"Hymne à l'amour" (; 'Hymn to Love') is a 1949 French song with lyrics by Édith Piaf and music by Marguerite Monnot. Piaf first performed it that year and recorded it in 1950 for Columbia Records. She later sang the song in the 1951 French musical comedy film Paris chante toujours (Paris Still Sings). The song has since been recorded by numerous artists and featured in major cultural events, including the 2020 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Tokyo in 2021 and the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Paris in 2024.
Background and release The lyrics, written by Piaf and set to music by Marguerite Monnot, were dedicated to Piaf's partner, French boxer Marcel Cerdan. On 28 October 1949, Cerdan was killed when Air France Flight 009 crashed en route from Paris to New York, where he was travelling to visit Piaf. She recorded the song on 2 May 1950. It later appeared on several of her albums, including 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 and Japanese versions The lyrics were first translated into English by Piaf's protégé Eddie Constantine as "Hymn to Love", which Piaf recorded for her 1956 album La Vie En Rose / Édith Piaf Sings In English. This rendition also appears on Cyndi Lauper's 2003 album At Last.
A second English adaptation, titled "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)", was written by Geoffrey Parsons. Kay Starr popularized this version in 1954, reaching number four on Billboards Best Sellers in Stores and Most Played by Jockeys charts."The Billboard Music Popularity Charts: Popular Records", Billboard. 5 June 1954. p. 32. Retrieved 14 August 2019. Starr's recording ranked number 20 on Billboards 1954 year-end list of Most Popular Records According to Retail Sales, and number 20 on the magazine's year-end list of Most Popular Records According to Disk Jockey Plays."1954's Top Popular Records", Billboard. 25 December 1954. p. 17. Retrieved 14 August 2019. Donna Loren released a version in 1963. Mary Hopkin recorded the song in 1976; her version reached number 32 on the UK singles chart.Mary Hopkin – Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
The song was translated into Japanese in 1951 as by Tokiko Iwatani. Fubuki Koshiji recorded the song, selling about two million singles. "Love Hymn" was later recorded by Keiko Masuda for her 2014 album .
"Hymne à l'amour" was recorded by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada in 2010 under the title . Utada's version reached number five on Billboards Adult Contemporary Airplay, number seven on Billboards Japan Hot 100, and number 19 on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart Top 100.
Singer-actress Atsuko Maeda performed the Japanese version of the song in the 2019 film To the Ends of the Earth. The lyrics also provide the film's title. The song was also performed by Milet at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on 8 August 2021.
In literature The song is a central plot element in Anne Wiazemsky's 1996 autobiographical novel , which received the Prix Maurice Genevoix that year.
2024 Olympic performance
Canadian singer Celine Dion performed "Hymne à l'amour" from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower on 26 July 2024 during the culmination of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Paris. The performance marked her first public appearance since 2020 and her first since announcing her diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome in 2022.
A live recording of the performance was released as a single on 10 October 2024, the 61st anniversary of Édith Piaf's death. The track peaked at number one in Quebec, number four on the Canadian Digital Song Sales chart, and number 65 in France. It was nominated for Song of the Year at the Félix Awards in 2025.
Credits and personnel Credits adapted from Tidal.
Celine Dion – lead vocals Denis Savage – production, recording engineer, mixing engineer Scott Price – production, arrangement, piano Philippe Dunnigan – concertmaster, orchestra François Lalonde – mixing engineer Jean-François Vézina – assistant engineer Patrick Montigny – assistant engineer Jean Michon – bass Marc Denis – bass Yan Chênevert – bass Carmelle Préfontaine – bassoon Mathieu Harel – bassoon Annie Gadbois – cello Jean-Christophe Lizotte – cello Julie Dessureau – cello Sheila Hannigan – cello Timothy Bruce Halliday – cello Andre Moisan – clarinet Corinne Chartre Lefebvre – French horn Jocelyn Veilleux – French horn Maude Lussier – French horn Xavier Fortin – French horn Felicia Levesque – flute Yuki Isami – flute Sonia Gratton – oboe Paul Picard – timpani Bruno Laurence Joyal – trombone Martin Ringuette – trombone Olivier Lizotte – trombone David Carbonneau – trumpet Lise Bouchard – trumpet Ricardo Diano – trumpet Trevor Dix – tuba Bojana Milinov – viola Ligia Paquin – viola Madeleine Messier – viola Nadia Monczak – viola Sarah Martineau – viola Veronique Vanier – viola Abby Walsh – violin Amélie Lamontagne – violin Ana Drobac – violin Annie Guénette – violin Antoine Bareil – violin Christian Prévost – violin Edith Fitzgerald – violin Frédéric Lefebvre – violin Jean Sébastien Roy – violin Josianne Breault – violin Josée Aidans – violin Julie Triquet – violin Ramsey Husser – violin Sofia Yatsiuk – violin Solange Bouchard – violin Uliana Drugova – violin Yubin Kim – violin
Charts + Chart (2024) Peakposition Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard) 4 Quebec Digital Song Sales (ADISQ) 1 US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard) 4
Certifications
Release history + Region Date Format Label Various 10 October 2024 Columbia
References