"Padam, padam..." is a song originally released in 1951 by

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

. It was written for her by

Henri Contet Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Montm ...

(lyrics) and

Norbert Glanzberg Norbert Glanzberg (12 October 1910 in Rohatyn, Austria-Hungary – 25 February 2001 in Paris) was a Galician-born French composer. Mostly a composer of film music and songs, he was also notable for some famous songs of Édith Piaf. In his twe ...

(music).

Composition

It is a

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

. The song has been described as "maddeningly catchy". The person singing the song experiences a

music-related memory Musical memory refers to the ability to remember music-related information, such as melodic content and other progressions of tones or pitches. The differences found between linguistic memory and musical memory have led researchers to theorize that ...

. She describes how a certain melody evokes in her memories of a former lover.

Track listings

7" EP EMI Columbia ESRF 1023 (1954, France) # "Padam padam..." (3:17) # "Jézébel" (3:07) # "Mariage" (4:16) # "Les amants de Venise" (3:10)

Cover versions

The song was covered, among others, by Tony Martin,

Mireille Mathieu Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide. Biography and career Early years Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...

Michael Heltau Michael Heltau (born 5 July 1933) is a German actor and singer. He was born in Ingolstadt, Germany, and now lives in Austria. Selected filmography * '' Hubertus Castle'' (1954) * ''The Last Man'' (1955) * ''Engagement at Wolfgangsee'' (1956) ...

Chimène Badi Chimène Badi (; born 30 October 1982 in Melun, Seine-et-Marne), also known by her mononym Chimène, is a French singer of Algerian descent. Early life Badi was born in Melun in the Paris suburbs to a family of Algerian origin. She spent her enti ...

, and Ann Christy. It was also covered in 1988 by members of italian bands Litfiba, Violet Eves and Moda who sang all togheter. The song was published on a french only 7" single.

References

* {{Authority control 1951 songs French songs Édith Piaf songs Patricia Kaas songs Mireille Mathieu songs