C'est l'amour
Encyclopedia
"C'est l'amour" is a popular song recorded by Belgian
band Léopold Nord & Vous
. It was trio's debut single, released in September 1987, from the album of the same name, and perhaps remains to date its most known song, due to the huge success it met in France and the number of cover versions and remixes that it was the subject throughout the years. It can be deemed as band's signature song
.
studio, in London
, a song he wrote in English-language, entitled "Don't walk away". However, no recording company agreed to sign a contract with him, because nobody thought that the song had potential. Mension decided to re-record the song adding French voices to the English mix. He then re-wrote the lyrics in French-language along with his two brothers, Benoît and Hubert. The song was re-entitled "C'est l'amour".
The song was eventually released in early September 1987. The cover art was made by Steve Sauvage who also made those for Muriel Dacq
's first two singles. "C'est l'amour" was re-issued in 1993 in remixed versions named "Unity Power mixes". "C'est l'amour" was part on many French and Belgian compilations released in the 2000s, such as Absolument 80: Tubes français Vol. 1, Top 50 vol.3, Nos belges années 1978-1988, volume 1, Bel 80 - Het beste uit de Belpop van 1987, Best of - Les Tubes Fête, Club 80's and 100 Chansons Françaises. In 2007 and 2008, the song was performed at the RFM Party 80 concert tour in which numerous artists of the 1980s, including Alec Mension, participated.
sonorities.
The video shows two of the singers in an elevator, dressed as baggage handlers and performing the song. Throughout this one, the elevator goes up and down and welcomes various people, that what gives rise to various situations.
's big hit "La Bamba
" which was atop then. The song totaled 14 weeks in the top ten, ten dropped more quickly and fell off the chart (top 50) after 24 weeks.
Certified Gold
disc by the SNEP, the song is currently the 358th best-selling single of all time in France. Worldwide, the song has sold more than one million copies.
In 2008, Quentin Mosimann
, the winner of Star Academy 7 in France, covered "C'est l'amour" on his debut album Duel. He first decided to release this song as second single from his album, but eventually cancelled this idea. The same year, Kitch & Co produced a dance version of the song, devoted to the discothèques, available on the cover album 100 reprises dancefloor.
12" maxi
CD single
CD maxi
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
band Léopold Nord & Vous
Léopold Nord & Vous
Léopold Nord & Vous, then Les Chéris, is a Belgian band founded in 1983. In France, it can be considered as a one-hit wonder for its single "C'est l'amour", but both band and members had a long and successful musical career in Belgium.-Biography:...
. It was trio's debut single, released in September 1987, from the album of the same name, and perhaps remains to date its most known song, due to the huge success it met in France and the number of cover versions and remixes that it was the subject throughout the years. It can be deemed as band's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
.
Background and release
In 1987, Alec Mension, a Belgian artist who had already released several singles in his country, recorded in Tony ViscontiTony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
studio, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, a song he wrote in English-language, entitled "Don't walk away". However, no recording company agreed to sign a contract with him, because nobody thought that the song had potential. Mension decided to re-record the song adding French voices to the English mix. He then re-wrote the lyrics in French-language along with his two brothers, Benoît and Hubert. The song was re-entitled "C'est l'amour".
The song was eventually released in early September 1987. The cover art was made by Steve Sauvage who also made those for Muriel Dacq
Muriel Dacq
Muriel Dacq is a Belgian singer-songwriter, active in the 1980s in France.-Biography:...
's first two singles. "C'est l'amour" was re-issued in 1993 in remixed versions named "Unity Power mixes". "C'est l'amour" was part on many French and Belgian compilations released in the 2000s, such as Absolument 80: Tubes français Vol. 1, Top 50 vol.3, Nos belges années 1978-1988, volume 1, Bel 80 - Het beste uit de Belpop van 1987, Best of - Les Tubes Fête, Club 80's and 100 Chansons Françaises. In 2007 and 2008, the song was performed at the RFM Party 80 concert tour in which numerous artists of the 1980s, including Alec Mension, participated.
Structure and video
According to an expert of French charts, the song has "very nice sounds", a "humorous" tone and enjoys "good humor". The theme of love is here, ironically, used in all its facets. In the verses, after expressing an idea in the form of a question or an exclamation, the words "C'est l'amour" are chanted as being the cause of each idea previously mentioned. The song has also dance-popDance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
sonorities.
The video shows two of the singers in an elevator, dressed as baggage handlers and performing the song. Throughout this one, the elevator goes up and down and welcomes various people, that what gives rise to various situations.
Chart performances
In France, the single went to #26 on the SNEP singles chart on September 19, 1987. It climbed almost every week and entered the top ten four weeks later. It finally peaked at number 2 twice, on November 21 and December 12, being unable to disloge Los LobosLos Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
's big hit "La Bamba
La Bamba (song)
"La Bamba" is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs...
" which was atop then. The song totaled 14 weeks in the top ten, ten dropped more quickly and fell off the chart (top 50) after 24 weeks.
Certified Gold
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,...
disc by the SNEP, the song is currently the 358th best-selling single of all time in France. Worldwide, the song has sold more than one million copies.
Cover versions
Throughout the years, the song was notably covered in foreign languages by many artists.In 2008, Quentin Mosimann
Quentin Mosimann
Quentin Mosimann is a Swiss singer, winner of the seventh season of the TV reality show Star Academy France. His first solo album, Duel, is composed of cover versions of 1980s hits...
, the winner of Star Academy 7 in France, covered "C'est l'amour" on his debut album Duel. He first decided to release this song as second single from his album, but eventually cancelled this idea. The same year, Kitch & Co produced a dance version of the song, devoted to the discothèques, available on the cover album 100 reprises dancefloor.
Original version
7" single- "C'est l'amour" — 3:25
- "C'est l'amour" (instrumental) — 3:45
12" maxi
- "C'est l'amour" (love remix) — 5:25
- "C'est l'amour" (instrumental) — 3:21
- "C'est l'amour" — 3:21
1993 remixes
12" maxi- "C'est l'amour (techno club remix) — 5:07
- "C'est l'amour (love club remix) — 5:13
- "C'est l'amour (dance version) — 5:17
- "C'est l'amour" — 3:24
CD single
- "C'est l'amour" (radio version) — 3:24
- "C'est l'amour" (love club remix) — 5:12
CD maxi
- "C'est l'amour" (radio version) — 3:24
- "C'est l'amour" (love club remix) — 5:12
- "C'est l'amour" (techno club remix) — 5:07
- "C'est l'amour" (dance version) — 5:17
Versions
- Album version
- Dance version
- Instrumental version
- Love club remix
- Love remix
- Radio version
- Techno club remix
Credits
- Guitar by Steve Byrd
- Mixed by Luc Tytgat and Sid Wells
- Produced by Alec Mansion
- Recorded at Good Earth Studio (London) and Studio Pyramide (Brussels)
- Artwork by Steve Sauvage
- Produced by Alec Mansion
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Gold | 1987 | 500,000 | 620,000 |
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 25 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 2 |