Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

Padam, padam...

"Padam, padam..." is a song originally released in 1951 by the French singer and lyricist Édith Piaf. The melody of the song was originally composed in 1942 by Norbert Glanzberg, and lyrics were later added by Henri Contet. The lyrics tell the story of a woman's evocative memories of an alluring melody, an allusion to a past lover.

Last revised
Jun 21, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
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419 w
Citations
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
"Padam, padam..."
Song by Edith Piaf
LanguageFrench
Written1942–1951
Released1951 (1951)
GenreWaltz
Length3:17
ComposerNorbert Glanzberg
LyricistHenri Contet

"Padam, padam..." is a song originally released in 1951 by the French singer and lyricist Édith Piaf. The melody of the song was originally composed in 1942 by Norbert Glanzberg,1 and lyrics were later added by Henri Contet.234 The lyrics tell the story of a woman's evocative memories of an alluring melody, an allusion to a past lover.


The song uses a 3/4 waltz feel 5 to create a "maddeningly catchy" effect.6 The person singing the song experiences a nostalgic, wistful music-related memory. She describes how a certain evocative, memorable melody evokes in her memories of a former lover,7 hence the onomatopoeia of "padam, padam..." of one's heartbeat.1

Track listings

7-inch EP EMI Columbia ESRF 1023 (1954, France)

  1. "Padam padam..." (3:17)
  2. "Jézébel" (3:07)
  3. "Mariage" (4:16)
  4. "Les amants de Venise" (3:10)89

Cover versions

The song was covered, among others, by Tony Martin,1011 Mireille Mathieu,12 Michael Heltau, Chimène Badi,13 Patricia Kaas,14 and Ann Christy. Another cover in 1988 was sung together by members of Italian bands Litfiba, Violet Eves, and Moda.

In 2023, Yeong Taek Seo, a member of Forténa covered the song.

References

References

  1. "Disc Digest". The Australian Women's Weekly. 17 Dec 1952. p. 10. Retrieved 3 Dec 2024.
  2. Carolyn Burke (April 2012). No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf. Chicago Review Press. pp. 153–. ISBN 978-1-61374-395-9.
    Carolyn Burke (27 February 2012). Piaf - Uma Vida. Leya. pp. 189–. ISBN 978-85-8044-468-1.
  3. Willie Robertson (5 March 2015). Michael Ball - The Biography. John Blake Publishing. pp. 103–. ISBN 978-1-78418-366-0.
  4. Droznes, Lázaro (28 June 2017). No, no regrets. UNITEXTO. Digital Publishing. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-5475-0607-1.
  5. Megan Romer (2017-05-04). "Edith Piaf's 10 Best Songs". Thought Co. Archived from the original on 2017-10-14. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  6. Film Review. Orpheus Pub. 2007.
  7. "Padam, Padam by Edith Piaf". MUSIC TO BED (MUZIEK AAN BEN). 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  8. "Edith Piaf - Padam Padam ... at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  9. "ultratop.be - Edith Piaf - Padam... padam". Ultratop. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  10. "Tony Martin (3) - Padam ... Padam ... at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
  11. Billboard. [[Nielsen Business Media, Inc.]. 6 Dec 1952. pp. 18–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  12. Pernez, Pierre (2013-09-18). Edith Piaf, une vie vraie (in French). City Edition. ISBN 978-2-8246-4985-6.
  13. Lecoeuvre, Fabien (2015-03-12). Le petit Lecoeuvre illustré: Dictionnaire. Histoire des chansons de A à Z (in French). Editions du Rocher. ISBN 978-2-268-08052-9.
  14. Jean, Brierre Dominique (2014-10-07). Edith Piaf: Bez lásky nejsme nic (in Czech). Grada Publishing a.s. p. 1893. ISBN 978-80-7359-826-6.