"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 art ...

'', 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'', ''Pépé le Moko' ...

. 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 "Dés ...

, 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. Pi ...

(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 stron ...

(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 (music) and

Jean Dréjac Jean Dréjac, stage name of Jean André Jacques Brun (3 June 1921, in Grenoble – 11 August 2003, in Paris) was a French singer and composer. He is noted for writing the songs " Ah! Le petit vin blanc", "Sous le ciel de Paris" and "La Chansonnet ...

(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 ZAZ or Zaporizhzhia Automobile Building Plant ( uk, ЗАЗ, Запорізький автомобілебудівний завод, ''Zaporiz'kyi avtomobilebudivnyi zavod'' or ''Zaporiz'kyi avtozavod'') is the main automobile manufacturer of Ukr ...

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 (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, Conducting, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded Plácido Domingo discography, over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, ...

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 Julien may refer to: People * Julien (given name) * Julien (surname) Music * Julien (opera), ''Julien'' (opera), a 1913 poème lyrique by Gustave Charpentier * Julien (album), ''Julien'' (album), by Dalida, 1973 * Julien (song), "Julien" (so ...

* Lisa Angell *

Matthias Lens Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot ...

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 re ...

Henri Pelissier Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Mont ...

* Line Renaud *

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 Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scr ...

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 ...

. 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 line ...

'') *

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'') *

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 *

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 Shi ...

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 ''Glitter and Doom Live'' is a live album by Tom Waits, by the ANTI- label on November 23, 2009. The songs were recorded during the Glitter and Doom Tour of the US and Europe in the summer of 2008. An announcement from the official site said: ...

'' 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