Originally published at a.funnytimeofyear.com. You can comment here or there. I am a huge Martha Wainwright fan and after seeing her in Brighton many years ago, as well as at Glastonbury, I’ve been committed to trying to catch up with her whenever she’s in the UK. This time, however, I had a pleasant surprise when I discovered that her performance was a dedication to Edith Piaf, France’s most famous singer. Being that I am also a Piaf fan, off I went with Lady C to The Barbican to see what Martha had in store for us. It was the perfect warm-up, considering I’m going to Paris for the weekend.
Written for Spoonfed:
 The mere possibility of anyone pulling off the raw emotion of Edith Piaf seems remote yet Martha Wainwright, an accomplished singer-songwriter in her own right, manages to pour out the strength and vulnerability that many of us know Piaf for. The vibrant personality that she brings to each track comes as a surprise from someone who when first approached by producer Hal Willner, wasn’t particularly taken with the idea of a dedication to one of the greats.
Piaf, arguably one of the greatest singers in the world, has long been recognised as France’s finest singer. Her rags-to-riches life story, saturated with tragedy and pain, saw her rocket from a street singer in Pigalle, Paris, to achieving lasting fame with her performances at the capital’s most famous venue: Paris Olympia. It seems fitting that Wainwright, who is no stranger to confessional, fiercely emotional songs of unrequited love, should take on and breathe new life into the words of a broken Piaf.
Though Piaf’s lyrics are in French, to understand the words to her songs is purely a bonus. This sentiment is echoed Martha herself who confesses to not doing much research into each song, and despite stumbling over the words of some tracks, it’s the musical arrangement and the character, the pain within each song that is understood universally. Despite hailing from French-Canadian Montreal, French isn’t Wainwright’s first language, but her attempt to cover songs as difficult as these is instantly admirable. Before each song she provides the crowd with a short translation drenched in cynical wit – stories of hookers, men, and of course, the loss of love. Wainwright’s performances are painfully emotive. Whilst she may not emulate Piaf physically – heavily pregnant in a colourful striped sparkly dress reminiscent of a liquorice allsort – her voice, so entrenched with an understanding of the subject matter, that lends itself so perfectly to the feeling of Piaf. Whilst all other factors may differ, the desire for love, and the observation of that love lost, remains present in both of their lives.
It’s interesting to note that many of Piaf’s greatest songs are absent tonight. This is a deliberate decision by Wainwright who was concerned that another mainstream revival shortly after the release of the Oscar winning biopic film ‘La Vie En Rose’, could incite limited interest. Hal Willner’s determination to produce a successful dedication record saw him provide Wainwright with 300 Piaf songs, allowing her to sift through and become further acquainted with the Piaf she thought she knew so well. This said it is tracks such as ‘La Foule’, with its waltzing accordion tempo that hasve not only myself, but half of the audience swinging from side to side, eyes closed, taken in the moment. The product of these combined efforts, ‘Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, A Paris’, recorded in New York, is Martha’s latest album offering.
Wainwright’s set finishes with an acknowledgement of the financial depression as she performs her version of ‘Can You Spare a Dime, Brother?’ before spilling over into a low-key version of everyone’s favourite, the classic ‘La Vie En Rose’ that has the crowds mumbling lalalas until the lights come up…
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