English Repertoire 1958-1966

As her first French songs, the English ones didn't give her the instantaneous fame. However, her albums "The Girl from Greece Sings" and "Nana sings" continued to be reprinted for years in different countries.

THE WHITE ROSE OF ATHENS

After a mega success in Germany, the English version "The white rose of Athens" found takers in England, in Ireland, in the Netherlands, in Scandinavia and also in South Africa. In March 1962, the British magazine "The New Musical Express" dedicated a cover to it. For years, the single was reissued and the original track has been eventually replaced by the one recorded with The Athenians in 1969. Very often, the German version released in several countries is used with the anglicized title. The white rose of Athens has become a paraphrase that the medias use to present Nana.

WILDWOOD FLOWER

During her first stay in New York City in June 1962, Nana recorded the country song "Wildwood Flower" with the orchestra of Shelby Singleton. It came out on a single and in November of the same year, it appeared in the American and Canadian Charts. In 1968 and 1971, Nana performed it in her BBC TV series.

THE GIRL FROM GREECE SINGS

"The Girl from Greece sings" or "In New York", according to the country, is the first major record production of Nana. Supervised by Quincy Jones in 1962, the album was reissued in 1968 in the Netherlands, in Australia and in New Zealand with the title "What now my Love?". Few compilations retake these songs. Following the re-release of the album on CD in 1999, the press described it as an "overlooked chef d'œuvre" and it was certified five-time golden record in Germany. The 15 unreleased tracks of that opus have been included in the English Integral in 2005. "What now my Love?" and "Smoke gets in your eyes" are the two notable titles of that record.

WHAT NOW MY LOVE?

"What now my Love?", composed by Gilbert Becaud, has been covered by the greatest performers. For her first American album, Nana decided to record it with a verse in French. Her version was released on 45 rpm discs in eight countries.

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES

"Smoke gets in your eyes" was especially popularized by The Platters. When Nana recalls that album on stage, she choses that American standard. Her superb rendition remains unchanged five decades later.

MY COLOURING BOOK

Several biographical texts mention "My colouring book," an American ballad. It became a best-seller since her debut in England in 1963. Nana re-recorded it ten years later with new lyrics.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

The Eurovision 1963 was held in London. Nana sang in French a song whose English version is entitled "The one that got away." It came out in England and in the Netherlands.

NANA SINGS

"Nana sings", the second album recorded in the United States, was released in 1965. Bobby Scott was the producer, the composer and the arranger. The most famous song is "If you love me" ("L'hymne à l'amour" by Edith Piaf) that Nana will re-record many years layer for her BBC TV series. She will also perform "Just a ribbon", "I gave my Love a cherry" and "Half a crown" for the TV viewers. In 1992, exceptionnaly, "The essential", an Australian compilation was completed with four titles. The album remained several years on the market in the United States, in England and in Australia and was released on CD digipack in 2005 with the English Integral.