The song takes its title from a phrase that originates from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (1601) and later Macbeth (1606).[3]
The song plays an important role in the film. When the forbidden strong and close romantic relationship between Christian and Satine has been discovered, Christian pens this romance song and includes it in the musical he is currently writing. Each time either of them sings this song, they can secretly declare their equally deep and true romantic love for each other.
The version of the song on the
soundtrack album differs slightly from the version heard in the film. The lyrics "Every day I love you more and more" and "Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing / Telling me to give you everything" can be heard on the soundtrack version. In the movie, they are replaced by a musical
interlude the first time, and, the second time, Satine sings instead of the latter part, "Come back to me and forgive everything." The single version can be found on the
original soundtrack, while the original film version can be found on the
follow-up soundtrack.
It was released as a single in
Australia where it became the 8th highest-selling single by an Australian artist of 2001.[4] It was also released in the UK, where it charted at #27,[5] and in Germany.[6]
Luke Evans featuring
Charlotte Church released a version as a single on 14 October 2022, taken from Evans' second studio album, A Song for You.[16]
The song is featured in the original recording of the 2018
jukebox musicalMoulin Rouge!, performed by stage actors
Aaron Tveit and
Karen Olivo, who played Christian and Satine, respectively, in the Broadway production.
The song is performed as a duet by Siôn Daniel Young and
Fra Fee in Duck Soup Films' limited series Lost Boys and Fairies, episode 2, entitled "With or Without You." [17]