Symphonie is a 1945 song based on the French ballad C’est Fini, with music by Alex Alstone and French lyrics by André Tabet and Roger Bernstein; an English version with new lyrics by Jack Lawrence followed. The melody originated on the French Riviera after World War II and reportedly topped France’s charts, a story noted by Billboard and Time. In the United States, Johnny Desmond and the Glenn Miller Air Force Band introduced the tune, and it went on to top Billboard’s sales, jukebox, and radio charts in 1946, with four different versions appearing on the year-end list. The best known US recording was Freddy Martin and His Orchestra with Clyde Rogers, which spent 13 weeks at number 1 on the Best Sellers chart. Other notable versions were recorded by Benny Goodman, Bing Crosby, Jo Stafford, and more. The song is a traditional pop / easy listening ballad about hearing a loved one’s voice, likened to a symphony.
