dith Piaf (December 19 1915 - October 10 1963) was a French singer and cultural icon of partly Algerian and Italian descent who "is almost universally regarded as France's greatest popular singer." Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads. Among her songs are "La vie en rose" (1946), "Hymne l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960), "l'Accordoniste" (1941), "Padam...Padam", and "La Foule". "Hymne l'amour" ("Hymn to Love" in French) is a popular French song originally performed by dith Piaf. The lyrics were written by Piaf and the music by Marguerite Monnot.
She first sang this song at the caberet Versailles in New York on September 14, 1949. It was written to her lover and the love of her life, the French boxer, Marcel Cerdan. On October 27, 1949 Cerdan was killed in a plane crash on his way from Paris to New York to come see her. She recorded the song on 2 May 1950.
It has been redone in English as "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)".dith Piaf (December 19 1915 - October 10 1963) was a French singer and cultural icon of partly Algerian and Italian descent who "is almost universally regarded as.