Elsa, l'essentiel 1986–1993 is the only compilation of 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...

 singer Elsa Lunghini

Elsa Lunghini

Elsa Lunghini, stage name Elsa , is a French singer and actress. She was a famous teenage pop-star in the late-1980s. In 1986, she was the youngest singer ever to reach number one in the French charts with the single T'en va pas, and she went on to sell millions of records during the decade...

, and her fifth album overall.

Background and critical reception

It was released in 1997.

This album is actually a best of composing of songs from Elsa's first three album : Elsa

Elsa (album)

Elsa is the debut album of the French singer Elsa Lunghini, released in 1988.-Background and critical reception:After the success of her first two singles, "T'en va pas", which peaked at #1 for eight weeks on the official singles chart , and "Quelque chose dans mon cœur", #2 hit, Elsa decided to...

, Rien que pour ça

Rien que pour ça

Rien que pour ça is the second album by the French singer Elsa Lunghini and was released in 1990.-Background and critical reception:In this album, recorded in London, Elsa continued her musical collaboration with her father, Georges Lunghini, since he was co-producer of the album and composed all...

and Douce Violence

Douce Violence

Douce Violence is the third album of the French singer Elsa Lunghini, and it was released in 1992.-Background and critical reception:In this album, when she was only 19, she began to disassociate herself from his father, the composer Georges Lunghini...

. It contains all the songs released as singles, plus several titles that feature on the three studio albums and four cover version in other languages of three of her hits from Elsa ("T'en va pas", "Jour de neige" and "Jamais nous").

This album met a moderate success in Belgium where it was charted for ten weeks, from May 10 to July 19, 1997, peaking at #25 in its fourth week, but it was more successful in France, reaching #5 on the compilations chart and achieving Gold status.

Track listing

#	Title	Length
1.	"T'en va pas T'en va pas "T'en va pas" is a 1986 song recorded by the French artist Elsa Lunghini. Released as a single on 12 October 1986, this song, her debut single, was the soundtrack of the 1986 movie La Femme de ma vie. It was a smash hit in France.... " (R.Wargnier - C.Cohen / R.Musumarra)	5:25
2.	"Quelque chose dans mon cœur Quelque chose dans mon cœur "Quelque chose dans mon cœur" is a 1987 song recorded by the French artist Elsa Lunghini. Released on December 1987, this song was the first single from her debut album Elsa. It achieved a great success in France, reaching number two.-Background:The song was written by Georges Lunghini, Elsa's... " (remix) (P.Grosz / G.Lunghini - V.M.Bouvot)	3:30
3.	"Un Roman d'amitié (Friend You Give Me a Reason) Un Roman d'amitié "Un Roman d'amitié " is a 1988 song recorded by the French artist Elsa Lunghini and the United States singer Glenn Medeiros. The song was released as a single in the summer of 1988 and features on the self-titled LP Elsa.... " (Duet with Glenn Medeiros Glenn Medeiros Glenn Alan Medeiros is a Hispanic Hawaiian singer and rapper who was a teenage star in the 1980s.-Biography:... ) (D.Barbelivien / R.Buchanan - D.Warren)	4:20
4.	"Jour de neige Jour de neige "Jour de neige" is a 1988 song recorded by the French artist Elsa Lunghini. Released on November 1988, this song was the third single from her debut album Elsa. As for the previous three singles, it had a great success in France, reaching number two.... " (P.Grosz / G.Lunghini - V.M.Bouvot)	4:00
5.	"Jamais nous" (remix) (D.Barbelivien / G.Lunghini - V.M.Bouvot)	3:50
6.	"À la même heure dans deux ans" (P.Grosz / G.Lunghini - R.Donnez)	3:30
7.	"Mon Cadeau" (D.Barbelivien / G.Lunghini - V.M.Bouvot)	3:50
8.	"Pleure doucement" (T.Séchan / G.Lunghini- V.M.Bouvot)	3:59
9.	"Qu'est-ce que ça peut lui faire" (G.Presgurvic / G.Lunghini- V.M.Bouvot)	3:20
10.	"Rien que pour ça" (G.Presgurvic / E.Lunghini)	2:45
11.	"Supplice chinois" (J.Duvall / G.Lunghini)	4:14
12.	"Être ensemble" (J.L.Dabadie / G.Lunghini)	3:50
13.	"Bouscule-moi" (J.L.Dabadie / G.Lunghini - R.Donnez)	3:30
14.	"Tout l'temps, tout l'temps" (J.L.Dabadie / G.Lunghini - R.Donnez)	2:45
15.	"Papa, Please Don't Go" (English version of "T'en va pas") (R.Wargnier - C.Cohen - C.Welsman / R.Musumarra)	3:59
16.	"Gli anni miei" (Italian version of "Jour de neige") (P.Grosz - A.Cassella / G. Lunghini - V.M.Bouvot)	3:58
17.	"Solo era un sueno" (Spanish version of "Jour de neige") (P.Grosz - C.Rosenvinge / G.Lunghini - V.M.Bouvot)	4:02
18.	"Dos bichos raros" (Spanish version of "Jamais nous") (D.Barbelivien - C.Rosenvinge / G.Lunghini - V.M.Bouvot)	3:54

Charts, certifications and sales

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts...	25
French Compilations Chart	3

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
France	Gold	1997	100,000