French singer-songwriter Charles Dumont, who composed the music for Edith Piaf’s Je ne régrètre rien, has died aged 95.
Dumont was 27 years old when he wrote this song in 1956. But it wasn’t until 1960 that he was persuaded to approach the star, who enthusiastically accepted.
Je Ne regrette Rien (I Regret Nothing) – which expresses a desire to make peace with the past and start anew – became one of Piaf’s signature songs.
It topped the charts in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada. The song is also famous in the English-speaking world – it was especially Which was referred to in 1993 by Norman Lamont, the then chancellor of Great Britain..
When asked at a news conference if he regretted the optimistic statements he had made as the economy struggled, Lamont replied: “Gene raret rien,” to laughter among reporters. But later controversy arose.
In a 2018 interview, Dumont told the AFP news agency that he initially did not dare approach Piaf with the song because she had “already fired me three times and I don’t want to see her again.” I didn’t want to.”
But the song’s lyricist Michel Voucher convinced him to give it a try four years later. Dumont added that Piaf was extremely reluctant when the couple came to her flat, but she allowed Dumont to play the song on her piano.
He said that since then we were inseparable. Dumont would eventually write more than 30 songs for Piaf before his death in 1963.
Edith Piaf became an international star after spending most of her early life on the streets of Paris.
He is best known for singing ballads – including La Vie en Rose, Milord and La Foule.
Dumont began a successful solo career in the 1970s.
