Track Listing

1. Hymne à l'Amour [Hymne Á L'amour] - Marc Bonel, Robert Chauvigny, , Edith Piaf
2. Petit Homme
3. Vie en Rose [English Version] - Marc Bonel, Robert Chauvigny, , Edith Piaf
4. Chante-Moi [English Version]
5. Simply a Waltz [Simplement Une Valse] - Marc Bonel, Robert Chauvigny, , Edith Piaf
6. My God (Mon Dieu)
7. Don't Cry (C'Est d'La Faute)
8. Autumn Leaves
9. I Shouldn't Care (J'M'en Fous Pas Mal)
10. Trois Cloches - Marc Bonel, Robert Chauvigny, , Edith Piaf
11. 'Cause I Love You (Du Matin Jusqu'au Soir)
12. My Lost Melody (Je N'En Connais Pas la Fin)
13. Miséricorde
14. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien [Non Je Ne Regrette Rien]
15. Lovers for a Day [Les Amants D'un Jour][Live]
16. Heureuse [English Version][Live]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4566 in Music
• Released on: 2004-02-24
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
2003 compilation features material recorded in English & a live version of 'Heureuse'. EMI Music France.

Amazon.com
Frankly, it feels a bit weird to listen to Edith Piaf perform in English. There aren't many singers so associated with a country as Piaf is with France. And yet she did record some of her hits in English in an attempt to facilitate her career in the United States. While newcomers to the singer's oeuvre should start with her French albums, this CD is fascinating for advanced Piaf listeners. Most of the sides were cut 1950 and show Piaf in fine vocal form on tracks such as "La vie en rose" (she switched from English to French for the title) and "Autumn Leaves" ("Les feuilles mortes"), a strangely compelling hybrid that alternates between French and English. Piaf was certainly more at ease singing in French, but her charismatic sense of drama could break through in just about any language. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

why she always had a spotlight
Hymn to Love: All Her Greatest Songs in English gives people the rare treat of hearing the great Edith Piaf perform some of her greatest songs in English. Edith's voice is hauntingly beautiful and instantly recognizable to her fans; and even for the newcomer it's pleasing to hear a fine French singer performing so well in English. The artwork is beautiful; and the sound quality is very good.

"Hymne To Love" starts the CD off with Edith singing her heart and soul out in order to perform better than just about any other female chanteuse ever. Perhaps one or two female singers were also on Edith's level of expertise, but Edith's French accent makes this love ballad even more romantic. "La Vie En Rose" is a charming ballad that Edith sings with her usual panache and exquisite beauty. "La Vie En Rose" truly exposes all the joys a woman feels when she is with her one true love. "Chante Moi" is equally stunning; Edith sings this beyond perfection and the strings enhance the natural beauty of this number.

"My God" features Edith front and center; and she delivers this with great sensitivity. I always liked "My God" in French; and when Edith sings this in English she performs it masterfully as well. "Don't Cry" was always one of my very favorite songs Edith did in English; this song has a beautiful orchestration and Edith sings this to console a young woman whose man has left her. "Don't Cry" is truly a major highlight of this album. Listen also for the poignant and deeply moving "Autumn Leaves;" only Edith could perform this ballad so well; and "Autumn Leaves" by Edith Piaf always tugs at my heartstrings.

"`Cause I Love You" has a charming melody enhanced by flutes; and when Edith sings "'Cause I Love You" this number really takes flight! "No Regrets" is the English equivalent of a major hit for Edith from the later years of her career; Edith sings this with all the emotion of a woman who has personally gone through the mill countless times and still has no regrets in her very own heart.

The CD closes with two live tracks. "Lovers For A Day" stuns me with its beauty; Edith sings this flawlessly and the strings make the melody very pretty.

Edith Piaf still lives on through her music; and she will never be forgotten. Long after most "celebrities" are dead and gone, Edith Piaf will still be remembered and revered as one of the greatest female singers who ever lived and shared their talents with us. I highly recommend this for Edith Piaf fans; and even newcomers who enjoy classic pop vocals will not be disappointed.

Huge surprise!
What an unbelievable surprise - and joy - to discover Edith Piaf singing in English, and sometimes songs which she never sang in French! Her accent is ten times worse than mine... but the voice remains, outstanding!

Handy reference for lyric meanings in English
This is a nice enough album. I think she sounds a lot nicer in French, but some of these songs are fun, and if you have enjoyed some of her original music and been curious what they might mean in English, this is one way to get a sense of them. Of course, it would be nicer if all the albums came with liner pages of lyrics but they don't. (Edith Piaf sings clearly enough in French that even an amateur language scholar can try to follow the songs by ear however.) I bought this album when I bought "The Voice of the Sparrow," and while I like that one a lot better, and can listen to it more, this one is handy to have. If you do like lyrics in translation, you might also like to check out the music of Joni James and Nana Mouskoura. Their voices are very different from hers, but the multi-lingual aspect is fun.