The cabbie who wept for Edith Piaf
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- October
- 12
Some 17 years ago I had a memorable cab ride in New York city. I was heading from Grand Central down to the lower East Side, where I had a date with an ex. I was running late, and the cabbie was one of those hard-edged ones. The guy seemed to hate his life, his job and, by extension, the guy in the back of the taxi.
But then I noticed him singing along with a tape he was playing, and I recognized the music as Edith Piaf – the legendary singer whose unique vocal stylings made her France’s greatest songstress.
And it changed the cab ride. The cabbie turned off the meter and we drove around for 30 minutes while he explained the lyrics for song after song. He got teary-eyed, explaining how the songs reminded him of his childhood, his mother, his homeland. Then he dropped me off and didn’t charge me.
Such was the power of Edith Piaf, whose death was first made public on this day in 1963.
I can’t say I’m one of those Piaf fanatics, although I have come across more than my share, and in some surprising social settings and from a wide range of musical tastes. There was just something pleading and forlorn in her voice that seems to reach out to people, even now.
Piaf was once considered a traitor because she entertained German soldiers in occupied France during World Warr II. Only after the war did she reveal – and it has been partially confirmed – that she had been working with the French Resistance. It has been documented that she helped Jews escape their fates in Nazy Germany.
After the war she enjoyed wide success, even if her private life was occasionally troubled. Nonetheless, when she died on Oct. 10, 1963 of liver cancer – a fact made public a day later – it prompted one of the largest funeral processions that Paris had seen. Years later, the Edith Piaf Museum was established.
Such was the draw and mistique of Edith Piaf, that it reached all the way to a gruff Big Apple cabbie all those years later, and could move him to tears from the sheer beauty of it.
So, maybe I don’t get it. But you have to admire music that has that kind of power.
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This entry was posted
on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 3:56 pm by Jorge Fitz-Gibbon.
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I’ve gotten a few emails on this post, but none of them will post on Piaf. What gives?
So, I figure it’s perceived as too old fashioned? Not sure. Clearly, it’s not my typical post. I’m a ‘70s metal guy who grew into other music, but clearly with a love for punk and classic rock. So what am I doing posting on Piaf?
Because the music matters, no matter what it is. And when it touches someone like that, it’s worthy.
So, I’ll urge those emailers, post your thoughts on this. Not a big deal, and no shame for what you enjoy.