The original version, sung by Aznavour in French, was introduced in the 1981 movie Teheran 43 (USSR). In March of the same year, it was released by French Barclay Records in three separate albums: Teheran 43, Autobiographie and Une vie d'amour, a single with Mireille Mathieu.[2]
The song, whose title can be loosely translated as "A Life in Love", is a slow love ballad. There is also an alternative Russian translation (by Alexander Solin), a Chinese version of the song[3] and a Yiddish version performed by the Barry Sisters.