The – actually forbidden – love story inspires Piaf to write a love hymn. Pianist Marguerite Monnot provides the music. Piaf performs the song for the first time on 14 September 1949, in a cabaret hall in New York.
Six weeks later, disaster strikes. On the evening of October 27, Cerdan takes a plane to America, where his beloved Piaf is still staying. The two absolutely want to be together again soon. But the plane crashes above the Azores, all passengers die.
Piaf will never recover from the death of her lover. Some time later she records the hymn in the studio, because that had not yet happened. Piaf keeps the prophetic words, which go through marrow and bone.
“If life takes me away one day; if life takes you away from me one day” …”Car moi je mourrais aussi; then I die too”. And for those who may have found last night’s opening ceremony a bit too godless, the closing line: “Dieu réunit ceux qui s’aiment; God brings together those who love each other”.
