The 80s-90s Lost Classics Rate - Goodbye Wes! :'-(
- Thread starter berserkboi
- Start date
he/him
That remix is how I discovered Vaya Con Dios. Random song to pop up on Dance Nation TV.
D
Deleted member 26234
A lady has to go tonight!
German?
Norwegian/Swedish?
French?
It's Argentine Marie Claire D'Ubaldo
#29
Marie Claire D’Ubaldo - La Magia Del Ritmo
Picked By: @Filippa
Credentials: #1 in Italy, #7 in Austria, and #11 in Japan, strong sales in Japan, Russia, and Latin America (about 250.000 copies sold).
Average Score: 7.6023
Highest Score: 10 @pop3blow2
Lowest Score: 4 @daninternational
Marie Claire D'Ubaldo was born in Buenos Aires to a French father and Argentine mother and lived in London.
The Italian radio stations enthusiastically received this cheerful Caribbean-tinged record. It was the perfect record to fit with the summer heatwave, and soon it was played everywhere. It was described as an "interesting cross between Gloria Estefan and the Gypsy Kings … finally, a new rhythm, which works well … so different from other songs, it's not boom-boom all the way". The plan was that the tourists bring it back to their respective homelands, but only the Austrian tourists seemed to oblige.
After this "failure" in the English-speaking market, nobody seemed interested in promoting the album "Alma De Barro" any further. No one could see another hit single, so she was dropped by the record company. Marie Claire didn't leave the music business, however. She got quite successful as a songwriter (she co-wrote, for example, One & One by Robert Miles / Edyta Gorniak).
But ironically, she is best known for a song on that album "Alma De Barre": “Falling Into You” covered by Celine Dion. Celine praised it as one of the “thrillest” songs on her album "Falling Into You" and said that it marked a step for her emancipation as an artist, as she insisted on a different arrangement as her producers.
But listen to the two versions, don't they sound the same?
What did PopJustice think?
@pop3blow2 (10): Oooh, this is nice. A bit Nelly Furtado, a bit Miami Sound Machine, all pretty nice things to hear in here.
@saviodxl (9.5): This should've been famous like Gloria Stefan or Selena level of Latin pop.
@MilesAngel (8.5): I love the fast pace of the Spanish guitar in this. It does make me want to dance to the rhythm. But I keep thinking she's singing 'the rhythm is gay!'
@WowWowWowWow (8): Bonus point for being the co-writer of multiple Amber hits!!
@jtm (6.8): The English version is not it, but the original is quite good.
@Epic Chocolat (8,7): I only knew her for "Falling Into You". Happy to discover she was also part of the 90s latin wave.
@DominoDancing (7.5): Like this. Although in the English version, I always think she's gonna go into Rhythm Is Gonna Get You...which is the superior song.
@Filippa (8): She sounds a bit like Gloria Estefan, but in the best possible way!
@berserkboi (8.7): Fun beat! Reminds me of Gloria Estefan's music! Specifically The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You!
@daninternational (4): The English version was so horrible, I switched to the non-English. It's not as bad, I guess.
La magia del ritmo
Blue Boy (ft. Laura Critchley)
Los ojos de me padre
German?
Norwegian/Swedish?
French?
It's Argentine Marie Claire D'Ubaldo
#29
Marie Claire D’Ubaldo - La Magia Del Ritmo
Picked By: @Filippa
Credentials: #1 in Italy, #7 in Austria, and #11 in Japan, strong sales in Japan, Russia, and Latin America (about 250.000 copies sold).
Average Score: 7.6023
Highest Score: 10 @pop3blow2
Lowest Score: 4 @daninternational
Marie Claire D'Ubaldo was born in Buenos Aires to a French father and Argentine mother and lived in London.
The Italian radio stations enthusiastically received this cheerful Caribbean-tinged record. It was the perfect record to fit with the summer heatwave, and soon it was played everywhere. It was described as an "interesting cross between Gloria Estefan and the Gypsy Kings … finally, a new rhythm, which works well … so different from other songs, it's not boom-boom all the way". The plan was that the tourists bring it back to their respective homelands, but only the Austrian tourists seemed to oblige.
After this "failure" in the English-speaking market, nobody seemed interested in promoting the album "Alma De Barro" any further. No one could see another hit single, so she was dropped by the record company. Marie Claire didn't leave the music business, however. She got quite successful as a songwriter (she co-wrote, for example, One & One by Robert Miles / Edyta Gorniak).
But ironically, she is best known for a song on that album "Alma De Barre": “Falling Into You” covered by Celine Dion. Celine praised it as one of the “thrillest” songs on her album "Falling Into You" and said that it marked a step for her emancipation as an artist, as she insisted on a different arrangement as her producers.
But listen to the two versions, don't they sound the same?
What did PopJustice think?
@pop3blow2 (10): Oooh, this is nice. A bit Nelly Furtado, a bit Miami Sound Machine, all pretty nice things to hear in here.
@saviodxl (9.5): This should've been famous like Gloria Stefan or Selena level of Latin pop.
@MilesAngel (8.5): I love the fast pace of the Spanish guitar in this. It does make me want to dance to the rhythm. But I keep thinking she's singing 'the rhythm is gay!'
@WowWowWowWow (8): Bonus point for being the co-writer of multiple Amber hits!!
@jtm (6.8): The English version is not it, but the original is quite good.
@Epic Chocolat (8,7): I only knew her for "Falling Into You". Happy to discover she was also part of the 90s latin wave.
@DominoDancing (7.5): Like this. Although in the English version, I always think she's gonna go into Rhythm Is Gonna Get You...which is the superior song.
@Filippa (8): She sounds a bit like Gloria Estefan, but in the best possible way!
@berserkboi (8.7): Fun beat! Reminds me of Gloria Estefan's music! Specifically The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You!
@daninternational (4): The English version was so horrible, I switched to the non-English. It's not as bad, I guess.
La magia del ritmo
Blue Boy (ft. Laura Critchley)
Los ojos de me padre
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8.5. I'm always drawn to songs with Spanish guitar. I thought this would at least be Top 20.
'But I keep thinking she's singing 'the rhythm is gay!' This pertains to the English language version. I didn't mean it as a bad thing (duh!), I just thought it was funny.
'But I keep thinking she's singing 'the rhythm is gay!' This pertains to the English language version. I didn't mean it as a bad thing (duh!), I just thought it was funny.
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D
Deleted member 26234
Me, too!
But according to the lyrics it's "king".
I was the lone 10 for this one?!? Really? I would've lost that bet before the rate.
Oh well, I really liked this one.
D
Deleted member 26234
Another lady has to go. The men are quite safe right now, what is happening?
This time you eliminate a big star. She has been successful since the beginning of the 80s.
She even starred in a movie or two .....
So who am I talking about?
#28
Nena - Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann
Nena ft. Kim Wilde - Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime
Picked By: @Filippa
Credentials
Released two times (1984 and 2003)
#1 in Austria, #2 in Germany, # 9 in Switzerland
(about 200.000 units sold)
Average Score: 7.6909
Highest Score: 10 @Penguin, @MilesAngel, @Remorque
Lowest Score: 5 @daninternational, @Epic Chocolat, @Ezz
Nena is the doyenne of "Neue Deutsche Welle" or German pop music. She just had to be in this rate, even 'though "99 Luftballons" wasn't eligible.
As with most of the "Neue Deutsche Welle" stars, the success was suddenly over. In 1987 her band separated. In 1989 her disabled son Christopher died at the age of eleven months, which must have been such a tragedy for her because whatever you might think of Nena personally, she seems to be a devoted mother and grandmother. After this stroke of fate, Nena pushed her solo career as a singer and also moderated on television. But the great success only returned when she re-recorded old hits - especially her "Irgendwie, Irgendwo, Irgendwann" as an English version of "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime" in a duet with Kim Wilde was a success.
In 2005 she was able to follow suit with new compositions. "Willst du mit mir gehen" became a successful album, as did her accompanying single "Liebe ist". Around this time, a new wave of German-language songs appears. But this time, the lyrics were not just lyrics; they were literature. The German language was used unexpectedly and beautifully. She jumped on this bandwagon with her sensational and only second #1 song in Germany called "Liebe ist". It's about that love just is. There is no need to describe love in any way; it is just there (or not). Love is.
Around that time, the company I worked for as a youngster had a unique image campaign. Each year one concert with free entrance was arranged, and Nena was the star of one of these concerts. She wasn't an easy-going star. For example, she was booked into the best hotel in town, which also happened to be near the place where the venue took place. But as she didn't know it, she demanded to be booked into another hotel, part of an international group. This demand made the organisation much more complicated regarding her security and transportation to the venue. And that was just the beginning, but you get the idea?
So, although I like her music and her reputation of being alternative, left-winged, enthusiastic and so on, I still think of her as kind of a diva.
What did PopJustice think?
@MilesAngel (10) This is a huge discovery. I can't believe I didn't know it as it's just as good as '99 Luftballons.' It has a slight 60's feel but with a fabulous 80's twist.
@jtm (7.8): Nice though the 2003 (?) remix in both the solo and Kim Wilde version goes off so much more. She's a Covid conspiracy theorist now.
@Phonetics Girl (6): Sadly I haven't yet heard a Nena song I didn't forget while it was still playing.
@WowWowWowWow (8): My first exposure to this song was the version with Kim Wilde, so I appreciate the original for reference but I don't think I would go back to the solo one.
@DominoDancing (9): A stone cold classic, although somehow I had managed to never have seen the music video until today. No clue what they were going for with that.
@daninternational (5): Having lived in Germany for 6 years, I was aware that Nena was more than just a one hit wonder. But from what I've heard, I'm happy to just to stick to that (great) one
@berserkboi (8.3): Great production but the vocals are a little disappointing on top!
@Filippa (7): This has such a nice melody! But I like the version with Kim Wild better.
@Sprockrooster (9.5): knowing the Kim Wilde version I can't 10 this now, but damn this is almost as great!
Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime
99 Luftballons
Leuchtturm
Liebe ist
Wunder geschehen
She wrote that song for her son who died as a baby.
This time you eliminate a big star. She has been successful since the beginning of the 80s.
She even starred in a movie or two .....
So who am I talking about?
#28
Nena - Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann
Nena ft. Kim Wilde - Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime
Picked By: @Filippa
Credentials
Released two times (1984 and 2003)
#1 in Austria, #2 in Germany, # 9 in Switzerland
(about 200.000 units sold)
Average Score: 7.6909
Highest Score: 10 @Penguin, @MilesAngel, @Remorque
Lowest Score: 5 @daninternational, @Epic Chocolat, @Ezz
Nena is the doyenne of "Neue Deutsche Welle" or German pop music. She just had to be in this rate, even 'though "99 Luftballons" wasn't eligible.
As with most of the "Neue Deutsche Welle" stars, the success was suddenly over. In 1987 her band separated. In 1989 her disabled son Christopher died at the age of eleven months, which must have been such a tragedy for her because whatever you might think of Nena personally, she seems to be a devoted mother and grandmother. After this stroke of fate, Nena pushed her solo career as a singer and also moderated on television. But the great success only returned when she re-recorded old hits - especially her "Irgendwie, Irgendwo, Irgendwann" as an English version of "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime" in a duet with Kim Wilde was a success.
In 2005 she was able to follow suit with new compositions. "Willst du mit mir gehen" became a successful album, as did her accompanying single "Liebe ist". Around this time, a new wave of German-language songs appears. But this time, the lyrics were not just lyrics; they were literature. The German language was used unexpectedly and beautifully. She jumped on this bandwagon with her sensational and only second #1 song in Germany called "Liebe ist". It's about that love just is. There is no need to describe love in any way; it is just there (or not). Love is.
Around that time, the company I worked for as a youngster had a unique image campaign. Each year one concert with free entrance was arranged, and Nena was the star of one of these concerts. She wasn't an easy-going star. For example, she was booked into the best hotel in town, which also happened to be near the place where the venue took place. But as she didn't know it, she demanded to be booked into another hotel, part of an international group. This demand made the organisation much more complicated regarding her security and transportation to the venue. And that was just the beginning, but you get the idea?
So, although I like her music and her reputation of being alternative, left-winged, enthusiastic and so on, I still think of her as kind of a diva.
What did PopJustice think?
@MilesAngel (10) This is a huge discovery. I can't believe I didn't know it as it's just as good as '99 Luftballons.' It has a slight 60's feel but with a fabulous 80's twist.
@jtm (7.8): Nice though the 2003 (?) remix in both the solo and Kim Wilde version goes off so much more. She's a Covid conspiracy theorist now.
@Phonetics Girl (6): Sadly I haven't yet heard a Nena song I didn't forget while it was still playing.
@WowWowWowWow (8): My first exposure to this song was the version with Kim Wilde, so I appreciate the original for reference but I don't think I would go back to the solo one.
@DominoDancing (9): A stone cold classic, although somehow I had managed to never have seen the music video until today. No clue what they were going for with that.
@daninternational (5): Having lived in Germany for 6 years, I was aware that Nena was more than just a one hit wonder. But from what I've heard, I'm happy to just to stick to that (great) one
@berserkboi (8.3): Great production but the vocals are a little disappointing on top!
@Filippa (7): This has such a nice melody! But I like the version with Kim Wild better.
@Sprockrooster (9.5): knowing the Kim Wilde version I can't 10 this now, but damn this is almost as great!
Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime
99 Luftballons
Leuchtturm
Liebe ist
Wunder geschehen
She wrote that song for her son who died as a baby.
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he/him
I'm not sure that's true with seeing Kim retweeting a picture of a nurse who vaccinated people, and her father Marty getting vaccinated, unless there is something else she's claiming. Where's the receipts, @jtm?!?
D
Deleted member 26234
@jtm didn't mean Kim Wilde but Nena.
Nena tweeted on instagram:
"Ich habe meinen gesunden Menschenverstand, der die Informationen und die Panikmache, die von außen auf uns einströmen, in alle Einzelteile zerlegt. Und so ist es mir möglich, mich nicht hypnotisiert von Angst in die Dunkelheit ziehen zu lassen."
It's a bit cryptic, she talks about scaremongering and her common sense which sees through it so that she is not hypnotised by the fear. Xavier Naidoo liked the post.
Her management put it into perspective. They said that she isn't a corona-denier but she doesn't like all the measures (for example that children have to wear masks).
But I didn't read anything else about Nena and corona or conspiracy theories. Personally, I don't believe that she has high mental skills.
Yeah the thing with Nena is that since the 90s, there's always been idiosyncratic stuff bubbling up in the media e.g. regarding her new-agey spirituality. She's founded a Sudbury school in Hamburg. None of which is problematic in and of itself, but paints an overall picture of someone I could definitely see going "WhY wOn'T aNyOnE tHiNk Of ThE cHiLdReN?" on Instagram even without being a full-blown Covid denier.
Thanks @Filippa - that‘s what I meant. And as @DominoDancing rightly adds it‘s the context of everything else that paints that tweet (in my opinion, obviously) a bit more sinister than it might have been intended.
I do however still highly recommend the updated versions of this song and of Leuchtturm.
I do however still highly recommend the updated versions of this song and of Leuchtturm.
he/him
I see. My apologies, @jtm. I had a feeling it might have been Nena, rather than my lovely Kim. I mean, we have less strict rules on children wearing them and... *autistic noises agreeing to disagree with yet another neurotypical doubter* no, Nena, because I fecking hate #COVIDIOTS enough already, and in all honesty, the safer, the better for children, even though they're apparently not able to get the disease, but then, I've heard about babies catching it. Shame that whilst I'm not fluent in German, I'm noticing some of the theory without the translation.
No worries. And we can all in good conscience continue to stan Kim.
He/Him
It's already time for me to return, and sadly I must take an 11 with me!
#27
Khaled - Aïcha
Picked By: Berserkboi
Credentials: #1 France, 4th Best Selling Single In 1996, Certified DIAMOND by SNEP, 720000 Units SOLD, #1 Belgium, 7th Best Selling Single of 1996, #10 Netherlands
Average Score: 7.7136
Highest Score: 11 @dancingwithmyself 10 @berserkboi @Remorque @Sprockrooster
Lowest Score: 4.5 @MilesAngel
Poor Sprocky continues to lose! It seems I take a favourite of his whenever I eliminate songs these days! I suppose we will still be glad we even had a chance to chat Khaled on PopJustice. and for that we should thank @londonrain for trying to get Aïcha into a round of RETRO a few months ago, reminding me of this classic and how massive it truly was in the 90s.
Thinking back, this was a song we used to hear every few hours in Mauritius when it was on the charts - be it through a program ending early (needing something to fill the gap before the next one started - I really stan that age of commercial breaks not being as excessive as they are now!) or through randomly turning the radio on. I think it helped that Aïcha had exotic musical elements to it, prompting a bit of crossover appeal between people who would listen to the Contemporary Pop Station, as well as those who favoured the local Sega Channel. Khaled’s distinctive tone, range and entrancing pronunciations certainly makes this song one that would stay with you after you heard it. The fact it was also a bit unique sonically in the scheme of 1996 Music certainly did not hurt!
I have to say - looking back at many of the songs I ended up selecting here - I really stan 80s-90s France loving and SUPPORTING so much language diversity. If only the English centric charts (UK/US/AUS) could have done the same, imagine what classics we would be discussing on your average thread now! A moment that recalled the random connection I came across when eliminating Tic Tic Tac (Patrick Bruel producing that one), it is interesting to note that most of Aïcha is written (and produced) by Rate Alumnus Jean-Jacques Goldman - highlighting the breadth of his talent (though some elements here are echoed in On Ne Change Pas). The Arabic verse is written by Khaled. Aïcha falls under the raï genre of music, a type of Algerian folk music that originates from the 1920’s. If you ever wondered what the song was about:
The song's lyrics are about a woman named Aïcha, who is being wooed by a man. He promises her pearls, jewels, poems, and other luxuries and romantic things, to which she replies:
Keep your treasures
I want more than all that
Bars are bars, even if made of gold
I want the same rights as you
And respect for each day
I don't want anything but love
The song's chorus has the following words in French (with English translation):
Aïcha, Aïcha, écoute-moi = Aisha, Aisha, listen to me
Aïcha, Aïcha, t'en va pas = Aisha, Aisha, don't go away
Aïcha, Aïcha, regarde-moi = Aisha, Aisha, look at me
Aïcha, Aïcha, réponds-moi = Aisha, Aisha, answer me
The lyrics were all in French. The Arabic verse by Khaled (his own composition) added later is as follows:
نبغيك عايشة ونموت عليك (Nbghīk ʿāysha wanmūt ʿalīk) = I want you Aisha and would die for you
هادي قصية حياتي وحبي (Hādī ksayat ḥayātī waḥabbī) = This is the story of my life and my love
انت عمري وانت حياتي (ʾAnti ʿumrī wʾanti ḥayātī) = You are my years and you are my life
تمنيت نعيش معك غير انت (Tmannīt nʿaysh mʿāk ghayr ʾanti) = I wish to live with you, only you
It breaks my heart that we are 35 years into the future and some of these basic requests are still so hard for some people to obtain.
@jtm (5) - brings up the Outlandish cover that definitely looks to have charted in a lot more countries than the original, though despite all that doesn’t seem to have sold quite as much! - There was a successful cover version of this a few years ago so I have heard this way too many times. @berserkboi (10) is at it again making my point more concisely at me!! - The entrancing nature of this song is second to none, hey?
@DominoDancing (7.5) notices Heart where I noticed Celine! I love how our references are different, yet we still end up together here! - Another one I had never heard before, even though a cover apparently went to #1 in Germany? Crazy. The verses give me slight vibes of the chorus of Heart's Alone. @Phonetics Girl (9.5) has me intrigued about this version, please send a link and a lyric translation! Ddd - I'm starting to think the lyrics mean something else than what the Polish version led me to believe. he's far too smiley to be singing about being a simp.
@Epic Chocolat (5) has another Celine track in mind, my goodness!! - Written by Jean-Jacques Goldman who recycled one of his melodies (see Céline's Les derniers seront les premiers), I appreciated this song fine in passing until Khaled ruined everything. @WowWowWowWow (7) is a pun master! - Just outlandish that Outlandish would do what they did to this...
@daninternational (9) praises a Male French pick of mine almost entirely, we love progress!! - I know this from the Outlandish cover version. Which I prefer as it's more melodic to my ears. Still a stone cold bop. @Filippa (8) keeps it short and sweet! - What a song!
@MilesAngel (4.5) may want to check out the Outlandish version then! - The backing track is fine but I'm not a fan of his voice. @Sprockrooster (10) gives us quite the incontestable trio of Male French Greatness there! - I can't believe this was not a worldwide classic. In my perception this song was everywhere! Magnifique! Khaled if after Charles Aznavour my fave male singer in French. He is such a talent and deserved more recognition. For people wondering who fills my trinity: Stromae!
The Outlandish Version a lot of you knew that I heard for the first time today and wish I never did! Ddd
Khaled with a @soratami favourite!
I just have to post this, as this trip back memory lane of France stanning language diversity took me back to this song that was the first raï international hit, and the first ethnic fusion hit to be credited as such (translated into Egyptian Arabic, French, German, Italian and Spanish) - the trendsetting Dalida!
A Stromae Classic for @Sprockrooster!
I hope @dancingwithmyself will let us know what lead to her to pick this great song as her 11!
#27
Khaled - Aïcha
Picked By: Berserkboi
Credentials: #1 France, 4th Best Selling Single In 1996, Certified DIAMOND by SNEP, 720000 Units SOLD, #1 Belgium, 7th Best Selling Single of 1996, #10 Netherlands
Average Score: 7.7136
Highest Score: 11 @dancingwithmyself 10 @berserkboi @Remorque @Sprockrooster
Lowest Score: 4.5 @MilesAngel
Poor Sprocky continues to lose! It seems I take a favourite of his whenever I eliminate songs these days! I suppose we will still be glad we even had a chance to chat Khaled on PopJustice. and for that we should thank @londonrain for trying to get Aïcha into a round of RETRO a few months ago, reminding me of this classic and how massive it truly was in the 90s.
Thinking back, this was a song we used to hear every few hours in Mauritius when it was on the charts - be it through a program ending early (needing something to fill the gap before the next one started - I really stan that age of commercial breaks not being as excessive as they are now!) or through randomly turning the radio on. I think it helped that Aïcha had exotic musical elements to it, prompting a bit of crossover appeal between people who would listen to the Contemporary Pop Station, as well as those who favoured the local Sega Channel. Khaled’s distinctive tone, range and entrancing pronunciations certainly makes this song one that would stay with you after you heard it. The fact it was also a bit unique sonically in the scheme of 1996 Music certainly did not hurt!
I have to say - looking back at many of the songs I ended up selecting here - I really stan 80s-90s France loving and SUPPORTING so much language diversity. If only the English centric charts (UK/US/AUS) could have done the same, imagine what classics we would be discussing on your average thread now! A moment that recalled the random connection I came across when eliminating Tic Tic Tac (Patrick Bruel producing that one), it is interesting to note that most of Aïcha is written (and produced) by Rate Alumnus Jean-Jacques Goldman - highlighting the breadth of his talent (though some elements here are echoed in On Ne Change Pas). The Arabic verse is written by Khaled. Aïcha falls under the raï genre of music, a type of Algerian folk music that originates from the 1920’s. If you ever wondered what the song was about:
The song's lyrics are about a woman named Aïcha, who is being wooed by a man. He promises her pearls, jewels, poems, and other luxuries and romantic things, to which she replies:
Keep your treasures
I want more than all that
Bars are bars, even if made of gold
I want the same rights as you
And respect for each day
I don't want anything but love
The song's chorus has the following words in French (with English translation):
Aïcha, Aïcha, écoute-moi = Aisha, Aisha, listen to me
Aïcha, Aïcha, t'en va pas = Aisha, Aisha, don't go away
Aïcha, Aïcha, regarde-moi = Aisha, Aisha, look at me
Aïcha, Aïcha, réponds-moi = Aisha, Aisha, answer me
The lyrics were all in French. The Arabic verse by Khaled (his own composition) added later is as follows:
نبغيك عايشة ونموت عليك (Nbghīk ʿāysha wanmūt ʿalīk) = I want you Aisha and would die for you
هادي قصية حياتي وحبي (Hādī ksayat ḥayātī waḥabbī) = This is the story of my life and my love
انت عمري وانت حياتي (ʾAnti ʿumrī wʾanti ḥayātī) = You are my years and you are my life
تمنيت نعيش معك غير انت (Tmannīt nʿaysh mʿāk ghayr ʾanti) = I wish to live with you, only you
It breaks my heart that we are 35 years into the future and some of these basic requests are still so hard for some people to obtain.
@jtm (5) - brings up the Outlandish cover that definitely looks to have charted in a lot more countries than the original, though despite all that doesn’t seem to have sold quite as much! - There was a successful cover version of this a few years ago so I have heard this way too many times. @berserkboi (10) is at it again making my point more concisely at me!! - The entrancing nature of this song is second to none, hey?
@DominoDancing (7.5) notices Heart where I noticed Celine! I love how our references are different, yet we still end up together here! - Another one I had never heard before, even though a cover apparently went to #1 in Germany? Crazy. The verses give me slight vibes of the chorus of Heart's Alone. @Phonetics Girl (9.5) has me intrigued about this version, please send a link and a lyric translation! Ddd - I'm starting to think the lyrics mean something else than what the Polish version led me to believe. he's far too smiley to be singing about being a simp.
@Epic Chocolat (5) has another Celine track in mind, my goodness!! - Written by Jean-Jacques Goldman who recycled one of his melodies (see Céline's Les derniers seront les premiers), I appreciated this song fine in passing until Khaled ruined everything. @WowWowWowWow (7) is a pun master! - Just outlandish that Outlandish would do what they did to this...
@daninternational (9) praises a Male French pick of mine almost entirely, we love progress!! - I know this from the Outlandish cover version. Which I prefer as it's more melodic to my ears. Still a stone cold bop. @Filippa (8) keeps it short and sweet! - What a song!
@MilesAngel (4.5) may want to check out the Outlandish version then! - The backing track is fine but I'm not a fan of his voice. @Sprockrooster (10) gives us quite the incontestable trio of Male French Greatness there! - I can't believe this was not a worldwide classic. In my perception this song was everywhere! Magnifique! Khaled if after Charles Aznavour my fave male singer in French. He is such a talent and deserved more recognition. For people wondering who fills my trinity: Stromae!
The Outlandish Version a lot of you knew that I heard for the first time today and wish I never did! Ddd
Khaled with a @soratami favourite!
I just have to post this, as this trip back memory lane of France stanning language diversity took me back to this song that was the first raï international hit, and the first ethnic fusion hit to be credited as such (translated into Egyptian Arabic, French, German, Italian and Spanish) - the trendsetting Dalida!
A Stromae Classic for @Sprockrooster!
I hope @dancingwithmyself will let us know what lead to her to pick this great song as her 11!
D
Deleted member 26234
I have never realised that this didn't chart in Austria at all until today.
I got to know this song during a family holiday in Tunesia but it was kind of a dance version which I sadly never heard again and wasn't able to find. When the Outlandish version was released, I remembered the holiday and the song and started looking for it but I've only found this Khaled version. And although I think that the singer of my holiday version was Khaled I can't be sure anymore. I only remember remembering today ....
I got to know this song during a family holiday in Tunesia but it was kind of a dance version which I sadly never heard again and wasn't able to find. When the Outlandish version was released, I remembered the holiday and the song and started looking for it but I've only found this Khaled version. And although I think that the singer of my holiday version was Khaled I can't be sure anymore. I only remember remembering today ....
I need to make a hit list and jinx the songs I put on there cause we are too many songs worthy of winning.
she/her
You know I love a bit of Sunday translating!
The chorus is the same and the verses go a bit like this:
[verse 1]
She passed me by again today
I don't exist to her, though she knows
I'm waiting for a look or gesture
Please, Aicha, demand whatever you want
[stuff about pearls and jewels]
Cause love springs out of you
Let me have a drop so I can live
I'll follow your footprints to the end of the world
Even if they call me a fool
[verse 2]
I want to speak to her in words light like the wind
I want to play her heavenly music
I want to steal rays of sun for her
To see their reflection in her eyes
[middle 8]
She's the treasure I cannot have
I die when she passes by me
I dream of her day and night
I dream that she falls for me
One day she'll fall for me
[repeat the first three lines of verse 1]
Please, Aicha, fall for me
She passed me by again today
I don't exist to her, though she knows
I'm waiting for a look or gesture
Please, Aicha, demand whatever you want
[stuff about pearls and jewels]
Cause love springs out of you
Let me have a drop so I can live
I'll follow your footprints to the end of the world
Even if they call me a fool
[verse 2]
I want to speak to her in words light like the wind
I want to play her heavenly music
I want to steal rays of sun for her
To see their reflection in her eyes
[middle 8]
She's the treasure I cannot have
I die when she passes by me
I dream of her day and night
I dream that she falls for me
One day she'll fall for me
[repeat the first three lines of verse 1]
Please, Aicha, fall for me
Of course.
It's WAY TOO EARLY for Khaled's classic to fall, in a fair and just world it would've made it to the top 20. Like plenty of people here my first brush with Aicha was the Outlandish version which was a top 3 hit in Norway and was constantly hammered on the radio. It was (and still is)... fine - I liked it, didn't mind it, it was a pretty straightforward love song about a girl called Aicha. During its reign I had friends who would tell me: "You should listen to the original by Khaled. It's way better! You'll love it." I was like yeah sure.. one day. Years go by and one day apropos of nothing I looked the original up on Youtube. And I was floored. Khaled's Aicha is BEAUTIFUL, SOULFUL - and his vocals elevates the song to the nth dimension. I can't speak French (cue Girls Aloud), but I know enough basic French to vaguely sense that the Outlandish version was incomplete. And sure enough, the bridge turns the song on its head and its core message is suddenly something bigger than a basic plea for love. As for me, it was (yet another) reminder that I need to read/listen/think not once.. not twice.. often much more than that to be able to fully comprehend something. That my first impression is not always the correct interpretation, it can be flawed and even incorrect. And everytime (cue me going to the Britney Spears School of Grammar) I'm in a situation where I realise I've been too quick to conclude/judge, I think of Aicha and press 'Reset'.
And let me echo the love for Stromae, Alors On Danse is a personal fave!
D
Deleted member 26234
Tonight one of my mother's favourite songs has to leave. I know it from my childhood, but certainly didn't know anything about the singer.
When I suggested it, I got quite a surprising answer from @berserkboi.
He only knew the French version of this song, when I wasn't aware a French version existed ...
Who am I talking about?
#26
Rose Laurens - Africa
Rose Laurens - Africa (Voodoo Master)
Picked By: @Filippa
Credentials Platinum in France, gold in Germany (1.250.000 units sold), #1 in France and Austria, #2 in Norway and Switzerland, #3 in Germany
Average Score: 7.8341
Highest Score: 10 @Filippa
Lowest Score: 5 @daninternational
She was kind of a one-hit-wonder even in France and that's although she dedicated nearly her whole life to music.
Rose Laurens was born as Rose Podwojny was born into a musically gifted family with Polish roots. She got to know her later husband and compositor of Africa Jean-Pierre Goussaud in the 70s and started releasing music as Rose Merryl. But only in the 80s, she rose to fame. She was casted in the role of Fantine in the premiere of Les Misérables in Paris, which made her quite famous and released in the wake of this success her debut album in 1982. The first single was Africa, which was her only #1 single. She tried to repeat Africa's success with Mamy Yoko (same beat, only set in an Asian environment), but I guess that was too much of the same. And it was pretty bad.
After her partner Jean-Pierre Goussaud died of cancer in 1990, Rose retreated from the public. In 2001 she starred in the musical "L'ombre d'un géant" and released one more album in 2015. She sadly passed away in 2018.
My mother loved Africa (Voodoo Master), so I know this song from early childhood on, but my mother doesn't engage in music as I do. And so, I always had to build my own stories around those songs she played. In this case, I didn't understand the lyrics at all. I always thought that she was a prisoner who was going to be sacrificed to the voodoo god. I guess my parents told me too many gruesome fairy tales … But at least I haven’t missed anything, the lyrics are truly horrible.
What did PopJustice think?
@berserkboi (9.5) An absolute classic, but it never really became a fullon song I stan despite the quality!
@DominoDancing (6.5) Hmmm, bit surprising I didn't know this yet. Good verses, chorus a bit disappointing. Those lyrics, at least based on the Google translation...no.
@Epic Chocolat (8.3) Bop
@daninternational (5) The 80s had a thing for Africa. whyareyousoobsessedwithme.gif it's a weird one
@Filippa (10) I'm completely in love with these gorgeous, deep female voices.
@WowWowWowWow (7.5) Reaching the commentary plateau... sorry Rose I have nothing to say.
@MilesAngel ( 9) Good European counterpoint to Toto's song of the same name. I like the chant like nature of the chorus, and there's great bass.
@jtm (8.8) Not the best song called Africa but still pretty good
Africa (Voodoo Master)
Quand tu pars
Vivre
Pour aimer plus fort (Rose with Sophie Delmas and Hanna H)
Survivre
When I suggested it, I got quite a surprising answer from @berserkboi.
He only knew the French version of this song, when I wasn't aware a French version existed ...
Who am I talking about?
#26
Rose Laurens - Africa
Rose Laurens - Africa (Voodoo Master)
Picked By: @Filippa
Credentials Platinum in France, gold in Germany (1.250.000 units sold), #1 in France and Austria, #2 in Norway and Switzerland, #3 in Germany
Average Score: 7.8341
Highest Score: 10 @Filippa
Lowest Score: 5 @daninternational
She was kind of a one-hit-wonder even in France and that's although she dedicated nearly her whole life to music.
Rose Laurens was born as Rose Podwojny was born into a musically gifted family with Polish roots. She got to know her later husband and compositor of Africa Jean-Pierre Goussaud in the 70s and started releasing music as Rose Merryl. But only in the 80s, she rose to fame. She was casted in the role of Fantine in the premiere of Les Misérables in Paris, which made her quite famous and released in the wake of this success her debut album in 1982. The first single was Africa, which was her only #1 single. She tried to repeat Africa's success with Mamy Yoko (same beat, only set in an Asian environment), but I guess that was too much of the same. And it was pretty bad.
After her partner Jean-Pierre Goussaud died of cancer in 1990, Rose retreated from the public. In 2001 she starred in the musical "L'ombre d'un géant" and released one more album in 2015. She sadly passed away in 2018.
My mother loved Africa (Voodoo Master), so I know this song from early childhood on, but my mother doesn't engage in music as I do. And so, I always had to build my own stories around those songs she played. In this case, I didn't understand the lyrics at all. I always thought that she was a prisoner who was going to be sacrificed to the voodoo god. I guess my parents told me too many gruesome fairy tales … But at least I haven’t missed anything, the lyrics are truly horrible.
What did PopJustice think?
@berserkboi (9.5) An absolute classic, but it never really became a fullon song I stan despite the quality!
@DominoDancing (6.5) Hmmm, bit surprising I didn't know this yet. Good verses, chorus a bit disappointing. Those lyrics, at least based on the Google translation...no.
@Epic Chocolat (8.3) Bop
@daninternational (5) The 80s had a thing for Africa. whyareyousoobsessedwithme.gif it's a weird one
@Filippa (10) I'm completely in love with these gorgeous, deep female voices.
@WowWowWowWow (7.5) Reaching the commentary plateau... sorry Rose I have nothing to say.
@MilesAngel ( 9) Good European counterpoint to Toto's song of the same name. I like the chant like nature of the chorus, and there's great bass.
@jtm (8.8) Not the best song called Africa but still pretty good
Africa (Voodoo Master)
Quand tu pars
Vivre
Pour aimer plus fort (Rose with Sophie Delmas and Hanna H)
Survivre