Charles Dumont, the French singer-songwriter who wrote Edith Piaf’s tune “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien,” has died on the age of 95.
Dumont wrote the tune in 1956 when he was solely 27 years previous.
“Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” (I Do not Remorse) – which expresses the need to reconcile with the previous and begin over – turned one in all Piaf’s signature songs.
It topped the charts in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada. The tune can be well-known all through the English talking world – it’s price noting that In 1993, then British Prime Minister Norman Lamont quoted.
When requested at a information convention if he regretted his upbeat remarks because the economic system struggled, Lamont responded: “I do not remorse it,” prompting laughter from reporters however then sparking controversy.
In a 2018 interview, Dumont informed AFP that he was initially afraid to method Piaf with the tune as a result of she “had already fired me 3 times and I did not wish to see her once more”.
However the tune’s lyricist, Michel Vaucaire, satisfied him to strive it 4 years later. Dumont added that Piaf acted reluctantly when the 2 confirmed up at her condo, however she allowed Dumont to play the tune on her piano.
“We have been inseparable since then,” he stated. Dumont finally composed greater than 30 songs for Piaf earlier than her demise in 1963.
Edith Piaf spent a lot of her formative years on the streets of Paris earlier than changing into a world star.
She is finest recognized for singing ballads together with “La Vie en Rose”, “Milord” and “La Foule”.
Dumont additionally wrote scripts for stars resembling Jacques Brel, Juliette Greco and Barbra Streisand. He had a profitable solo profession beginning within the Nineteen Seventies.
