Chanson (French for “song”) is the French tradition of the authored song, in which the word, the poetic meaning, and the acting delivery carry at least as much weight as the music. It is above all an art of storytelling, of confession, of a small drama embodied in song.
Classical French chanson flourished in the 20th century on the Paris stages in the work of legends — Édith Piaf (the unforgettable “La Vie en rose,” “Non, je ne regrette rien”), Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, and Georges Brassens. Chansonniers often wrote their own songs, combining the roles of poet, composer, and actor. The themes are love, Paris, social life, and philosophical reflection. French chanson is a refined, intellectual, and deeply emotional genre, a true quintessence of French cultural sensibility.
