"I Will Follow Him" is a song recorded by Little Peggy
March. The music was written by Frank Pourcel (using the
pseudonym J.W. Stole) and Paul Mauriat (using the pseudonym Del
Roma). The music was adapted by Arthur Altman and the English
lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel.
The song is a translation of the French language tune
"Chariot" recorded a year earlier by Petula Clark, which hit #1
in France and #8 in Belgium and earned Clark a gold record.
(Clark's Italian and German recordings of the song were also
major hits.)
The song began as an instrumental piece, recorded in 1961 by
Franck Pourcel, appearing on the 1961 European LP release:
"Amour, Danse, Et Violons. No.17". At the same time, it also
appeared on the EP release: "La Voix de son Maitre". Pourcel
co-wrote the song with friend and fellow French bandleader Paul
Mauriat. Franck Pourcel's original recording was popular on MOR
or "easy listening" stations. Paul Mauriat himself later
recorded an instrumental version in 1976 with a disco beat,
using moog synthesizers.
March's English version, backed with "Wind Up Doll", was
released by RCA Victor and hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on
April 27, 1963, making 15-year-old March the youngest female
artist to have a US chart-topping single. Her version also made
it to #1 on the soul singles chart.