Grace Jones, “La vie en rose” (Edith Piaf)
If you think that French culture is old-school and can’t cross the borders, we are sorry to say that you are totally wrong. The peeps at the Institut francais in Edinburgh have take on the challenge to show you just how inspirational French songs can be for Anglophones singers.
If Los Angeles is the city of angels, Paris is without doubt the city of love. And in France, we like to do ‘romance’ with lovely words put on harmonious melodies. "La vie en rose” by Edith Piaf is one of the most famous love songs that was covered an incalculable number of time (Louis Armstrong, Cyndi Lauper or Iggy Pop to mention only a few).
We agree with you, cher public, it can appear comical for this atypical model, Jean-Paul Goude’s muse and former James Bond girl to sing such a cheesy love song! Yet, the gracious Grace Jones gives here a very personal and joyful rendition with jazzy notes that renew this French classic. And “ça m’fait quelque choooooose”!
Ps: Fun fact: Grace Jones opened a restaurant in 1987 in NYC called…Yes, you guessed it: ”La vie en rose”!