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Singer, author and composer Charles Dumont died following a long illness at the age of 95. He is particularly known for having composed the legendary “Non, je ne regrette rien”, by Edith Piaf.
Charles Dumont is no more. Songwriter and performer, the composer of No, I don’t regret anythingd’Edith Piaf died on the night of Sunday November 17 to Monday November 18, 2024, in Paris, at the age of 95, following a long illness. Information revealed by his partner to AFP. “My mother brought me into the world but Edith Piaf brought me into the world,” said the trained trumpeter born in Cahors on March 26, 1929. “Without her, I would never have done everything I have done, neither as a composer, nor as a singer”, he explained in 2015
Charles Dumont, awarded a prize in 1974
Charles Dumont’s career took on a new dimension in the 1960s when he managed to convince “La Môme” to perform his legendary composition, after having suffered several refusals. As Le Figaro recalls, “October 5, 1960 finally arrives the big day. Piaf is unwell but still deigns to receive Dumont and Vaucaire (lyricist, editor’s note). The shy Charles sits down at the piano. He presses forcefully on the keyboard. He hums “No, I regret nothing”. The rest, everyone knows it, and this title is now known throughout the world.
Sixty years of career, Charles Dumont has also collaborated with other big names in song like Dalida or Tino Rossi. At the end of the 1960s, he became a crooner. He even won the Charles-Cros Academy prize, with the record “Une femme”, in 1973. His last appearance on stage dates back to 2019 at the Théâtre de la Tour-Eiffel. “When you come back in front of an audience, who comes to see you as they did 20, 30 or 40 years ago and gives you the same welcome, then they give you back your 20 years,” he declared.
“I was in serious financial difficulties. I wrote this song in anger”
The first interpretation of No, I don’t regret anythingby Edith Piaf dates back to December 2, 1960, in the show Cinq Colons, on television. “When I sing, I’m no longer there (…) it’s a second state,” she declared. A song recorded on November 10, 1960 after a “revelation” according to the artist. In reality, the title could never have seen the light of day: “I was in serious financial difficulties. I wrote this song in anger”, conceded Dumont in 2013. It was the lyricist Michel Vaucaire who would then have insisted with Piaf to make him listen, after numerous refusals from La Môme to Charles Dumont.
On October 20, 1960, Piaf met Dumont and Vaucaire in unusual conditions, to say the least. Just before, the icon’s secretary had called to “cancel, the singer not feeling well, but the two men did not receive the message and showed up at 5 p.m. at Piaf’s address, 67 boulevard Lannes in Paris The secretary is about to turn them away when they hear Piaf’s voice shouting: ‘Bring them in since they are here'”, recalls France Info.
Edith Piaf then welcomes the two men in dressing gowns. Charles Dumont begins the melody on the piano, and after the third time, she interrupts him: “she said to me: ‘Listen young man, don’t worry, don’t worry anymore. This song, it will follow you all your life, it will be a worldwide success and thanks to it, I will make my return to the Olympia'”, she said, remembers Dumont. The title remained at the top of the charts for 48 weeks.
What were some of the challenges Charles faced while writing “No, I Don’t Regret Anything,” and how did those feelings influence the songwriting process?
(Interviewer): Hello Charles and Piaf, thank you for joining us today for this interview. Our first question is for Charles, can you tell us about your early musical influences and how you got into songwriting?
Charles Dumont: Sure, I grew up in a family where music was always around me. My father was a music teacher and my mother was a singer. I started playing the trumpet at a young age and soon discovered my passion for composing. I started writing songs in my teens and was fortunate enough to have some of my early compositions performed by well-known artists. It was an incredible feeling to see my work come to life on stage and in recordings.
(Interviewer): That’s amazing! Piaf, you’ve been known for your iconic song “No, I Don’t Regret Anything.” Can you tell us how you first heard the song and what made you want to perform it?
Piaf: Yes, I remember that day very well. Charles came to visit me with the song and I didn’t think much of it at first. It was actually Michel Vaucaire, the lyricist, who convinced me to give it a chance. He said it was special, and when Charles played it for me on the piano, something just clicked. The melody was haunting and powerful, and I knew it was a song that my fans would love.
(Interviewer): It’s interesting that you didn’t initially like the song, Charles. Why do you think Piaf was able to see its potential where you didn’t?
Charles Dumont: Well, at the time, I was going through a tough period financially, and I wrote the song as an expression of that anger and frustration. I didn’t see it as something that would be commercially successful. But Piaf had a sixth sense for these things. She could hear the emotion in the song and knew it would resonate with her audience.
(Interviewer): Piaf, you had a unique ability to convey emotions through your performances. Can you describe what went into creating the iconic version of “No, I Don’t Regret Anything?”
Piaf: When Charles played that song for me, I felt it deep in my soul. It was a song about
