Are you curious what Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien lyrics in French actually means and what’s the English translation of the song?
This song is one of the best French songs of all time and considered one of the best works of Edith Piaf.
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Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien Lyrics in French ( With English Translation)
About the song
French songwriters Charles Dumont and Michel Vaucaire collaborated in creating the song “Non, je ne regrette rien” (translation: “No, I don’t regret nothing”) in 1956. Regarded as one of the true French classic songs, the 1960 performance by Édith Piaf dominated the French Singles & Airplay Reviews chart for a full seven weeks.
In Bernard Marchois’s book Édith Piaf, Opinions publiques (1995), composer Charles Dumont claims that Michel Vaucaire originally titled the song “Non, je ne trouverai rien” (No, I will not find anything).
The French singer Rosalie Dubois was also an inspiration for this song. However, Vaucaire renamed it “Non, je ne regrette rien” to pay tribute to Edith Piaf (No, I Regret Nothing).
Jean Noli, a journalist, said in his book Édith (1973) that on October 24, 1960, Dumont and Vaucaire paid Piaf a visit at her home on Boulevard Lannes in Paris, where she allegedly unpleasantly greeted them. It wasn’t the first time Dumont tried to sell some of his work to Piaf, but each time she declined.
Piaf was so upset that Danielle, her housekeeper, had secretly organized a visit with the two men. Furious, she made them wait an entire hour before she finally showed up. She claimed she’d listened to just one song.
The song was “Non, je ne regrette rien” performed by Dumont. Piaf soon warmed up and declared that it was the song she had been waiting for.
She then said the title with a smile and stated that her greatest success will be that song. And that she’d love to use it in her next L’Olympia show.
The Foreign Legion was Piaf’s inspiration for performing the song. This recording took place during the Algerian War (1954–1962), which saw the 1st REP (1st Foreign Parachute Regiment) adopt “Non, je ne trouverai rien” when their defiance was crushed.
The regimental command was tested, but the legionnaires, noncommissioned officers, and corporals were all transferred to other Foreign Legion units. They sang the song as they marched out of the barracks; it has since become a Foreign Legion ceremonial anthem.
“Non, je ne regrette rien” has been interpreted in many other languages. The English translation, titled “No Regrets,” was first sung by Piaf herself. Shirley Bassey released her versions of the song in 1965.
This rendition, featured on the album Love Songs, peaked at No. 39 in the UK. In 1992, LaToya Jackson did a cover of the Piaf original for her performance at the Moulin Rouge in her show Formidable.
Meanwhile, Emmylou Harris’s English rendition appeared in the 1994 compilation “Tribute to Edith Piaf.” In the animated film Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Frances McDormand also performed “No Regrets” as Captain DuBois.
Multiple films, including 1998’s Babe: Pig in the City, 1999’s Intolerable Cruelty, 2005’s Monamour, 2008’s French crime drama Mesrine, and 2012’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, have featured “Non, je ne regrette rien” in either the score or soundtrack.
Still, one of the most prominent appearances of the song was in La Vie en Rose, a biopic on the life of French singer Edith Piaf, portrayed by French actress Marion Cotillard.
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien French Lyrics
Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu’on m’a fait
Ni le mal
Tout ça m’est bien égal
Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
C’est payé, balayé, oublié
Je me fous du passé
Avec mes souvenirs
J’ai allumé le feu
Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs
Je n’ai plus besoin d’eux
Balayé les amours
Avec leurs trémolos
Balayé pour toujours
Je repars à zéro
Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu’on m’a fait
Ni le mal
Tout ça m’est bien égal
Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Car ma vie
Car mes joies
Aujourd’hui
Ça commence avec toi
Check out the video here.
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien English Lyrics and Translation
No, absolutely nothing
No, I regret nothing
Not the good that has been given
Not the bad, it’s all the same to me
No, absolutely nothing
No, I regret nothing
It is payed, done, forgotten
I don’t care about the past
With my memories
I light the fire
My pains, my pleasures
I don’t need them anymore
I’m done with the loves
and all their troubles
I’m done for ever
I start over with nothing
No, absolutely nothing
No, I regret nothing
Not the good that has been given
Not the bad, it’s all the same to me
No, absolutely nothing
No, I regret nothing
Because my life, because my joys
today, they start with you
Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 40 countries and lived in 4 continents in the last 10 years, including France. A self-proclaimed Francophile, I love everything France.