Last Updated on June 23, 2026
The third installment in our “Great French Icons of the 20th Century” Series
In this episode, Part II of our look at France’s most-beloved diva, we’ll be focusing on a few key phases and turning points in Piaf’s life, especially pivotal moments in her musical artistry and the collaborations that made those pivots possible. You’ll also learn a bit about her appearances in theatre and films. Piaf was a talented theatrical performer, but this aspect of her career hasn’t typically received that much attention. Yet she moved with remarkable ease between concert halls, stages and film sets– and I think she could have had a formidable career as an actor, had she wanted one.
{Related at Paris Unlocked: Key Places to Find Edith Piaf’s Traces in Paris}
This episode will also confront the thorny (and wholly unresolved) question of whether Piaf was a resistance hero during the years of German occupation in wartime France, or a “soft” collaborationist who in some ways benefited from the Occupation. As with so many aspects of her life, the picture remains decidedly hazy.
Show notes
This episode was conceived, written, narrated and edited by Courtney Traub. It was produced by Brendan Whalen, who contributed additional research, script editing and voiceovers. Additional audio editing and sound design was by Engin Hassan of Edit Fade Warp. Artwork for the Paris Unlocked Podcast was created by Mateeya.
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Translations of original French quotes in this episode are all by Courtney Traub. All images displayed in the show notes are out of copyright and in the public domain.
Watch this episode on YouTube
The problem of fair use and music clips: As I discuss in the episode, I was unable to secure the rights to Piaf’s music, in order to play short excerpts of the songs I reference in this episode. There is no “safe” amount of a piece of copyrighted music that one can play under fair use laws, so I preferred to be cautious in this regard and include none.
Spotify playlist: Please listen to the songs referred to in this episode by going to the Spotify playlist I’ve put together. It’s less ideal than playing clips from the songs in the episode, but it’s (at the least) a way to listen . If you can, I recommend keeping the playlist open as you listen to the episode, and pausing to play the song being referenced. Of course, please don’t attempt this while driving or operating machinery!
Music credits (all music clips are in the public domain)
Intro and outro: Music by Trygve Larsen from Pixabay (“Erik Satie’s Gnossienne 1 – Classical Remix Piano and Sax”)
Music in order of use throughout episode:
- Music by Konstantin Nestsiarovich from Pixabay (“Gritty Noir”)
- Music by Striptease-Soundtrack from Pixabay (“French Cabaret Elite 9)
- Music by Konstantin Nestsiarovich from Pixabay (“Forensic Evidence: ASMR Noir Jazz”)
- Music by Mikado Koko from Pixabay (“Cool Jazz Session 8”)
- Music by Striptease-Soundtrack from Pixabay (“French Cabaret Elite 5”)
- Music by Alban_Gogh from Pixabay (“Night Walk in Paris”)
- Music by Mircea Iancu from Pixabay (“Midnight ashes 2 (piano and sax dark jazz”)
Sources for this episode
For this episode, we consulted a variety of print and online primary sources, including books, newspaper articles, blogs, documentaries, film clips and archival documents. They are presented in relative order of importance and/or order in which their information appears in the episode, rather than in alphabetical order. Sources are both in English and French; where available, I have also linked to the English-language version of the source.
- Carolyn Burke, No Regrets: Edith Piaf. Bloomsbury, 2012.
- David Loosely, Edith Piaf: A Cultural History. Liverpool University Press, 2015. Available online in open source: https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/26016/1004069.pdf
- David Bret, Edith Piaf: Find Me a New Way to Die. Oberon Books, 2015.
- Albert Bensoussan, Édith Piaf. Gallimard: 2013 (French-language paperback)
- Robert Belleret, Piaf: Un Mythe Francais. Fayard, 2013.
- “Montmartre sur Seine”, 1941, dir. Georges Lacombe. IMDB,https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140386/
- “L’accordéoniste”, Edith Piaf in Five Songs, BBC Sounds, 5 March 2024 (written and narrated by Catherine Franc), https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001wqsz
- Daisy Fancourt, “Edith Piaf”, Music and the Holocaust, no date, https://holocaustmusic.ort.org/resistance-and-exile/french-resistance/edith-piaf/
- Vanessa Moley, “La vie devant moi: choisir le courage sous l’occupation”, Herodote.net, no date, https://www.herodote.net/Choisir_le_courage_sous_l_Occupation-article-3037.php
- “Madame Jacob”, ajpn.org, no date, https://www.ajpn.org/personne-Madame-Jacob-12899.html
- Frantz Vaillant, “Piaf? Une enfant-dictateur!”, TV5 Monde, 10 October 2013, https://information.tv5monde.com/international/piaf-une-enfant-dictateur-20140
- Susan Heller Anderson, “Piaf Remains a Mix of Myth and Reality”, The New York Times, 22 February 1981, https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/22/arts/piaf-remains-a-mix-of-myth-and-reality.html
- Jay Carr, “Etoile Sans Lumière AKA Star Without Light”, TCM, 18 August 2011, https://www.tcm.com/articles/444341/etoile-sans-lumiere-aka-star-without-light
- “‘Etoile Sans Lumière’”- Film Complet’, Old French Films (YouTube channel), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wvLrnb88lA
- “Etoile Sans Lumière”, Cinemafrancais.fr, no date, no author, https://www.cinema-francais.fr/les_films/films_b/films_blistene_marcel/etoile_sans_lumiere.htm
- C. de R, “Edith Piaf à l’Olympia”, Le Monde, 1 February 1955, https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1955/02/01/edith-piaf-a-l-olympia_1945914_1819218.html?search-type=classic&ise_click_rank=4
- “Edith Piaf at Carnegie Hall”, Carnegie Hall, no author, no date, https://www.carnegiehall.org/Explore/Articles/2020/06/29/Edith-Piaf-at-Carnegie-Hall
- Howard Taubman, “Music: High Priestess of Agony; French Singer Offers Heart Rending Songs Carnegie Hall Soaked in Tears by Edith Piaf Maria Tip Returns Handel Anthems Will be Sung”, The New York Times, 5 January 1956, https://www.nytimes.com/1956/01/05/archives/music-high-priestess-of-agony-french-singer-offers-heartrending.html?searchResultPosition=2
- Bee Wilson, “Like Cold Oysters: Edith Piaf, A Cultural History by David Loosely”, The London Review of Books, 19 May 2016, https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v38/n10/bee-wilson/like-cold-oysters
- “The Last Days of Edith Piaf” (Les derniers jours d’Edith Piaf), French with subtitles and voiceovers in English, directed by Philippe Pichon, 2006, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6510418/ ; available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8icfZYNzQM
- “‘Non, je ne regrette rien’: La chanson engagée d’Edith Piaf”, France Inter, 7 October 2014, https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/non-je-ne-regrette-rien-la-chanson-engagee-d-edith-piaf-4986618
- Claude Sarraute, “Edith Piaf à l’Olympia”, Le Monde, 31 December 1960, https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1960/12/31/edith-piaf-a-l-olympia_2104494_1819218.html?search-type=classic&ise_click_rank=5
- Robert Alden, “Piaf Triumphant in Paris, Critics Find Her Splendid on Her Return to Bobino A Voice Defiance Something Special”, The New York Times, February 23 1963, https://www.nytimes.com/1963/02/23/archives/piaf-triuphant-in-paris-recital-critics-find-her-splendid-on-return.html?searchResultPosition=1
- Yves Jaegle, “2 octobre 1963: Edith Piaf et Jean Cocteau s’eteignent , ‘deux êtres hors-série’ à la une”, Le Parisien, 10 October 2024, https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/12-octobre-1963-edith-piaf-et-jean-cocteau-seteignent-deux-etres-hors-serie-a-la-une-10-10-2024-CWFDDME2C5AJBAFF6Q36DA5JFU.php
The French Culture Podcast: Season 1, Episode 2 – The Radically Colorful World of Henri Matisse
The French Culture Podcast: Season 1, Episode 3 – Edith Piaf, Part 1
The French Culture Podcast: Season 1, Episode 5 – Josephine Baker
Seeking Edith Piaf in Paris? Visit These Places
Courtney Traub is the Founder and Editor of Paris Unlocked. She’s a longtime Paris resident who now divides her time (as well as she can manage) between the French capital and Norwich, UK. Co-author of the 2012 Michelin Green Guide to Northern France & the Paris Region, she has been interviewed as an expert on Paris and France by the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Le Figaro, Matador Network and other publications. Courtney has also written and reported stories for media outlets including Radio France Internationale, The Christian Science Monitor, Women’s Wear Daily and The Associated Press. In addition to going down various rabbit holes of curiosity when it comes to French culture, history, food and art, Courtney is a scholar of literature and cultural history whose essays and reviews have appeared in various forums.
