It is a chanson that recounts the feelings of a lower-class "girl of the port" (fille du port, perhaps a prostitute) who develops a crush on an elegantly attired apparent upper-class British traveller (or "milord"), whom she has seen walking the streets of the town several times (with a beautiful young woman on his arm), but who has not even noticed her. The singer feels that she is nothing more than a "shadow of the street" (ombre de la rue). Nonetheless, when she talks to him of love, she breaks through his shell; he begins to cry, and she has the job of cheering him up again. She succeeds, and the song ends with her shouting "Bravo! Milord" and "Encore, Milord".
In connection with the film about Edith Piaf, La Vie en Rose (2007), Moustaki tells in an interview with Le Nouvel Observateur (14 February 2007) about "Milord":
"It was a song I had left in draft form until one day I found the scribbled sheet next to the typewriter Piaf had given me. I resumed to work with it. When I had written the last word I found Edith sitting on a chair behind the bedroom door. She was waiting for me to finish the text (Marguerite Monnot was to compose the music). I was barely 24 years old and, for a year that I had been living with Piaf, I had the image of an upstart gigolo. Edith summoned all the press to Maxim's to introduce me as the author of "Milord". When, at the start of the film, she says: "I'm going to record the big con's song", and she sings "Milord", it's vexing but probable. After I left, she said horrible things about me. She even almost didn't want to record "Milord", even though she was aware of its importance. It is the only song in her repertoire that became an international hit. Her impresario Loulou Barrier threatened to stop working with her if she was stupid enough not to record it".
In France "Milord" sold more than 400.000 copies. The song was a #1-hit in Germany in July 1960. In the UK it reached #16 (1960),[1] in Sweden #1 during 8 weeks (15/6-1/8 1960), in Norway #6 (1959). In the United States, the song peaked at #88 in 1961 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] By 1969, Milord has sold 25,000 copies in Austria.[3]
Cover versions
"Milord" was one of Germany's biggest selling songs of 1960. Aside from Edith Piaf's original French version, there have also been German cover versions by Dalida, Lale Andersen, and Corry Brokken. Brokken also recorded the song in Dutch. An English version was recorded by Lolita.
Teresa Brewer recorded an English version of the song which reached #74 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961.[4]
This song was also covered by male crooner, Bobby Darin in 1964, with slightly altered French lyrics, to account for the fact that Darin was a man (the original lyrics were written to be sung by a woman, in particular Edith Piaf). The song reached #14 on the Canadian RPM charts and #25 on the CHUM Charts.[5][6]
Hana Hegerová recorded Czech version of "Milord" in 1964, with lyric of Pavel Kopta.
A reworded English cover was recorded by Frankie Vaughan in which he explains to a man he refers to as Milord that the woman he loves is with someone else and he should forget her, relax, be happy and find another woman.
Benny Hill produced a skit modeled on the musical Cabaret, and included the song "Milord," sung — in English — by Louise English, a member of Hill's Angels. It is the closing number in the skit and the refrain is repeated as the patrons toast each other and throw confetti.
Cher sang an English version of "Milord" on her second solo album The Sonny Side of Cher which was released in 1966.[7]
