Bo le lavabo
Encyclopedia
"Bo le lavabo" is a 1990 novelty song
recorded by the French
TV presenter and humorist Lagaf'
. It was his debut single and achieved success in France.
(Vincent Rouil), who featured on several TV programs in the 1980s and 1990s, commented on how easy it was to produce a hit single during the house period, because the repetitive music distracts the audience from the words, reduced to a bare and trivial content. The sketch had a great success, and an unpretentious and ironic single was released. Against all odds, it managed to reach number one on French Singles Chart.
The lyrics are deliberately very poor. In them, Lagaf' explains that, for producing a hit every year, changing the words is enough: the first year, we can sing "il est beau le lavabo" ("the sink
is beautiful"), the second year, "il est laid le bidet" ("the bidet
is ugly"), and the third year, we mix both versions.
The music uses a sample recorded by Lil Louis
from his song "French Kiss
", which was released in 1989.
After this amazing success, Lagaf' released a new single the following year, "La Zoubida
", which was even more successful than "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" (number one for 11 weeks).
, the single debuted at the bottom of the chart on March 24, 1990. It progressed steadily in the chart, even if sometimes lost a few places, and eventually reached #1, on June 16. It remained only a single week at the top of the chart but stabilized in the top ten for a total of 18 weeks. It fell off the top 50 on September 29, after its 28th week. The single was certified Gold disc
by the SNEP, the French certificator. According to the Infodisc website, with over 400,000 copies sold, the song is to date the 718th best-selling single of all time in France.
12" single
12" maxi
A-side :
B-side :
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
recorded by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
TV presenter and humorist Lagaf'
Lagaf'
Lagaf is a famous French humorist, TV presenter, singer and actor.-Biography:...
. It was his debut single and achieved success in France.
Background and writing
In one of his sketches, humorist Vincent Lagaf'Lagaf'
Lagaf is a famous French humorist, TV presenter, singer and actor.-Biography:...
(Vincent Rouil), who featured on several TV programs in the 1980s and 1990s, commented on how easy it was to produce a hit single during the house period, because the repetitive music distracts the audience from the words, reduced to a bare and trivial content. The sketch had a great success, and an unpretentious and ironic single was released. Against all odds, it managed to reach number one on French Singles Chart.
The lyrics are deliberately very poor. In them, Lagaf' explains that, for producing a hit every year, changing the words is enough: the first year, we can sing "il est beau le lavabo" ("the sink
Sink
A sink is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture used for washing hands, for dishwashing or other purposes. Sinks generally have taps that supply hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for faster rinsing...
is beautiful"), the second year, "il est laid le bidet" ("the bidet
Bidet
A bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the genitalia, inner buttocks, and anus. It was originally a French word.-History:...
is ugly"), and the third year, we mix both versions.
The music uses a sample recorded by Lil Louis
Lil Louis
Lil Louis is the stage name used by Chicago-born house-music producer and DJ Louis Sims. He scored a number of hits on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1980s and 1990s, three of which hit #1....
from his song "French Kiss
French Kiss (song)
"French Kiss" is a 1989 house-music single that became a European and American hit for American artist Lil Louis. The song also was a hit in dance clubs around the world, and it spent two weeks at #1 on the American dance chart in October 1989. It was a crossover pop hit as well, peaking at number...
", which was released in 1989.
After this amazing success, Lagaf' released a new single the following year, "La Zoubida
La Zoubida
"La Zoubida" is a 1991 novelty song recorded by the French TV presenter and humorist Lagaf'. It was the second single from his album Le Lavabo...
", which was even more successful than "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" (number one for 11 weeks).
Chart performances
In FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the single debuted at the bottom of the chart on March 24, 1990. It progressed steadily in the chart, even if sometimes lost a few places, and eventually reached #1, on June 16. It remained only a single week at the top of the chart but stabilized in the top ten for a total of 18 weeks. It fell off the top 50 on September 29, after its 28th week. The single was certified Gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the SNEP, the French certificator. According to the Infodisc website, with over 400,000 copies sold, the song is to date the 718th best-selling single of all time in France.
Formats and track listings
CD single- "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" — 3:50
- "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" (bonus) — 1:00
- "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" (forbidden version) — 5:00
12" single
- "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" — 3:50
- "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" (forbidden version) — 5:00
12" maxi
A-side :
- "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" — 3:50
B-side :
- "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" (bonus) — 1:00
- "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)" (forbidden version) — 5:00
Certifications and sales
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Gold | 1990 | 400,000 | 444,000 |
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 1 |