“La Vie en rose” means life as seen through rose-colored glasses. It’s also the title of Édith Piaf’s signature song, which was first released in the late 1940’s. Since then, the tune has been covered numerous times. The song has also been featured in many popular films (Sabrina; Natural Born Killers; WALL-E) and TV shows (I Love Lucy; How I Met Your Mother). My favorite renditions are by Louis Armstrong and Patricia Kaas.

But now I have two more favorite versions. In 2018, I had the pleasure of hearing two live performances of « La Vie en rose » on accordion and violin in the streets of Paris!

You know how in other places some performers have their instrument case open to collect tips? Well, these two performers didn’t do that, at least, from what I could tell. I got the impression they were playing simply for the joy of it.

Here is a 9-second clip I filmed near Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre:

…and here is a 13-second clip I filmed on Pont des Arts:

I feel so lucky I got to hear them play this song in particular. It made me feel like I was in a movie. The timeless song has the power to seduce romantics and cynics alike.