Two singers, two lost loves and a song that moved the planet

Considered the highlight of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, Céline Dion’s performance is full of symbolism. Starting with the artist’s triumphant return after four years without singing due to the symptoms of a neurological disease. Elegantly dressed in Dior, she is reborn as the mythological phoenix bird.

The song “Hymne à l’Amour”, by the legendary Edith Piaf, serves as a translation of a drama experienced by the two singers. Both faced the death of the man they loved most.

One of the most moving scenes in the biopic ‘Piaf – An Hymn to Love’ shows the Frenchwoman’s despair after receiving the news of the plane crash that took away her boxer Marcel Cerdan. Both were 33 years old. Her performance in the film earned actress Marion Cotillard an Oscar in 2007.

Edith expressed her pain in the lyrics of the song that touched millions of viewers. “If one day life takes you away from me / If you die, stay away from me / I don’t care if you love me / Because I would die too,” the song says. The song was released the year after the tragedy.

In 2016, Céline Dion went through the same ordeal. Her husband, René Angélil, responsible for launching and managing her career, died of throat cancer at the age of 73. Inseparable, the couple remained together for three decades and had three children.

The loss shattered the mental health of the diva famous for immortalizing “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme from “Titanic.” She fell into deep mourning and temporarily put her career on hold. “I lost the love of my life,” she said.

In both cases the feeling transcended earthly existence, as the final passage of the Hymne à l’Amour emphasizes. ‘We will have eternity for ourselves / In the blue of immensity / In the sky there are no problems / My love, do you believe that we love each other? / God brings together those who love each other.’

@Olympic Games This show with Céline Dion as Édith Piaf at the Eiffel Tower! 🥹 We were moved with her. ❤️ #Opening Ceremony #Olympic Games #Paris2024 ♬ original sound – Olympic Games

Source: Terra