Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf

Album: The Very Best of Edith Piaf (1960)

License This Song

lyrics

Songfacts®:

Edith Piaf decided to retire in 1960. A few months later, she was persuaded to make a comeback by Charles Dumont and Michel Vaucaire, two young French songwriters, who had written the song "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien." At first she refused to see them or take their song seriously. Dumont recalls in The Daily Express, June 30, 2007, "When I started playing the piano, Piaf's attitude changed immediately. She made me play it over and over again, maybe 5 or 6 times. She said that it was magnificent, wonderful. That it was made for her."
The title is French for "No, I Regret Nothing."
The character Edith Bunker, the mother on the TV series All in the Family, was named after her Piaf.
This was featured in the 2010 movie Inception as the song the team of dream warriors would use as a signal to get out of the dream. Marion Cotillard, who played Mal in the film, won an Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of Piaf in the 2007 film La Vie en Rose. The music cue they use for the "kick" in the film is a slowed-down version of this song.

Comments: 2

Charles from Bronxville, NyOn his album "Blue Moves" Elton John wrote a song about Edith Piaf entitled "Cage the Songbird." Graham Nash and David Crosby sing backing harmonies. It's an undiscovered jewel.
Charles from Glenside, PaLOL - Edith Bunker was named after the Little Sparrow? I'll remember that every time I hear her screaching voice at beginning of 'All in the Family'.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Fields Of GoldSting

Sting wrote "Fields of Gold" after buying a house near a barley field and enjoying the majestic sunsets.

Soul ManSam & Dave

"Soul Man" was a new term when the song was written in 1967. As defined by the song's co-writer, David Porter, the Soul Man doesn't have a fancy big-city slant, but has "the emotional thing happening inside of him that made people really love him."

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By YouMarvin Gaye

"How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" by Marvin Gaye was inspired by Jackie Gleason's saying, "How Sweet It Is!"

IrisThe Goo Goo Dolls

One of the most enduring songs from the '90s is "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls, which got huge on social media and streaming in the 2020s. The song was written for a movie called City Of Angels, about an angel (Nicolas Cage) who falls in love with a human (Meg Ryan).

She Blinded Me With ScienceThomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct the video, which was inspired by silent films and set in a "home for deranged scientists."

Mmm Mmm Mmm MmmCrash Test Dummies

The third verse of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies ("they shook and lurched all over the church floor...") was inspired by girl whose parents would speak in tongues at their Pentecostal service.