"Sous le ciel de Paris" is a song initially written for the 1951 French film ''

Sous le ciel de Paris ''Under the Sky of Paris'' (French: ''Sous le ciel de Paris'') is a 1951 French drama film directed by Julien Duvivier. It was shot at the Billancourt Studios in Paris and on location around the city. The film's sets were designed by the ar ...

'', directed by

Julien Duvivier Julien Duvivier (; 8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was prominent in French cinema in the years 1930–1960. Amongst his most original films, chiefly notable are ''La Bandera (film), La Bandera'', ...

. In the film it was sung by

Jean Bretonnière Jean Bretonnière (1924–2001) was a French actor and singer.Goble p.36 He was married to the actress Geneviève Kervine. Selected filmography * ''Under the Sky of Paris'' (1951) * ''The Green Glove'' (1952) * ''It Happened in Aden'' (1954) * ' ...

. In the same year it was also recorded by

Juliette Gréco Juliette Gréco (; 7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by Serge Gainsbourg for Gréco) and "Désh ...

, as well as Anny Gould. Thanks to Gréco and subsequent recordings by artists such as

Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...

(1954) and

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held strong ...

(1964) which popularised it, the song became a symbol of Paris for the world.

Writing and composition

The song was written for the film by

Hubert Giraud Hubert Yves Adrian Giraud (3 March 1920 – 16 January 2016) was a French composer and lyricist. Career Giraud began his career playing the harmonica with Django Reinhardt's jazz group, the Quintette du Hot Club de France. In 1941, he was recr ...

(music) and Jean Dréjac (lyrics).

Other language versions and covers

The song has been also notably recorded by: *

Mireille Mathieu Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide. Biography and career Early years Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...

(both in French and in German under the title "Unter dem Himmel von Paris") * Zaz,

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in ...

, Mieke &

Bart Kaëll Bart Kaëll (born 2 August 1960 in Oudenaarde) is the stage name of Bart Marcel Emilienne Gyselinck, a Flemish singer and TV host. Career Kaëll studied music in Antwerp, after finishing school he landed a job as a singer and in 1982 he took pa ...

(in Dutch under the title "Onder de blauwe lucht van Parijs) *

Hildegard Knef Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef (; 28 December 19251 February 2002) was a German actress, voice actress, singer, and writer. She was billed in some English-language films as Hildegard Neff or Hildegarde Neff. Early years Hildegard Knef was born ...

(in German under the title "Unter dem Himmel von Paris") *

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...

with

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...

* Florence Coste & Julien Dassin *

Lisa Angell Lisa Angell (born Virginie Vetrano, 21 September 1968 in Paris) is a French singer who represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "N'oubliez pas". Career Early beginnings From the ages of 11 to 14, Angell competed in ...

* Matthias Lens *

André Rieu André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (; is a Dutch violinist and conductor best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra. Rieu and his orchestra have turned classical and waltz music into a worldwide concert touring act. He r ...

* Henri Pelissier *

Line Renaud Line Renaud (born 2 July 1928) is a French singer, actress and AIDS activist. Early life Line Renaud was born Jacqueline Ente in Pont-de-Nieppe on 2 July 1928. Her mother Simone was a shorthand typist; her father was a truck driver during the we ...

Karrin Allyson Karrin Allyson (pronounced ''KAR-in''; born Karrin Allyson Schoonover on July 27, 1963) is an American jazz vocalist. She has been nominated for five Grammy Awards and has received positive reviews from several prominent sources, including the ' ...

(in French under the title "Sous le ciel de Paris (Under Paris Skies)") *

Enrico Macias Gaston Ghrenassia (born 11 December 1938), known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian-French singer, songwriter and musician of Algerian Jewish descent. Early years Gaston Ghrenassia was born to a Sephardic Algerian Jewish family i ...

* Willy Bischof *

Pablo Alborán Pablo Moreno de Alborán Ferrándiz (born 31 May 1989), popularly known as Pablo Alborán, is a Spanish musician and singer-songwriter. Throughout his career, Alborán has released five studio albums, two live albums, and various musical collabo ...

Jill Barber Jill Barber (born February 6, 1980) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Originally associated with the folk-pop genre, she has performed vocal jazz and pop music on her more recent albums.Kim Gannon James Kimball "Kim" Gannon (November 18, 1900 – April 29, 1974) was an American songwriter, more commonly a lyricist than a composer. Biography Gannon was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Irish-American family from Fort Ann in upstate New ...

. The English version was titled "Under Paris Skies". It was recorded in that form by: *

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

(for his 1960 album ''

Under Paris Skies ''Under Paris Skies'' is the seventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the fall of 1960 by Cadence Records. This, his final LP for the label, is a collection of songs that Joseph Laredo describes in the liner ...

'') *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

(for his 1962 LP ''

Holiday in Europe ''Holiday in Europe'' was a long-playing vinyl album recorded for Bing Crosby's own company, Project Records at Radio Recorders in Hollywood and issued by Decca Records (DL-4281) in 1962. The album consists of twelve European songs. The orchest ...

'') *

Jane Morgan Jane Morgan (born Florence Catherine Currier; May 3, 1924) is an American former singer of traditional pop. Morgan initially found success in France and the UK before achieving recognition in the US, receiving six gold records. She was a frequen ...

(for her 1964 album ''The Last Time I Saw Paris'') *

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

Chris Connor Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an American jazz singer. Biography Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Shir ...

and many others. The melody of the song is used as a background for the song "Live Circus" on the concert album '' Glitter and Doom Live'' by

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

References

{{Authority control 1951 songs Songs written for films Songs written by Hubert Giraud Édith Piaf songs Yves Montand songs Zaz (singer) songs Mireille Mathieu songs Belinda Carlisle songs Plácido Domingo songs Josh Groban songs Andy Williams songs Bing Crosby songs Sam Cooke songs Pablo Alborán songs Songs with lyrics by Kim Gannon Songs written by Jean Dréjac Songs about Paris