Padam Padam

Padam and not Panam(e). Odd very odd in French to say Padam instead of Panam(e)= Paris. But I have a suggestion to interpret this shift. Padam sounds like "Pas d'âme" = no soul, without soul. Odd? Yes. But now look at what Piaf is saying.

(1) Il parle toujours avant moi Et sa voix couvre ma voix

(2) Cest un air qui me montre du doigt Et je traîne après moi comme un drôle derreur Cet air qui sait tout par coeur

(3) J`en ai tout un solfège sur cet air qui bat... Qui bat comme un coeur de bois...

This tune of Paris is not Piaf's tune. This Padam is not Piaf's heart, not Piaf's voice. This tune Padam, the impersonal tune of Paris, which covers Piaf's tune and Piaf's soul is without her soul. So my understanding is: Padam = Without soul, that song of Paris, old song without face of Panam(e). Subtle? Too subtle to be true? I am not sure. Jean-Claude Picot - jecipic@hotmail.com

I add a comment. I am quite sure that most of the French people do not hear "Padam" when Piaf sings. For the simple reason that Padam has no meaning and that Panam has a meaning (Panam is Paris). And more: the pronunciation Panam is close to Padam. So the French ear will chose (by ease) to hear Panam (understandable) instead of Padam (without meaning).The thing would have been totally different with Patam or Param, which are far from Panam for the pronunciation. So I guess that most of the French people, if they happen to know that Padam is the real word sung by Piaf, would not understand why such a word here. Odd, odd, odd. They would not care. They do not care. And they are right. The aim of a song is not to propose a puzzle and a headache. We need simple things there we can immediately get. So I venture to say that the guy who wrote the song found clever to write Padam, but most of the French people do not understand the subtlety (if any) and sing Panam, panam, panam. Such a meaningless (at first sight) title, Padam, did not prevent the song to be a huge success!

Jean-Claude Picot - jecipic@hotmail.com

This is as yet a somewhat imperfect translation. It needs a degree of phrasal and rhythmic finessing. But this will do for now I guess for anyone looking for some help in appreciating the song in French, 'cause even as it stands now, it's quite accurate and I'd say more or less faithful even in its tone to the original. However, once I've finalized this into a something better, I'll post the updated version here.

PADAM... PADAM...

Paroles: Henri Contet, musique: Norbert Glanzberg, enr. 15 octobre 1951

[The "cet air" of the original refers to a melody, a musical air, as should be clear when you read the whole thing. It's a song that is basically about itself, it talks about its own haunted, mystical and tortured spirit.

Now, there is an equivalent use of the English word 'air' (say: as in 'Londonderry Air') meaning a tune. And hence, I've preserved this noun as one more faithful to the French original and haven't reverted to the more commonly used 'tune' or 'melody']

Cet air qui m'obsède jour et nuit Cet air n'est pas né d'aujourd'hui Il vient d'aussi loin que je viens Traîné par cent mille musicians

This air that haunts me day and night This air isn’t born of today It comes from as far back as where I come from Dragged by a hundred thousand musicians

Un jour cet air me rendra folle Cent fois j'ai voulu dire pourquoi Mais il m'a coupé la parole Il parle toujours avant moi Et sa voix couvre ma voix

One day this air will drive me mad. A hundred times I’ve wanted to ask why But it interrupts my words, it always speaks before me, and its voice overwhelms mine.

Padam... padam... padam... Il arrive en courant derrière moi Padam... padam... padam... Il me fait le coup du souviens-toi Padam... padam... padam... C'est un air qui me montre du doigt Et je traîne après moi comme une drôle d'erreur Cet air qui sait tout par coeur

Padam... padam... padam... It arrives running behind me Padam... padam... padam... It makes me the stroke of your remembering you Padam... padam... padam... It is an air that shows me the finger And I drag it after me like a funny mistake, this air that knows the heart of everything.

Il dit: "Rappelle-toi tes amours Rappelle-toi puisque c'est ton tour Y a pas de raison pour que tu ne pleures pas Avec tes souvenirs sur les bras..."

It says: "Remember your loves, Recall since it’s your tour If there’s a reason for you not to cry With your memories in your hands... "

Et moi je revois ceux qui restent Mes vingt ans font battre tambour Je vois s'entrebattre des gestes Toute la comédie des amours Sur cet air qui va toujours

And I meet again those that remain, My twenty years of beating the drum I see my own gestures between the beats, the whole comedy of those loves, on this air that always goes

Padam... padam... padam... Des "je t'aime" de quatorze-juillet Padam... padam... padam... Des "toujours" qu'on achète au rabais Padam... padam... padam... Des "veux-tu" en voilà par paquets Et tout ça pour tomber juste au coin de la rue Sur l'air qui m'a reconnue

Padam... padam... padam... Of the "I love you"s of July the fourteenth Padam... padam... padam... Of the "forever" that one buys at a discount... Padam... padam... padam... Of the “I want you”s in here by packets And all that to fall deservedly to the corner of the street, on the air that has recognized me.

Écoutez le chahut qu'il me fait Comme si tout mon passé défilait Faut garder du chagrin pour après

Listen to the uproar that it causes in me / As if it’s necessary to have all my past paraded / to preserve the grief for the days to come

J'en ai tout un solfège sur cet air qui bat... Qui bat comme un coeur de bois...

I have a whole musical theory on this air that beats... That which beats like a wooden heart...

Errata: First CHORUS Line 2: It makes me the stroke/blow/strike/wound of MY (and obviously not 'your') remembering you.