Courtney Traub
02 June 2026
1h 6m 53s
Edith Piaf Part 2: Performing Through a World War, Later Life, & Untimely Death (Great French Icons of the 20th Century, Part 3)
00:00
01:06:53
The French Culture Podcast (by Paris Unlocked)
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.
In this episode, Part II of our look at France's most-beloved diva, we’ll be focusing on a few key phases and turning points in Piaf’s life, especially pivotal moments in her musical artistry and the collaborations that made those pivots possible. You’ll also learn a bit about her appearances in theatre and films. Piaf was a talented theatrical performer, but this aspect of her career hasn’t typically received that much attention. Yet she moved with remarkable ease between concert halls, stages and film sets– and I think she could have had a formidable career as an actor, had she wanted one.
Credits & Notes
- Production: This episode was conceived, written, narrated, and edited by Courtney Traub.
- Producer: Brendan Whalen (who also contributed additional research, script editing, and voiceovers).
- Audio Engineering: Additional audio editing and sound design was by Engin Hassan of Edit Fade Warp.
- Artwork: Mateeya
- Translations: French quotes and song translations by Courtney Traub, unless specified.
You can also lend your precious support to both the French Culture Podcast and to our sister website and newsletter, Paris Unlocked, by buying us a coffee– or even better, becoming a “Donor Subscriber” on Substack.
The problem of fair use and music clips: As I discuss in the episode, I was unable to secure the rights to Piaf’s music, in order to play short excerpts of the songs I reference in this episode.There is no “safe” amount of a piece of copyrighted music that one can play under fair use laws, so I preferred to be cautious.
Spotify playlist: 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 .