I Will Follow Him

“I Will Follow Him” is best known as recorded by Little Peggy March in 1963, going all the way to #1 in numerous countries, including the United States. At the age of only fifteen, Peggy March remains the youngest female ever to chart a #1 hit.

The song, however, has had a very interesting history beyond the success of the Peggy March version.

It was first released as an instrumental in France, titled “Chariot”. The music was written by Franck Pourcel (using the pseudonym J.W. Stole) and Paul Mauriat  (using the pseudonym Del Roma). Paul Mauriat is probably best remembered for the huge 1968 instrumental hit “Love is Blue”.

In 1962, Petula Clark released a French language version of the song, titled “Chariot” (lyrics by Jacques Plante), which reached No. 2 in France, and earned Clark a gold record.

In 1963, Percy Faith (remember Theme from a Summer Place, which went to #1 in 1961?) released an instrumental version, re-titled “I Will Follow You”, as the lead song on side 1 of his album titled Themes for Young Lovers.

The Peggy March version was adapted by Arthur Altman. The English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel, the lyricist/songwriter whose credits include the English lyrics for “The Girl from Ipanema” and other foreign-language songs as well as the hits “Killing Me Softly”, “I’ve Got a Name”. He also wrote the lyrics for many TV show themes such as Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley.

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