Thursday, September 13, 2012

Talent Completion: The Voice and “La Vie En Rose”

I don’t usually watch that much television, but I do have a handful of shows that I like. Most are cooking shows. I have to put limits on myself so that I don’t become consumed with television. That’s not so difficult though, since there aren’t that many shows out there that grab my attention. I turn to my books and I try to include movie watching. I don’t watch as many movies as I’d like. There’s a constant balance and, oh yes, the Internet can be distracting. I might be reading an article or a book and next thing I know I’m searching for other books or digging deeper into this or that; I start writing or scribbling thoughts out and then I add to my thoughts, backspace, delete; and before I realize—hours have gone by.

All this talk about television brings me to my next TV show for the season: The Voice, a talent competition of blind auditions where contestants are at first judged solely on their voice, hoping that their voice is strong enough for at least one of four coaches to turn a chair to say, “I Want You.” Once the blind auditions are complete, next come the battle rounds, and finally the live performance shows. The judges are Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, and Blake Shelton. 

While I was searching for a You Tube of The Voice this morning, I came across this clip of an Australian version of this program. I adore the Edith Piaf song, “La Vi En Rose” and had to have a listen to Rachel Leahcar’s rendition. Her voice is magical and I could feel the emotion welling up inside of me.

The power of the voice: in all its manifestations whether through singing, acting, dancing, cooking, writing, or a gesture.

My first introduction to “La Vie En Rose” was Grace Jones singing it. Her version holds sentimental value and I treasure it.

Enjoy!

The Voice Australia – Rachael Leahcar sings “La Vie En Rose”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVHl3j31pUA

Edith Piaf – “La Vie En Rose”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NdmIpHKfgk&feature=fvwrel

Grace Jones sings “La Vie En Rose”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah2x1Enu7Go

2 comments:

ZACL said...

La vie en rose and je ne regrette rien are timeless. There are other songs in Piaf's repertoire that always appeal to me, too. While I feel that there is nothing like the original versions, I do admit that the actress who played Piaf in the recent film, made a remarkable job of the reprise of Piaf's life and oeuvre.

The film I mentioned above, is dug up occasionally for an afternoon or an evening's watching. For me, it is magnetic and has the power to speak legitimately about Piaf, her life, her ability, and her personal fight to entertain.

Rebb said...

ZACL, I’m curious to see the film you mention. I’ll have to see if I can find a copy to rent. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.