Place Pigalle
| Place Pigalle | |
 | |
| Former name(s) | Place de la Barrière-Montmartre |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Jean-Baptiste Pigalle |
| Coordinates | 48°52′55.8″N 2°20′14.2″E / 48.882167°N 2.337278°ECoordinates: 48°52′55.8″N 2°20′14.2″E / 48.882167°N 2.337278°E |
The Place Pigalle is a public square located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, between the Boulevard de Clichy and the Boulevard de Rochechouart, near Sacré-Cœur, at the foot of the Montmartre hill. The place takes its name from the sculptor, Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (1714–1785), and it is the best-known district of the Quartier Pigalle, the Pigalle district.
The square and the surrounding streets were, at the end of the 19th century, a neighbourhood of painters' studios and literary cafés of which the most renowned was the Nouvelle Athènes (New Athens).
The Place Pigalle inspired a celebrated song by Georges Ulmer: "Un p'tit jet d'eau, une station de métro, entourée de bistrots, Pigalle ... ." ("A little spritz of water, a subway station, surrounded by bistros, Pigalle ... .")
"Place Pigalle" is also the title of a song written by Alex Alstone and Maurice Chevalier. It was recorded by Chevalier with orchestra (Jacques Hélian, conductor) in Paris on 9 April 1946.
Figure 8, Elliott Smith's fifth album and the last he released in his lifetime, was initially titled Place Pigalle. It's also the name of one of his unreleased songs, and he had "two or three more songs" about it.