Chanson D'Amour

"Chanson d'amour" redirects here. For the Old French lyric tradition, see Grand chant.

"Chanson D'Amour"
Single by The Lettermen
from the album Warm
B-side	"She Don't Want Me Now"
Released	1966
Format	7" single
Label	Capitol
Writer(s)	Wayne Shanklin
The Lettermen singles chronology
"I Only Have Eyes for You" (1966) "Chanson D'Amour" (1966) "Our Winter Love" (1967)

"Chanson D'Amour" ("Love Song") is a popular song written by Wayne Shanklin which was a Top Ten hit in 1958 for Art and Dotty Todd; a remake by the Manhattan Transfer was an international hit - #1 in the UK - in 1977.

In 1958 the husband and wife team of Art and Dotty Todd were the resident act at the Chapman Park Hotel in Los Angeles. The duo had had a UK Top Ten hit in 1953 with "Broken Wings" but were known in their native United States as veterans of the California lounge circuit; the Todds also sang on their own radio show. Art Todd recalls how Wayne Shanklin gave the duo the song "Chanson D'Amour": "Wayne Shanklin stopped us one day and said, 'I've got a great song for you.'" Shanklin produced a demo of Art and Dotty Todd singing "Chanson D'Amour" which was shopped to Era Records who released the demo track as a single. According to Art Todd: "The airplay was just sensational. This was just at the beginning of rock 'n' roll and the old-time DJs hated rock 'n' roll and they jumped on our song." Art and Dotty Todd's "Chanson D'Amour" reached #6 in April 1958.

A cover version of "Chanson D'Amour" by the Fontane Sisters charted concurrently with the Art and Dotty Todd version; peaking at #12 "Chanson D'Amour" afforded the Fontane Sisters their last major hit (the group would have one more entry in the Billboard Hot 100: "Jealous Heart" at #94).

Also in 1958 Belgian singer Angèle Durand recorded a version which rendered the English lyrics in Dutch; this "Chanson D'Amour" would become Durand's signature song. Wendy Van Wanten would remake this version in 1998.

In the UK both the Art and Dotty Todd and Fontane Sisters versions of "Chanson D'Amour" were issued along with domestic covers by Tony Brent and Steve Martin. However "Chanson D'Amour" would not debut on the UK charts until 1977 when it would become a #1 hit for the Manhattan Transfer, a 1969 remake by the Dalys also having missed the charts.

The Manhattan Transfer remade "Chanson D'Amour" for their 1976 Richard Perry-produced Coming Out album. According to group member Alan Paul, Laurel Massé - who sang lead on the track - suggested the remake: "We'd been recording all day and we hadn't gotten that far. Just as we were about to leave [the studio], Laurel shouted, 'Hey wait a minute, I've got an idea.' She used an Edith Piaf sound in her voice [to sing "Chanson D'Amour"] and we recorded it in one take." According to Laurel Massé, however, Janis Siegel sang lead on the recording. Overlooked in the United States in its single release, the Manhattan Transfer's version of "Chanson D'Amour" became a European hit breaking out on the charts in France at the start of 1977 to peak there at #8: the track subsequently became a hit in Germany (#20), the Netherlands (#6), Norway (#1 for two weeks) and Switzerland (#6). In the English speaking world "Chanson D'Amour" afforded the Manhattan Transfer a chart-topping hit in the British Isles reaching #1 in both the UK - for three weeks - and Ireland in March 1977 with hit status also evident in Australia (#9), New Zealand (#14) and South Africa (#14). "Chanson D'Amour" would prove to be the Manhattan Transfer's most widespread international success despite being largely overlooked in the group's native United States where the track registered only on Easy Listening chart in Billboard at #16. The song had made an interim Easy Listening chart appearance in 1966 when a remake by the Lettermen reached #8.

"Chanson D'Amour" was featured in the series finale of the long-running British sitcom Are You Being Served. The song is briefly excerpted in the Beatles song "All You Need Is Love."

Preceded by "When I Need You" by Leo Sayer

UK number one single (The Manhattan Transfer version) March 12, 1977 for three weeks

Succeeded by "Knowing Me, Knowing You" by ABBA