Edith Piaf Part 1: Early Life & The Making of a Star (Great French Icons of the 20th Century, Part 2)

To see the full show notes, including a full list of sources and music used for this episode, visit the podcast webpage at Paris Unlocked.

More than a mere diva, Piaf was something of a force of nature. She had an uncanny ability to reach a wide public with her soaring, guttural voice, but also with her odd physical presence. She captivated audiences around the world with her repertoire of French working-class dance hall hits, love songs and portraits of marginalized women, from prostitutes to penniless, unmarried mademoiselles embarking on ill-fated affairs with military men.

In this first of two episodes on Piaf, we'll address some of the holes at the heart of the Piaf myth, in order to, I hope, get at the immensely complex and fascinating woman that she was. So often painted as a tragic figure, she was a survivor. She was an acerbic wit with mad street smarts, an eternal vagabond with an instinct for survival and a conjoined, paradoxical instinct for self-destruction.

Show Credits & Notes

• Production: This episode was conceived, written, narrated, and edited by Courtney Traub. The Producer was Brendan Whalen, who also contributed additional research and script editing.
• Audio Editing: Additional editing and sound design was by Engin Hassan of Edit Fade Warp.
• Artwork: Mateeya
• Translations: All original French quotes translated by Courtney Traub unless specified.

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A Note on Music Clips & Fair Use (& my Spotify playlist)

As discussed in the episode, copyright restrictions prevented securing the rights to play excerpts of Piaf’s music. Please listen to the songs referred to in this episode by going to the Spotify playlist I’ve put together. It’s less ideal than playing clips from the songs in the episode, but it’s (at the least) a way to listen .