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
Songwriter(s) Édith Piaf (Original lyrics)
Geoffrey Parsons (English lyrics)
Marguerite Monnot (music)
Audio sample
Édith Piaf, 1950 (20 seconds)
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"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 "Love Hymn" (愛の讃歌, Ai no Sanka), 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.[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. Piaf then sang this version in Carnegie Hall at both of her performances in 1956 and 1957. Subsequent covers by Vera Lynn in 1953, 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. My Brightest Diamond performs it as a B-side on her From the Top of the World single.

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]

Hikaru Utada version

"Hymne à l'amour" was covered by Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada in 2010, under the name "Hymne à l'amour" (～愛のアンセム～, Ai no Ansemu).[7] The title is unique to Utada's version, as most Japanese renditions have the same title as Fubuki Koshiji's 1951 cover, "Love Hymn" (愛の讃歌, Ai no Sanka).[2] Utada's version reached No. 5 on Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay,[8] No. 7 on Billboard Japan Hot 100,[9] and No. 19 on RIAJ Digital Track Chart Top 100.[10]

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. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. 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. ↑ "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 20, 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. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
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