L'Aziza
| "L'Aziza" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Daniel Balavoine | ||||
| from the album Sauver l'amour | ||||
| B-side | "Tous les cris les S.O.S" | |||
| Released | 14 October 1985 | |||
| Format | 7" single, 12" single | |||
| Recorded | Highland Studio, Scotland, July 1985 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 4:21 | |||
| Label | Barclay | |||
| Writer(s) | Daniel Balavoine | |||
| Producer(s) | Andy Scott | |||
| Certification | Platinum (SNEP)[1] | |||
| Daniel Balavoine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"L'Aziza" is the name of a 1985 song recorded by French singer Daniel Balavoine and released as a single from his album Sauver l'amour on October 1985. The song was very successful, particularly after the singer's death, topping the chart in France for two months.
Song information
The song was entirely composed by Balavoine, and was produced by the famous composer Léo Missir.
'L'Aziza' means 'My dear' in Arabic, although all the lyrics are sung in French. In this song, Balavoine pays tribute to his Jewish Moroccan wife Corinne, and denounces racism. In France, "L'Aziza" became a standard song throughout the years.[2]
The song was remixed the same year of the album release and came out as a 7". It features on Balavoine's best of Balavoine sans frontières, released about twenty years after the singer's death.
The music video was directed by Oliver Chavarot.
Cover versions
"L'Aziza" was also recorded in 2000 by Khaled for the compilation album Balavoine: Hommages... on which various artists covered Balavoine's songs.[3] The song was also covered in France by Star Academy 5 for its album Chante Daniel Balavoine, on which it features as fifth track.[4]
The B-side, "Tous les cris, les S.O.S.", was covered by many artists, including Jeanne Mas in 1987, Marie-Denise Pelletier, Lena Kann in 1998 (#14 in France) and Les Enfoirés in 2008.
Chart performances
"L'Aziza" entered the French Singles Chart at #40 on November 23, 1985 and gained a few places every week, but when the singer's death was announced in the media, the single jumped straight to #1 and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks, with huge weekly sales. Thereafter, it dropped rather quickly and remained for 14 weeks in the top ten and for 26 weeks in the top 50.[5]
Although it was not certified by the SNEP, the single sold more than 1 million copies and is to date the 70th best-selling single of all time in France.[1]
Track listings
- 7" single
- "L'Aziza" — 4:21
- "Tous les cris, les S.O.S." — 5:04
Certifications and sales
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Platinum | — | 1,000,000[1] | 1,090,000[6] |
Charts
| Chart (1985-1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 23 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart[5] | 1 |
| Preceded by "Papa chanteur" by Jean-Luc Lahaye |
French SNEP number-one single February 1, 1986 - March 22, 1986 (8 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Capitaine abandonné" by Gold |
References
- 1 2 3 http://www.infodisc.fr/Chanson_Certifications.php
- ↑ Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 65 (ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
- ↑ Balavoine: Hommages..., track listing Lescharts.com (Retrieved July 10, 2008)
- ↑ Chante Daniel Balavoine, track listing and charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved July 10, 2008)
- 1 2 "L'Aziza", French Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved July 10, 2008)
- ↑ http://www.infodisc.fr/Ventes_Chansons_Tout_Temps.php