Released 1950 | Format Record Length 3:27 | |
Label Les Industries Musicales Et Electriques Pathé Marconi Writer(s) Édith Piaf (Original lyrics)Geoffrey Parsons (English lyrics)Marguerite Monnot (music) | ||
"Hymne à l'amour" ([imn a lamuʁ]; French for "Hymn to Love") is a popular French song originally performed by Édith Piaf.
Contents
Édith Piaf
The lyrics were written by Piaf and the music by Marguerite Monnot. Piaf first sang this song at the Cabaret Versailles in New York City on September 14, 1949. It was written to her lover and the love of her life, the French boxer, Marcel Cerdan. On October 28, 1949, Cerdan was killed in a plane crash on his way from Paris to New York to come to see her. She recorded the song on May 2, 1950.
Fubuki Koshiji's version
"Hymne à l'amour" was adapted into Japanese in 1951 as "Ai no Sanka" (愛の讃歌, "Love Hymn"), by singer Fubuki Koshiji (越路吹雪), featuring lyrics by Tokiko Iwatani (岩谷時子). The song became one of her signature songs, amassing around 2,000,000 copies sold of various singles featuring this song.
English versions
"Hymne à l'amour" was translated into English by Piaf's protégé Eddie Constantine as "Hymn to Love", which was recorded by Piaf on her album La Vie En Rose / Édith Piaf Sings In English (1956). This version was featured on Cyndi Lauper's 2003 album At Last. It was also adapted into English as "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)" with lyrics by Geoffrey Parsons, first recorded in this form in 1952 by Vera Lynn. Piaf then sang this version in Carnegie Hall at both of her performances in 1956 and 1957. Subsequent covers by Kay Starr in 1954, Shirley Bassey in 1959 and Brenda Lee in 1961 brought fame to this version. Raquel Bitton features "Hymn to Love" in her tribute to Piaf 2000.
In novel and film
The song is a central plot point to Anne Wiazemsky's 1996 autobiographical novel Hymnes à l'amour, which won the Prix Maurice Genevoix that year. The book further inspired the 2003 Jean-Paul Civeyrac film All the Fine Promises.
Hikaru Utada version
"Hymne à l'amour" was covered by Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada in 2010, under the name "Hymne à l'amour (Ai no Anthem)" (Hymne à l'amour ～愛のアンセム～, Imu a Ramūru (Ai no Ansemu), "Hymn to Love (Anthem of Love)"). The title is unique to Utada's version, as most Japanese renditions have the same title as Fubuki Koshiji's 1951 cover, "Ai no Sanka" (愛の讃歌, "Love Hymn").
French language
English language
English-language versions are usually titled after the rendering by lyricist Geoffrey Parsons: "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)", introduced in 1952 by Vera Lynn. Kay Starr took "If You Love Me..." to number 4 US in 1954, while the song reached the UK charts via recordings by Shirley Bassey (number 28, 1959) and – as "If You Love Me (I Won't Care)" – Mary Hopkin (number 32, 1976).
The song has also been recorded in English by:
Japanese language
Japanese language covers frequently are titled after the 1950s Tokiko Iwatani/Fubuki Koshiji version, "Ai no Sanka" (愛の讃歌, "Love Hymn").
Other recorded versions
"L'hymne à L'amour" (Mark Ashford - classical guitar) Arranged by Roland Dyens (1955 - 2016). Album "Chansons Françaises" recorded in 2010.