Andréa won a second place award with this song at a Quebec songwriting competition in 1957 – le premier festival de la chanson canadienne – organized by Radio-Canada and became such a hit on radio that it sold more than 65,000 copies. En veillant su’l perron tells the story of the everyday life of people in a working neighbourhood, as they sit on porches in row houses. Andréa herself raised her family in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood of Montreal. The song was also a key element in the phenomenal career of Dominique Michel, who was a major television and recording star in Quebec. Although she won other song honours, En veillant su’l perron was her only substantial hit. She died in February 2002 after a long illness.
