French songs from my youth

I remember this song as the first song from my little childhood, they use to be quite popular on Radio-Canada in Montréal and usually at 12 noon there was a 30 minute program of French songs. In those days, late 50's early 60's music from France was very popular and people like Charles Trenet who was one of the most popular French singer of the period 1935 to 1970, had a long string of very big hits. He was a very big star around the world and his music was very much of the period. I know that today the style and compositions may seem terribly dated. What I like is the poetry of the songs and the very clear diction, pronunciation was very important in popular song. Many of his songs were of an eternal France, maybe even a France that never really existed except in people's minds. The songs were of a great, happy and prosperous country, were everyone knew thy belonged and recognized the theme of what he sang about, French culture illuminated the universe, the influence of France around the world was for the better. It made people happy, it was a simpler time, a more naive world.

Ménilmontant is a hillside area of Paris the 20th arrondissement, I do not think that the Ménilmonant of 1939 would be recognizable today. It was a village outside Paris until 1860 and a working class area for a long time.
But it is a song I love and it has a way of transporting me to another time and place whenever I hear it. So many memories of a time long ago, a happy time.