Je Suis Deux Amours / I Have Two Loves is a song performed in 1930 by Joséphine Baker….with lyrics by Géo Koger and Henri Varna….for music by Vincent Scotto for Josephine Baker….as I Have Two Loves played both on her exotic status as a foreigner…..and on her deep attachment to her adopted city of Paris.
It was the first time that Joséphine sang in public….and the success was immediate….as I Have Two Loves later became his favorite song. After the war, Joséphine Baker, who had distanced herself, literally and figuratively, from the United States, slightly modified the second line of the chorus with “I have two loves, my country is Paris …”.
The song was notably taken up in 2004 by Madeleine Peyroux in her album Careless Love….and in 2005 by Dee Dee Bridgewater in her album J’ai Deux Amours. In France, the title is performed by singer Zaz in his album Paris, released in 2014. German singer Max Raabe recorded the song with a German text in his album Über das Meer under the title Ich bin ja nur eine Laune von dir . Polish singer Mieczysław Fogg recorded the song with Polish text under the title Mały biały domek.
The Folies Bergère, where Josephine Baker performs in this video herewith….is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France at 32 rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement….as the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret…..which opened on May 2, 1869 as the Folies Trévise….with light entertainment including operettas, comic opera, popular songs, and gymnastics. It became the Folies Bergère on September 18, 1872, named after nearby rue Bergère. The house was at the height of its fame and popularity from the 1890s’ Belle Époque through the 1930’s….as revues featured extravagant costumes, sets and effects, and often nude women. In 1926, Josephine Baker, an African-American expatriate singer, dancer and entertainer, caused a sensation at the Folies Bergère by dancing in a costume consisting of a skirt made of a string of artificial bananas and little else. The institution is still in business, and is still a strong symbol of French and Parisian life.
