Today, the great young, American singer Lucy Dacus has released a 21st century version of French singer Edith Piaf's 70-year old classic love song, "La Vie En Rose." Lucy sings the song, first in French as originally sung by Piaf, but then in English. The music accompaniment on this new version may strike some as sacrilege, with its fast pace, pulsing electric guitar and drums. It's very different from how Edith Piaf's version characterized romance and love with its slow, languid strings. But Lucy Dacus loves this song, which translates as "life in pink" or "life in rosy hues," and wanted to honor it in her own loving style for Valentine's Day.

"From the first time I heard it," Lucy Dacus says in a press release, I thought 'La Vie En Rose' was a perfect song. Hearing it, I knew that, one day, I would fall in love. I want someone to listen to this while running at top speed to the doorstep of the person they adore, ready to profess their deep, undying love."

This cover is the first in a series of songs Dacus plans to release, called 2019, to commemorate other holidays, including Mothers Day, Independence Day, Christmas, and a birthday of someone she admires (for now, I'm told there's a Bruce Springsteen track in this song series).

Lucy Dacus made my favorite record of 2018, Historian and tomorrow (Feb. 1) begins a hefty tour, starting with 25 cities in the U.S.

Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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