cafe in Paris in the 1950's. Her voice transcends languages with a power and passion far beyond what one would expect from her small, fragile frame. She is not known for impeccable technique but rather the intense emotion with which she sings. Where does this emotion come from? It comes from a life of tragedy, from death of loved ones to countless romantic affaires gone wrong, but also from a life of no regrets.
"My life as a kid might strike you as awful, but actually it was beautiful."
-Edith Piaf
While Edith managed to find her way into stardom, she was born on December 19, 1915 into a world that didn't care much about her. Her mother, Anita Maillard, was an aspiring singer, alcoholic, and occasional prostitute who at 17 did not care to be a mom. She soon left Edith with her father, a circus acrobat named Louis-Alphonse Gassion. Although Gassion loved his daughter, he beat Edith and essentially left her to take care of herself. At least when he left for WWI he did not abandon her completely: she was sent to live in a brothel in Normandy where her Grandmother worked as a cook. After a year she returned to her father and joined in his street act. Here the world would get its first taste of Edith's voice, a voice that on at least on occasion blocked a road for so many people had stopped to hear it.
"I think you have to pay for love with bitter tears."
-Edith Piaf
Eventually Edith left her father, though she would remain in touch with him the rest of his life. She continued to sing in the streets, making barely enough to get by. But although her street performances did not bring great financial rewards, they did bring romance into Edith's life. A young man named Louis Dupont fell in love with Edith as he watched her perform, and Edith was equally drawn to him. The two decided to live together and soon, in 1933, Edith would give birth to their daughter Marcelle. The family moved constantly; neither Neither Edith nor Louis had any real work so money was always scarce. It was not long before Edith grew tired of this existence. One night, creating a rope of bed sheets to escape out her window, she left Louis taking Marcelle with her. Marcelle would often be left in the care of Edith's pals as she made her nightly performances on the streets. Her adventures were numerous, and generally involved an escape from the police. One night in 1935 Edith was summoned to the children's hospital where Marcelle had been admitted with meningitis. Nine days later, Edith's only daughter was dead.
The next pivotal moment in Edith's life came in October of 1935. She was discovered on the streets by Louis Leplée, a successful club owner. Leplée took Edith under his wing, increasing her repertoire and improving her technique. It was Leplée who gave Edith her stage name Piaf, which is slang for 'sparrow'. The name came from the song Edith was singing when he discovered her 'La Mome Monieau' (monieau also means sparrow but the name was already taken). Edith was an instant hit: her plain, unglamorous street singer persona was incredibly appealing. Her success continued until she lost both her manager and her good name when Leplée was murdered. Although Edith had an alibi, suspicion of her involvement traveled quickly and put a halt in her swiftly moving career.
Edith's time at Leplée's club was marked by her tumultuous relationship with her
souteneur Albert
. A souteneur is essentially a pimp: Albert found Edith an audience, but took his commission from what she earned. Edith clung to Albert even though he treated her incredibly poorly. He hit her and threatened to force her into prostitution if she did not give him his commission. She might have stayed longer with Albert if it was not for her friend Nadia. Nadia was in similar situation as Edith; desperately in love with an equally shady friend of Albert named André. André forced Nadia to become a prostitute, but she was unable to pick up clients so, with the encouragement of Edith, ran away while she had the chance. A few days later, Nadia's body was discovered floating in the river Seine. The shock of this incident made Edith realize she could not stay with Albert. But escaping was not so easy. She was kidnapped by one of Albert's thugs and locked in a room. Albert told her he would shoot her if she did not come back to him. She refused and Albert shot. He hit her neck but the wound was not fatal. Luckily a man had jogged Albert's arm as he shot, sparing Edith a grim end.
Edith soon managed to make a comeback in Paris after the Leplée incident. During WWII her fame grew and after the war ended she began to tour the world. The penniless young woman singing in the streets had become an international star. Although the world knows Edith Piaf, Edit Gassion would always exist in her recklessness, her unwillingness to settle down, and her desperate need for love. There would be more tragedy and endlessly more men (often multiple at once), but her life as Edith Gassion had taught her to take both the good and the bad. The world fell in love with Edith's incredible voice because it was a reflection of the life of an incredible woman.
