Hymne à l'amour

"Hymne à l'amour"

Cover of a 1956 vinyl single featuring Hymne à l'amour as the B-side
Single by Édith Piaf
Released 1950
Format Record
Genre Chanson
Length 3:27
Label Les Industries Musicales Et Electriques Pathé Marconi
Writer(s) Édith Piaf (Original lyrics)
Geoffrey Parsons (English lyrics)
Marguerite Monnot (music)
Music sample
Édith Piaf – "Hymne à l'amour"
Édith Piaf, 1950 (20 seconds)

"Hymne à l'amour" (French pronunciation: ​[imn a lamuʁ]; French for "Hymn to Love") is a popular French song originally performed by Édith Piaf.

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.[1] 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.[1]

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.[2]

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).[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, 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,[5] which won the Prix Maurice Genevoix that year.[6] 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)").[7] 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").[2]

Chart rankings

Charts (2010)Peak
position
Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay[8] 5
Billboard Japan Hot 100[9] 7
RIAJ Digital Track Chart Top 100[10] 19

Release history

RegionDateFormat
Japan September 28, 2010[7] Ringtone (French section)
October 9, 2010[7] Digital download, ringtone (Japanese sections)
United States October 27, 2010[11] Digital download

Other versions

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.

References

  1. 1 2 Cramer, Alfred W. (2009). Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century. 4. Salem Press. p. 1107. ISBN 9781587655166.
  2. 1 2 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. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  3. ↑ Édith Piaf – La Vie En Rose / Édith Piaf Sings In English, Discogs
  4. ↑ Eddie Constantine, Discogs
  5. ↑ "Hymnes à l'amour [Broché]" (in French). Amazon.fr. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Site de la ville de Garches – Les lauréats (1985–2007)" (in French). Sortir à Garches & Equipements culturels. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 "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 October 15, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Japan Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay". Billboard. October 20, 2010. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. October 20, 2010. Archived from the original on October 20, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  10. ↑ "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. October 15, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Hymne A L'amour – Ai No Anthem – Utada Hikaru: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  12. ↑ 愛の讃歌 (in Japanese). Hibari Production. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  13. ↑ 待望の新曲！2006年5月10日発売！！「愛の讃歌」　美川憲一 (in Japanese). Crown Records. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
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