The Best French Love Songs for a Romantic Valentine’s Day 

Whether you’re planning a candlelit dinner for Valentine’s Day or simply want to indulge in the beauty of la chanson française, this list of some of the best French love songs will set the mood and transport you straight to France. 

Petite Marie, Francis Cabrel 

Cabrel wrote this song for his wife, named Mariette. It came out in 1977.

Best pick up line: “Je viens du ciel et les étoiles entre elles ne parlent que de toi.” – I’ve come from the sky and the stars are talking only about you.

Hymne à l’amour, Edith Piaf 

Written in 1950, the song remains a great classic of French music, so much so that Céline Dion sang her interpretation of the title in 2015, to pay homage to the victims of the November 2015 attacks in Paris and again, just last summer, to end the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The song is about the man Edith Piaf loved, boxer Marcel Cerdan. 

Best pick up line: “Et la Terre peut bien s’écrouler. Peu m’importe si tu m’aimes. Je me fous du monde entier.” – And Earth can collapse. Nothing matters to me if you love me. I don’t care about the whole world. 

Pour que tu m’aimes encore, Céline Dion 

Speaking of Céline Dion, this song is a classic in French culture. Although she is Canadian, Céline has a huge fanbase in France. This song was written by French singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman who sang another song with Céline Dion “J’irai où tu iras” (I will go where you go). 

Best pick up line: “Jirai chercher ton âme dans les froids dans les flammes.” – I will go looking for your soul in the cold, in the flames. 

Et si tu n’existais pas, Joe Dassin 

Best pick-up line: “Et si tu n’existais pas. Dis-moi pourquoi j’existerais. Pour traîner dans un monde sans toi.” – And if you didn’t exist. Tell me why I should exist. To wander a world without you. 

La Vie en rose, Edith Piaf 

Edith Piaf wrote the first lyrics for the song on a scrap of paper sitting at a café in Paris with a friend. At the time, Piaf was dating fellow singer Yves Montand. The song was recorded in 1946. 

Best pick-up line: “Quand il me prend dans ses bras. Il me parle tout bas. Je vois la vie en rose” – When takes me in his arms. He whispers gently. I see the bright side of life.

Je l’aime à mourir, Francis Cabrel 

To this day, this song – another dedication to his wife Mariette – remains Cabrel’s most successful hit with 700,000 discs sold. He sang a Spanish version of the title which became a huge hit in Latin America, tempting pop singer Shakira to sing her interpretation during her 2011 tour. 

Best pick up line: “Moi je n’étais rien. Et voilà qu’aujourd’hui. Je suis le gardien. Du sommeil de ses nuits.” – I was nothing. But here I am today. The guardian or her nights’ sleep. 

Ma plus belle histoire d’amour, Barbara 

A love song of a different kind: Barbara wrote this with her fans and her audience in mind, not a lover! 

Best pick up line: “Si depuis, j’ai dit “je t’aime” ma plus belle histoire d’amour c’est vous” – Even if since then, I’ve said “I love you”, my most beautiful love story, it’s you.