Non, je ne regrette rien explained

Non, je ne regrette rien
Type:song
Artist:Édith Piaf
Language:French
Released:1960
Composer:Charles Dumont
Lyricist:Michel Vaucaire

"French: Non, je ne regrette rien|italic=no" (in French pronounced as /nɔ̃ ʒə nə ʁəɡʁɛt ʁjɛ̃/ 'No, I do not regret anything') is a French song composed in 1956 by Charles Dumont, with lyrics by Michel Vaucaire. Édith Piaf's 1960 recording spent seven weeks atop the French Singles & Airplay Reviews chart.[1]

Background

The song's composer, Charles Dumont, states in the book Édith Piaf, Opinions publiques, by Bernard Marchois (TF1 Editions 1995), that Michel Vaucaire's original title was "Non, je ne trouverai rien" (No, I will not find anything) and that the song was meant for the French singer Rosalie Dubois. However, thinking of Piaf, he changed the title to "Non, je ne regrette rien" (No, I Regret Nothing).

According to journalist Jean Noli, in his book Édith (Éditions Stock 1973), when Dumont and Vaucaire visited Piaf's home at Boulevard Lannes in Paris, on 24 October 1960, she received them in a very impolite and unfriendly manner. Dumont had tried to offer Piaf his compositions on several occasions, but she disliked them and refused them. On that day she was furious that her housekeeper Danielle had arranged a meeting with the two men without informing her, so she let them wait an hour in her living room before she appeared. She told them she would listen to one song only. Dumont sang Non, je ne regrette rien, to which Piaf reacted extremely positively, saying "This is the song I have been waiting for. It will be my biggest success! I want it for my coming performance at L'Olympia!"

Piaf dedicated her recording of the song to the Foreign Legion.[2] At the time of the recording, France was engaged in a military conflict, the Algerian War (1954–1962), and the 1st REP (1st Foreign Parachute Regiment)—which backed the failed 1961 putsch against president Charles de Gaulle and the civilian leadership of Algeria—adopted the song when their resistance was broken. The leadership of the Regiment was arrested and tried but the non-commissioned officers, corporals and Legionnaires were assigned to other Foreign Legion formations. They left the barracks singing the song, which has now become part of the Foreign Legion heritage and is sung when they are on parade.

Song

The song begins, Non, rien de rien / Non, je ne regrette rien ("No, nothing at all / No, I regret nothing"). It goes on to describe how the singer has swept away all of her past and cares nothing for it, ending Car ma vie, car mes joies / Aujourd'hui, ça commence avec toi ("For my life, for my joys / Today, it starts with you").

Other recordings

The song has been recorded by other performers, including:

Other languages

In popular culture

Charts

Chart performance for "Non, je ne regrette rien" by Édith Piaf
Chart (1960–2023)Peak
position
Austria (Billboard)[8] 6
Belgium (Juke Box Flanders)[9] 1
France (IFOP)[10] 1
Italy (AFI)[11] 8
Spain (Discomania)[12] 20
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 5

Notes and References

  1. http://www.infodisc.fr/Number1_60.php Archives on "InfoDisc" site
  2. Cooke, James J. (1990). "Alexander Harrison, Challenging de Gaulle: The O.A.S. and the Counterrevolution in Algeria, 1954–1962". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. Boston: Boston University African Studies Center.
  3. News: Johnston. Philip. 16 March 2004. It ain't over till the Home Secretary sings. https://web.archive.org/web/20070311094203/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/12/16/nres416.xml. dead. 11 March 2007. The Daily Telegraph.
  4. News: Ed. McWilliams. Princen sided with people. Letter from Ed McWilliams, former US foreign Service Officer. The Jakarta Post. 28 February 2002. https://archive.today/20120709073958/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/berita-bhinneka/message/49819. dead. 9 July 2012.
  5. News: Hans Zimmer Explains the Intersection Between Edith Piaf and the Inception Score – /Film. 28 July 2010. Slashfilm. 1 November 2017. en-US.
  6. Web site: Tesla founder mines rich marketing seam by selling Boring hats. Hern. Alex. 31 December 2017. The Guardian. en. 15 April 2018.
  7. News: TV Mailbag: What's the song in the Allstate commercial?. Heldenfels. Rich. Akron Beacon Journal. 8 October 2020.
  8. Billboard Magazine, June 26, 1961 . Billboard. 26 June 1961.
  9. Billboard Magazine, May 29, 1961 . Billboard. 29 May 1961.
  10. Web site: Toutes les Chansons No. 1 des Années 60. https://web.archive.org/web/20130302043749/http://www.infodisc.fr/Number1_60.php. 2 March 2013. dead. Institut français d'opinion publique. fr. 1 April 2021.
  11. Web site: Tutti i successi del 1961. https://web.archive.org/web/20130728160555/http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/indici/per_anno/hpy1961.htm. 28 July 2013. live. Hit Parade Italia. it. 1 April 2021.
  12. Billboard Magazine, April 17, 1961 . Billboard. 17 April 1961.
  13. Web site: Édith Piaf – 26 Top 50. https://web.archive.org/web/20190325182811/https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PV31sbVxtMk/V8c4XlgPuxI/AAAAAAAAYv8/HIqehkEoZPEj-TTYXGMrQnfO5-eIGv7VQCEw/s1600/Image%2B62.jpg. 25 March 2019. live. Chartsventes. fr. 7 June 2016. 1 April 2021.

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