| "Valentine" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Maurice Chevalier | |
| Released | 1925 |
| Genre | Chanson |
| Composer(s) | Henri Christiné |
| Lyricist(s) | Albert Willemetz |
| Producer(s) | Renn Productions |
| Music video | |
| "Valentine" (audio) "Valentine" Folies Bergère de Paris (video) on YouTube | |
"Valentine" is a song originally performed by French actor, cabaret singer and entertainer Maurice Chevalier.[1][2][3][4][5] Its first public performance was in 1925. The song was strongly associated with him, and his imitators use it as "an instant identification symbol".[1] Chevalier performed the song, in French, in two American movies, Innocents of Paris (1928) and Folies Bergère de Paris (1935), but to not offend American sensibilities the word tétons ('breasts') was replaced with a mysterious piton, which translates as 'peg' or 'protuberance'. Piton was needed for the rhyme scheme, but Chevalier always pointed to his nose at that moment in the song, to indicate what part of his lover's anatomy he was supposedly fondling.
- ^ a b Michael Freedland (1981). Maurice Chevalier. Morrow. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-688-00652-5. Archived from the original on 2018-02-11.
- ^ Michael Freedland (1981). Maurice Chevalier. Morrow. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-688-00652-5. Archived from the original on 2018-02-11.
- ^ James Harding (1982-10-01). Maurice Chevalier, his life, 1888–1972. Secker & Warburg. ISBN 978-0-436-19107-7.
Valentine Maurice Chevalier.
- ^ Dave DiMartino (2016-04-15). Music in the 20th Century (3 Vol Set). Routledge. pp. 124–. ISBN 978-1-317-46430-3. Archived from the original on 2018-02-11.
- ^ Victor Brombert (2004-03-01). Trains of Thought: From Paris to Omaha Beach, Memories of a Wartime Youth. Anchor Books. ISBN 978-1-4000-3403-1. Archived from the original on 2018-02-11.