"La Bohème" is a song written by French lyricist
Jacques Plante
Joseph Jacques Omer Plante (; January 17, 1929 – February 27, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947 to 1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey. He played ...
and Armenian-French musician
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...
. It is Aznavour's
signature song
A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
, as well as one of the most popular
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
-language songs and a staple of French
chanson
A (, ; , ) is generally any Lyrics, lyric-driven French song. The term is most commonly used in English to refer either to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval music, medieval and Renaissance music or to a specific style of ...
.
Lyrics
A painter, recalling his younger years in
Montmartre
Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...
, remembers his artistic life and the years when he was hungry but happy. According to Aznavour, this song is a farewell to the last days of
bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers.
* Bohemian style, a ...
Montmartre. He also recorded
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
,
English, and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
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versions, as well as a rare
Portuguese recording. It was performed at virtually every one of his concerts.
International charts
The song was first recorded by Aznavour in 1965. It became an international hit song in 1965 and was in TOP10 charts of
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
(No. 3), Brazil (especially
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
(No. 5)), France (No. 1) and other countries.
Cover versions
Kendji Girac
Kendji "Girac" Jason Maillié (; born 3 July 1996), also known mononymously as Kendji, is a French singer. He is the winner of season 3 of the music competition '' The Voice: la plus belle voix'' as part of Team Mika. He has released six studi ...
's interpretation of the song, heavily influenced by Spanish and Romani culture, appeared on the 2014 tribute album ''
Aznavour, sa jeunesse
''Aznavour, sa jeunesse'' is a tribute album released on 24 November 2014 where a great number of younger French-language artists sing classic hits from Charles Aznavour. The album released under Millenium label, one of the affiliated Barclay Rec ...
''. It reached number 61 on the French
SNEP
SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...
singles chart.
Angelina Jordan
Angelina Jordan Astar (born 10 January 2006) is a Norwegian singer whose audition for the 2014 season of '' Norway's Got Talent'' at the age of seven, singing "Gloomy Sunday" in the style of Billie Holiday, became a viral video online and brough ...
recorded an English version of the song on her 2018 album ''It's Magic''.
See also
*
''La Bohème'' (album)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boheme (Charles Aznavour song)
Songs about nostalgia
Songs about Paris
Charles Aznavour songs
French songs
Songs written by Charles Aznavour
1965 songs
1965 singles
Barclay (record label) singles
Montmartre
Bohemianism