<P> 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 . 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 . </P> <P> "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 . </P> <P> "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). This version was featured on Cyndi Lauper's 2003 album At Last . 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 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 . </P> <P> The song is a central plot point to Anne Wiazemsky's 1996 autobiographical novel Hymnes à l'amour, which won the Prix Maurice Genevoix that year . </P>

Who wrote the song if you love me really love me