; ) is the

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

of popular French singer

Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...

, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the United States in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboard'' charts. These recordings were made by Tony Martin,

Paul Weston Paul Weston (né Wetstein; March 12, 1912 – September 20, 1996) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor who worked in music and television from the 1930s to the 1970s, pioneering mood music and becoming known as "the Fathe ...

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

(recorded 22 June 1950), Ralph Flanagan,

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Young was posthumously awarded the ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

, and

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

. A version in 1977 by

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

was also a successful international hit.

Background and release

The song's title can be translated as "Life in happy hues", "Life seen through rose-coloured glasses", or "Life in rosy hues"; its literal meaning is "Life in Pink." The lyrics of the song were written by Piaf, with music composed by

Louiguy Louis Guglielmi (3 April 1916 – 4 April 1991), known by his pen name Louiguy (), was a Spanish-born French people, French musician of Italian descent. He wrote the melody for Édith Piaf's lyrics of "La Vie en Rose" and the Latin jazz com ...

, and is registered with

SACEM The Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music or SACEM () is a French professional association collecting payments of artists’ rights and distributing the rights to the original songwriters, composers, and music publisher A mus ...

. It was probably Robert Chauvigny who completed the music. When Piaf suggested to

Marguerite Monnot Marguerite Monnot (28 May 1903 – 12 October 1961), was a French songwriter and composer best known for having written many of the songs performed by Édith Piaf ("Milord", "Hymne à l'amour") and the music for the stage musical ''Irma La Douc ...

that she sing the piece, the latter rejected "that foolishness." It was eventually Louiguy who accepted authorship of the music. The song was broadcast live before being recorded. Piaf offered the song to Marianne Michel, who modified the lyrics slightly, changing "les choses" ("things") for "la vie" ("life"). In 1943, Piaf had performed at a nightclub/bordello called "La Vie en Rose." Initially, Piaf's peers and songwriting team did not think the song would be successful, finding it weaker than the rest of her repertoire. Heeding their advice, the singer put the song aside, only to change her mind the next year. It was performed live in concert for the first time in 1946. It became a favorite with audiences. "La Vie en rose" was the song that made Piaf internationally famous, its lyrics expressing the joy of finding true love and appealing to those who had endured the hardships of World War II. "La Vie en rose" was released on a 10-inch single in 1947 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, a division of

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

, with "Un refrain courait dans la rue" making the B-side. It met with a warm reception and sold a million copies in the United States. It was the best-selling single of 1948 in Italy, and the ninth best-selling single in Brazil in 1949. Piaf performed the song in the 1948 French movie ''Neuf garçons, un cœur''. The first of her albums to include "La Vie en rose" was the 10-inch ''Chansons Parisiennes'', released in 1950. It appeared on most of Piaf's subsequent albums, and on numerous greatest hits compilations. It went on to become her signature song and her trademark hit, ranking with "

Milord ''Milord'' () is a term for an Englishman, especially a Nobles, noble, traveling in Continental Europe. The term was used in both French and English from the 16th century. It derives ultimately from the English phrase "my lord", which was lingui ...

" and "

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien "" (; ) 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. Background The song's composer, Charles Dumont, sta ...

" among her best-known and most recognizable tunes. Encouraged by its success, Piaf wrote eighty more songs in her career. English lyrics were written by

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

, and numerous versions were recorded in the United States in 1950. The recordings that charted were by Tony Martin (reached the No. 9 position in the ''Billboard'' chart),

(No. 12 position),

(No. 13 position), Édith Piaf (No. 23 position), Ralph Flanagan (No. 27 position) and

(No. 27 position).

recorded '' C'est si bon'' and ''La Vie en rose'' in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with

Sy Oliver Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Life Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his f ...

and his Orchestra on 26 June 1950, which reached the No. 28 position on the ''Billboard'' chart and was certified silver in the United Kingdom in 2023. Bing Crosby also recorded the song in French in 1953 for his album '' Le Bing: Song Hits of Paris''. A version titled "Take Me To Your Heart Again" by

Vince Hill Vincent Brian Hill (16 April 1934 – 22 July 2023) was an English traditional pop singer, best known for his cover version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune " Edelweiss" (1967), which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. He record ...

reached #18 in Canada, March 14, 1966. The song received a

Grammy Hall of Fame Award The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 1998.

Track listings

* 10-inch single (1947) # "La Vie en rose" # "Un refrain courait dans la rue"

Chart performance

Grace Jones version

Background and release

covered "La Vie en rose" in 1977 for her debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

Portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...

''. It was the third and the last single from that album, and at the same time, her first single release on

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

after having signed with the label. The single version was heavily edited from its original album version. Jones's fairly radical bossa nova interpretation of

's signature tune became her first international hit single and a staple of her repertoire. It was later performed as part of her 1981 ''

A One Man Show ''A One Man Show'' is a long-form music video collection featuring Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released in 1982. The video mainly consists of music videos, with some concert footage filmed when Jones was touring with the eponymous tour. Backgroun ...

'', then the only track from her disco era to be included in the show. In Spain and Mexico the track was billed as "La Vida en Rosa" on the 7-inch single release, although it was not a Spanish language version of the song. Jones's recording of "La Vie en rose" was later re-released a number of times in the early 1980s and finally reached number 12 in the UK charts when re-released as a double A-side with " Pull Up to the Bumper" in 1985. The single was certified Gold in France and Italy. Jones said about the song, "That's a very special song to me. Oh God, I cry every time I sing it. I had quite a few French lovers, so every time I sing it I think about them."'' Slave to the Rhythm'', track 4: "Operattack". (

, 1985). The music video for the song was made using the

chroma key Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a Visual effects, visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two or more images or video streams together based on colour hues (colorfulness, chroma range). The techniq ...

technique. It presents Jones dancing and singing the song with the famous 1978 montage of herself in the background, which was later used for the cover of her 1985 '' Island Life'' compilation. The video begins with Jones wearing a rose-patterned coat. Having removed it, the singer dances in a scanty gold dress which reveals her right nipple as well as black underwear.

Track listing

French 7-inch single (1977)/ Dutch 7-inch single (1977) : A. "La Vie en rose" (single version) – 3:35 : B. "I Need a Man" (album version) – 3:25 Italian 7-inch single (1977) : A. "La Vie en rose" (single version) – 3:35 : B. "Tomorrow" (album version) – 5:47 Dutch 12-inch single (1980) : A. "La Vie en rose" (album version) – 7:27 : B. "I Need a Man" (album version) – 3:25

Chart performance

Certifications and sales

Louis Armstrong version

Certifications

Appearances and references in media

*Louis Armstrong’s English cover appears in the 2008 Disney/Pixar film ''

WALL-E ''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American animated Romance film, romantic science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Andrew Stanton, produced b ...

''. *Edith Piaf’s original version is used in the 2014 video game '' BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea: Episode 2'', where it is also sung by one of the characters. *Grace Jones’ version plays over the closing credits of Robert Altman’s 1994 film ''

Prêt-à-Porter Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a parti ...

''. *The 2007 film ''

La Vie en Rose ; ) is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the United States in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboard'' cha ...

'', a biopic of Piaf’s life, is named in reference to the song. *Season 9, Episode 16 (2014) of ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...

'' features

Cristin Milioti Cristin Milioti (born August 16, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for playing The Mother, The Mother (How I Met Your Mother), Tracy McConnell, in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' from 2013 to 2014, and Sofia Falcone in the HBO ...

singing La Vie en Rose. *The song is a key plot point in the 1954

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

film ''

Sabrina Sabrina may refer to: People and fictional characters * Sabrina (given name), a feminine given name, including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Hafren, known in English as Sabrina, a British princess in Welsh mythology ...

'' starring

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

. *Mexican singer

Thalía Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (; born 26 August 1971), known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Pop", she is considered one of the most ...

recorded a Spanish version of the song titled "La Vida en Rosa" featured on her 1992 album ''

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

''. *In the 2015 animated/live-action film ''

Zoom Zoom may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''Zoom'' (2006 film), starring Tim Allen * ''Zoom'' (2015 film), a Canada-Brazil film by Pedro Morelli * ''Zoom'' (2016 Kannada film), a Kannada film * ''Zoom'' (2016 Sinhala film), a Sr ...

'', a client who ordered a custom sex doll based on his wife takes the doll home and puts the Piaf recording on the stereo to set a romantic atmosphere. *

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

performs the song in the 2018 '' A Star is Born'' remake. *The song features in the ''

Our Flag Means Death ''Our Flag Means Death'' is an American period romantic comedy television series created by David Jenkins. Set in the early 18th century during the Golden Age of Piracy, the series follows the misadventures of gentleman-turned-pirate Stede Bon ...

'' season 2 episode ''Calypso's Birthday'', performed both in English and French by Izzy Hands ( Con O'Neill).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vie En Rose, La 1945 songs 1947 singles 1993 singles Édith Piaf songs Louis Armstrong songs Madonna songs French songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs with lyrics by Édith Piaf 1940s jazz standards Columbia Records singles Island Records singles