Imagine yourself in a small restaurant in Paris after the rain has cleared the street and the sun has just set, being replaced by a shining moon. Even more atmospheric, you are in Montmartre, which is to Parisians what the Village is to New Yorkers, that much I understand…
On this fateful evening, you and your soon to be ex-lover are sitting outside under an umbrella, talking to each other while a candle illuminates the table. A glass of wine sits half full, and this song starts playing, in French…
I see life through rose-colored glasses, a laugh that is lost on his lips
He speaks words of love to me, and they do something to me
Endless nights of love, the pain and bothers fade away
Edith Piaf ~ La Vie En Rose
La Vie en Rose is about finding new love after a trying time, one of Edith Piaf’s most famous and beloved songs. They are every day words, but when he takes her into his arms, its easy to feel life through rose-colored glasses.
Montmartre is a place where artists of the world have practiced and shared their gifts internationally. In Montmartre, there are many kinds of art and style. The point is to send strong messages. It can be about love, politics, freedom, or just life in general. Take for example, the Wall of Love – Mur des Je t’aime is a mural located in Square Jehan Rictus. You’ll find this in a tiny public garden next to Place des Abbesses.
It pays tribute to Gabriel Randon de Saint-Amand (1867-1933), aka Jehan Rictus. The poems and songs he wrote in the populous French language of the time brought him fame. You can see the words “I love you” written or carved in every language of the world! As a young romantic, he succeeded in gathering 1000 “I love you” in more than 300 languages and dialects from across the globe.
With the help of calligrapher Claire Kitto and mural specialist Daniel Boulogne, the texts are transferred onto a wall covering 40m² and made up of 511 tiles, in which bursts of colour represent the pieces of a broken heart.
It has been covered and interpreted by many famous artists, including Louis Armstrong (who sang an English interpretation of the lyrics) and Lady Gaga, who sang it in French in “A Star is Born.”
It makes me think of the resilience of the French people and of humanity in general after war, and heartbreak and death. A city in celebration and delirium suffocating under the sun and the joy. Sometimes all we have is music in the shouts and laughter, that burst and bounce around us.
Peut m’arriver n’importe quoiJ’m’en fous pas mal …J’etais heureuse, et prête. No matter what happens, I couldn’t care less … .I am happy, and ready….
Edith Piaf
I better hurry up and justify my self-destructive tendencies with something of artistic value. She died young but her life was full. I’m too healthy and my heart keeps beating, but I feel it inside of me. No broken heart or other language will solve for that!
