She was barely old enough to drive, yet a teenage Peggy March already held the world in the palm of her hand. When “I Will Follow Him” stormed the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1963, the 15 year old from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, became the youngest female artist ever to claim the No 1 spot, a record that still stands more than six decades later. That triumph did not happen by chance. It was the product of a song that had already crossed the ocean once, and was ready to conquer another.
The journey began as a breezy instrumental called “Chariot,” composed by French maestro Franck Pourcel with contributions from Paul Mauriat and Raymond Lefèvre. Across Europe, the melody turned heads and eventually found a vocal treatment from French lyricist Jacques Plante. Petula Clark sang it and turned the tune into a hit in France. Yet the song still lacked its global language.
American songwriters Norman Gimbel and Arthur Altman recognized its potential and rewrote the lyrics in English. They shifted the gentle melody into a fierce promise of devotion. Every word now pulsed with young love and total loyalty. The phrase “I will follow him” became a declaration, and the search was on for a voice that could carry such passion.
The voice came from a tiny girl with a towering presence. Margaret Annemarie Battavio had been singing at local events when RCA Victor scouts first heard her. She signed with the label as one of its youngest acts and adopted the stage name Peggy March. The nickname “Little Peggy March” reflected her stature, but not her vocal power. When she stepped into the studio, she poured innocent confidence into the song. Her delivery made the lyric “I love him, I love him, I love him” sound like a personal vow rather than a performance.
Released in early 1963, the record moved fast. By April it reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and it also left its mark on the adult contemporary and rhythm and blues charts. In an era dominated by rock and roll, this pop ballad with lush orchestration stood far apart. It offered raw emotion wrapped in a polished arrangement, a combination that appealed to teenagers and their parents alike. The song became the voice of every young heart that had ever promised to follow love anywhere.
Three decades later, the song found a surprising second life. The 1992 comedy Sister Act used a gospel reworking of “I Will Follow Him” with Whoopi Goldberg leading a choir of nuns. That version transformed the love song into a joyful spiritual anthem. The lyrics suddenly fit perfectly as a declaration of faith. The movie introduced the track to a generation that had never heard Peggy March, and reminded older listeners why they fell in love with the melody in the first place.
Today “I Will Follow Him” remains a rare example of a song that can feel romantic, playful, and spiritual all at once. Its simplicity is its power. The line about no ocean too deep and no mountain too high speaks to something universal in the human heart. For Peggy March, the song remains her signature, and she still performs it around the world whenever she steps onto a stage.
What began as a French instrumental became a global classic through the voice of a teenage girl. The story of “I Will Follow Him” is a reminder that the greatest pop songs often have the most complicated journeys. They are written in one place, translated in another, and eventually sung by someone who somehow makes them feel brand new. Decades later, that voice still rings clear, promising to follow wherever love leads.
Lyrics
I love him, I love him, I love him
And where He goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll followI will follow him
Follow him, wherever he may go
There isn’t an ocean too deep
A mountain so high it can keep me awayI must follow him
Ever since he touched my hand I knew
That near him I always must be
And nothing can keep him from me
He is my destinyI love him, I love him, I love him
And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow
He’ll always be my true love, my true love, my true love
From now until forever, forever, foreverI will follow him
Follow him, wherever he may go
There isn’t an ocean too deep
A mountain so high it can keep, keep me away
Away from my loveI love him, I love him, I love him
And where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow
He’ll always be my true love, my true love, my true love
From now until forever, forever, foreverI will follow him
Follow him, wherever he may go
There isn’t an ocean too deep
A mountain so high it can keep, keep me away
Away from my loveAnd where he goes I’ll follow, I’ll follow, I’ll follow
I know I’ll always love him