Juliette Gréco (93) has died, “la grande dame noire” of the French chanson

None other than philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre advised her to sing. In 1954 she performed on the stage of L’Olympia in Paris, the mecca of French chanson. She was dressed all in black and she kept that outfit all her life. That went well with her modest, sober stage style.

She did not write her own songs, but made the lyrics of others, such as Boris Vian, Charles Aznavour or Charles Trenet, her own. Her most famous songs include “Si tu t’imagines”, “Rues des Blancs-Manteaux”, “Trois petites notes de musique” and especially this daring “Undress me”:

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