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Hymne à l'amour

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"Hymne à l'amour"
Cover of a 1956 vinyl single featuring Hymne à l'amour as the B-side
Single by Édith Piaf
Released1950
GenreChanson
Length3:27
LabelPathé-Marconi
Composer(s)Marguerite Monnot
Lyricist(s)Édith Piaf (original French)
Geoffrey Parsons (English)
Audio sample
Édith Piaf, 1949 (20 seconds)

"Hymne à l'amour" (French pronunciation: [imn a lamuʁ]), or Hymn to Love, is a 1949 French song with lyrics by Édith Piaf and music by Marguerite Monnot. It was first sung by Piaf that year and recorded by her in the 1950s for Columbia records.

Piaf sang it in the 1951 French musical comedy film Paris chante toujours (Paris still sings).[1]

The song has been performed by many other singers. It has also featured in two Olympic Games ceremonies: at the 2020 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Tokyo in 2021, sung by Milet, and at the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Paris in 2024, sung by Céline Dion.

Édith Piaf

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The lyrics were written by Piaf and the music by Marguerite Monnot. It was written to Piaf's lover and the love of her life, the French boxer, Marcel Cerdan.[2] On 28 October 1949, Cerdan was killed in the crash of Air France Flight 009 on his way from Paris to New York to come to see her. She recorded the song on 2 May 1950.[2] The song appeared on her albums, Edith Piaf (1953), Le Tour de Chant d'Édith Piaf a l'Olympia - No. 2 (1956) and Le Tour de Chant d'Édith Piaf a l'Olympia - No. 3 (1958).

English versions

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"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).[3] This version was featured on Cyndi Lauper's 2003 album At Last.[4]

It was also adapted into English as "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)" with lyrics by Geoffrey Parsons. Kay Starr brought fame to this version in 1954, with her version reaching No. 4 on Billboard's charts of Best Sellers in Stores and Most Played by Jockeys.[5] Starr's version was ranked No. 20 on Billboard's ranking of 1954's Most Popular Records According to Retail Sales and No. 20 on Billboard's ranking of 1954's Most Popular Records According to Disk Jockey Plays.[6]

Donna Loren released a version of "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)" in 1963.[7][8] Mary Hopkin released a version of "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)" in 1976, which reached No. 32 on the UK Singles Chart.[9]

2024 Olympic performance

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Celine Dion sang this song in French from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower on 26 July 2024, at the culmination of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Paris. It was her first public performance since 2020 and the first since her 2022 diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome.[10] Dion's version was released as a single on 10 October 2024, the 61st anniversary of Edith Piaf's death.

Charts

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Chart performance for "Hymne à l'amour"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[11] 4
France (SNEP)[12] 65
Quebec Top Sales Songs (ADISQ)[13] 1
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[14] 22
US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[15] 4

Japanese versions

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"Hymne à l'amour" was adapted into Japanese in 1951 as "Ai no Sanka" (愛の讃歌, "Love Hymn"), by singer Fubuki Koshiji, featuring lyrics by Tokiko Iwatani. The song became one of her signature songs, amassing around 2,000,000 copies sold of various singles featuring this song.[16] "Love Hymn" was covered by Keiko Masuda in her 2014 covers album Ai Shōka (愛唱歌, Love Songs).[17][18]

"Hymne à l'amour" was covered by Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada in 2010, under the name "Hymne à l'amour (Ai no Anthem)" (愛のアンセム, Ai no Ansemu).[19] 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".[16] Utada's version reached No. 5 on Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay,[20] No. 7 on Billboard Japan Hot 100,[21] and No. 19 on RIAJ Digital Track Chart Top 100.[22]

Singer-actress Atsuko Maeda performed the Japanese version of the song in the 2019 film To the Ends of the Earth. The lyrics also give the film its title.[23] The song was performed by Milet at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on 8 August 2021.[24]

In literature

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The song is a central plot point to Anne Wiazemsky's 1996 autobiographical novel Hymnes à l'amour [fr], which won the Prix Maurice Genevoix that year.[25]

References

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  1. ^ Frith, Simon (2004). Popular Music: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. Psychology Press.
  2. ^ a b Cramer, Alfred W. (2009). Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century. Vol. 4. Salem Press. p. 1107. ISBN 9781587655166.
  3. ^ Édith Piaf – La Vie En Rose / Édith Piaf Sings In English at Discogs
  4. ^ Cydndi Lauper – At Last at Discogs
  5. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Charts: Popular Records", Billboard. 5 June 1954. p. 32. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  6. ^ "1954's Top Popular Records", Billboard. 25 December 1954. p. 17. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Donna Loren "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)"". YouTube.com. 7 March 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Donna Loren: Discography". DonnaLoren.net. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  9. ^ Mary Hopkin – Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  10. ^ Dickerson, Claire Gilbody (27 July 2024). "Celine Dion makes spectacular comeback with Eiffel Tower performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony". Sky News. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Top Singles (Week 42, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  13. ^ "This week's top selling digital tracks based on the digital album sales in Quebec". ADISQ. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  15. ^ "World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  16. ^ a b 夢を語るシーンでの衣装は越路吹雪さんご本人の私服! (in Japanese). Fuji TV. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  17. ^ "★6年ぶりのオリジナル・アルバム『愛唱歌』本日12/10発売！ オリジナルの大内義昭とデュエットしたミリオン・セラー・ソングのカバー「愛が生まれた日」のビデオ公開！". Warner Music Japan. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  18. ^ "「愛唱歌」発売記念イベント・レポート". Kei-Office. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  19. ^ "先行デジタルシングルHymne à l'amour ～愛のアンセム～" (in Japanese). EMI. Archived from the original on 17 October 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  20. ^ "Japan Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay". Billboard. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  21. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  22. ^ "レコード協会調べ 2010年10月06日～2010年10月12日＜略称：レコ協チャート（「着うたフル(R)」）＞" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. 15 October 2010. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  23. ^ Peter Bradshaw (12 November 2020). "To the Ends of the Earth review – dreamlike vision of clashing cultures". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  24. ^ "J-pop singer Milet is excited for her first overseas performance at Hong Kong Clockenflap". Young Post. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Site de la ville de Garches – Les lauréats (1985–2007)" (in French). Sortir à Garches & Equipements culturels. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
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