Charles Aznavour C'est ça (2004)

Autobiographie is the 30th French studio album by the French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour. This collection was originally released in 1980 and spent 42 weeks on the French chart, peaking at number five. Paul Mauriat leads his celebrated orchestra on several tracks.

Charles Aznavour is perhaps the best-known French music hall entertainer in the world renowned the world over for the bittersweet love songs he has written and sung, which seem to embody the essence of French popular song, and also for his appearances on screen in such wildly divergent fare as Shoot the Piano Player, Candy, and The Tin Drum. His status as the quintessential French popular culture icon is something of an irony for a man who identifies himself most closely with his Armenian heritage.

Aznavour was one of France's most popular and enduring singers. He sold 180 million records during his lifetime and was dubbed France's Frank Sinatra, while music critic Stephen Holden described Aznavour as a "French pop deity". He was also arguably the most famous Armenian of his time. Aznavour sang for presidents, popes and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events. In response to the 1988 Armenian earthquake, he founded the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia along with his long-time friend impresario Levon Sayan. In 2009, he was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva. He started his most recent tour in 2014.

A keystone in the modern chanson genre, French cabaret singer and songwriter Charles Aznavour entertained the world for close to 75 years. In the early '50s, he often opened for Edith Piaf, and composed several songs for her, thus beginning a solid reputation as both a gifted writer and a unique song stylist. Aznavour had a special talent for writing and singing from unusual points of view, creating personal and compassionate character studies that expanded the emotional range of the typical pop ballad. He also acted in dozens of films, most famously Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player. Aznavour continued to perform and record music until just before his death in 2018. His status as the quintessential French popular culture icon was something of an irony for a man who identified himself most closely with his Armenian heritage. Born Shahnour Varenagh Aznavourian, his French roots derived from the fact that his family fled the threat of massacre by the Turks – his father was a singer and sometime restauranteur, while his mother was an actress and part-time seamstress.