What's The French Song In The Allstate Commercial?

Allstate hit pay dirt when it unveiled its new mascot, Mayhem. The series of commercials featuring Oz and Rescue Me alum Dean Winters drove home the point that life is filled with uncertainties. Your car or home could get destroyed at a moment's notice, so you better have a solid insurance policy to make sure you're covered. 

Mayhem may take a backseat in the latest commercial spot from the company, but the same parodic ethos is present. The ad showcases a bunch of drivers making the all-too-familiar mistake of leaving something on the roof of their car and forgetting to take it down before taking off. Fortunately, they're all safe drivers, so they arrive at their destinations in one piece along with their various lunches, toys, and pet goldfish. 

To accompany this montage of safe driving is a song that sounds like it should be coming from an opera house instead of an insurance commercial. You weren't alone if you thought the tune sounded familiar. Despite being released in 1960, the song has retained a special place in pop culture all these years later. 

Edith Piaf is widely considered to be one of the most talented singers of the 20th century. The performer had her life immortalized in the 2007 film La Vie en Rose where she was portrayed by Marion Cotillard, who was completely unrecognizable in the role for which she ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. The biopic makes good use out of "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien," which translates to "No, I have no regrets." It's the same song featured in this commercial, but funnily enough, it's probably not the film or the commercial most people associate the song with. 

From the moment you hear those first few notes, Inception likely comes to mind. Piaf's ode to having a fulfilling existence is used prominently in the Christopher Nolan-directed film as the heist team passes through various dream layers. The song lets people in the other levels know when a "kick" is imminent to bring them back to reality. As the movie goes on, the song gradually slows down, resulting in the iconic theme and signature "Bwong" sound that's used in the deeper dream levels (via The Guardian). 

These are far from the only places the song has made an appearance with its presence also found in films like Babe: Pig in the City and Intolerable Cruelty as well as a commercial for DOVE Chocolate. With each new usage, Edith Piaf's legacy continues to live on.