C'est la vie (Khaled song) explained

C'est la vie
Cover:Cest-la-vie-single-by-khaled.jpg
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Khaled
Album:C'est la vie
Released:2 July 2012
Length:3:50
Label:Universal Music Division AZ
Producer:RedOne
Prev Title:Même pas fatigué !!!
Prev Year:2009
Next Title:Hiya Hiya
Next Year:2012

"C'est la vie" is a song by Algerian raï singer Khaled. It was produced by Moroccan-Swedish producer RedOne and released on Universal Music Division AZ becoming a summer hit for Khaled in France in 2012.

Content

The song is bilingual, with the main verses in Algerian Darja Arabic and the chorus in French. The chorus repeats the phrase (translation in parentheses and italics).

Charts

The song is considered to be a comeback for Khaled in France after a three-year absence in the charts. Released in July 2012, the song entered the official French Singles Chart at number 30 and later peaked at number 4. In addition to its success in France, it became very popular throughout Belgium and Slovakia, where it reached the top 10. In 2013, the single was certified platinum by the Belgian Entertainment Association. The song also charted in the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, and Switzerland and received radio airplay in Canada. "C’est La Vie" sold over one million copies in the European market, 1.8 million copies in the Middle East and North Africa, and over 4 million copies worldwide.[1] [2] The album reached number 5 on SNEP, the official French Albums Chart.[3]

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Chart (2012)Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[4] 52
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[5] 52
France (SNEP)[6] 49
Chart (2013)Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[7] 64

Cover versions

Marc Anthony version

Vivir Mi Vida
Cover:VivirMiVidasingle.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Marc Anthony
Album:3.0
Released:26 April 2013
Recorded:2013
Studio:Hit Factory Criteria (Miami)
Genre:Salsa
Label:Sony Music Latin
Producer:Sergio George
Prev Title:¿Por Qué Les Mientes?
Prev Year:2012
Next Title:Cambio de Piel
Next Year:2013

In 2013, American singer Marc Anthony covered the Khaled song as a salsa tune titled "Vivir Mi Vida" ("Live My Life") for his studio album 3.0.[8] This version was produced by Sergio George and recorded at The Hit Factory Criteria in Miami, Florida.[9] Anthony performed it live at the 2013 Latin Billboard Music Awards.[10] The music video, directed by Carlos Perez of Elastic People, was released on September 10, 2013. "Vivir Mi Vida" won a Latin Grammy Award in 2013 for Record of the Year and holds the record for the second-longest run inside the top-five in the Billboard Latin Songs, with 51 weeks.[11] A "Pop" version was also produced using the instrumental of the original Khaled version and is included on the album.

In 2017, Anthony's former wife Jennifer Lopez covered the song in her "Spotify Session" as a tribute to his late mother and her former mother-in-law. As of May 2021, the music video for Anthony's version of the song has received over 1 billion views on YouTube.[12]

Chart performance

Weekly charts
Chart (2013-2014)Peak
position
Colombia (National-Report)[13] 1
Mexico (Billboard Mexican Airplay)[14] 16
Year-end charts
Chart (2013)Position
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[15] 11
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[16] 1
US Tropical Songs (Billboard)[17] 1
Chart (2014)Position
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[18] 17
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[19] 8
All-time charts
Chart (1994–2018)Position
US Tropical Songs (Billboard)[21] 13
Chart (2021)Position
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[22] 21

Certifications

Hashem Melech

Hashem Melech
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Gad Elbaz and Beni Elbaz
Released:January 2013

Israeli singer Gad Elbaz created a new version of the song calling it "Hashem Melech" (in Hebrew ה' מלך) as a sort of contemporary Jewish worship song based on and adapted from "C'est la vie".[23]

The Israeli version released in January 2013 as a duet between Gad Elbaz and his singer father Beni Elbaz contains Hebrew and French lyrics, though the Hebrew lyrics are not related to Khaled's all-French original lyrics and more geared to religious content.[24] The chorus repeats the phrases (translation in parentheses and italics)

Elbaz also released an all-Hebrew version of the song.[25] "Hashem Melech" was a minor hit in Israel and in Orthodox Jewish circles worldwide.

The Hebrew lyrics in the refrain are the same as those of a famous song also titled "Hashem Melech" by the well-known Jewish singer Yosef Karduner.

In September 2015, Elbaz released another limited version featuring additional vocals by the young Israeli child singer Yosef Chaim.[26] [27]

Hashem Melech 2.0

Hashem Melech 2.0
Cover:Hachem-Melech-2.0.jpg
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Gad Elbaz featuring Nissim
Released:2016
Producer:Daniel Finkelman

In 2016, Elbaz teamed with Hasidic rapper Nissim (full name Nissim Baruch Black, born Damian Jamohl Black and a convert from Islam to Christianity and eventually to Judaism) to create a rap-infused version of the song now titled "Hashem Melech 2.0" to distinguish it from the original Elbaz version. The rap by Nissim is primarily English language, and is said to dominate the song, wrapping around and throughout the elements of the original "1.0" song.[28]

Still a bilingual song, "Hashem Melech" now featured Hebrew and English lyrics instead. Elbaz' original French lyrics were dropped in favor of English in the new version, but his Hebrew lyrics were retained for the new version. Nissim's rap segments were all in English. The popularity of the second version far exceeded that of the first.

Daniel Finkelman created a sophisticated, exuberant, multiracial dance video of the new version, set against the New York City skyline and streetscape. The New-York themed music video features Elbaz and Nissim dancing and delivering their religious message dancing joyously through the New York city streets and on skyscraper rooftops, amidst a changing New York skyline, encouraging listeners to believe in a better tomorrow.

Ali B version

Voy a Bailar
Cover:Voy-a-bailar-by-Ali-B.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Ali B featuring Boef, Rolf Sanchez and RedOne
Released:28 July 2017
Recorded:2017
Label:Warner
Producer:RedOne, Jordan Wayne

In 2017, the Dutch rapper Ali B released the single "Voy a Bailar", largely an adaptation of the Khaled song but with adaptations from the Latin "Vivir Mi Vida" cover from Marc Anthony. Ali B added rap lyrics in Dutch. The release featured additional vocals by Boef, Rolf Sanchez and RedOne.

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2017)Position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[29] 55
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[30] 85

In popular culture

The song became popular in Indonesia, a majority-Muslim country. A political campaign there in early 2017 developed a theme song called "Kobarkan Semangat Jakarta".[31] Based on "C'est la vie" and "Hashem Malach", it created controversy as no attribution was given to either work. This sent the Khaled French version and surprisingly the Elbaz Hebrew version "Hashem Melech" to trend on Indonesian Twitter.[32]

The Spanish version “Vivir Mi Vida” by Marc Anthony was played on August 12, 2023 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario prior to the Toronto Blue Jays’ game against the Chicago Cubs during the Level of Excellence induction ceremony for Blue Jays great José Bautista; the song was played when Bautista’s family was introduced onto the field by the event’s MC, Hazel Mae of Canadian sports channel Sportsnet.

See also

References

  1. Book: Steve Sullivan. Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings. 17 May 2017. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 978-1-4422-5449-7. 693.
  2. Book: Andrew Hammond. Pop Culture in North Africa and the Middle East: Entertainment and Society around the World. 22 May 2017. ABC-CLIO. 978-1-4408-3384-7. 40.
  3. Web site: emiratesvoice . Cheb Khaled tops best French song list . emiratesvoice .
  4. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2012. Ultratop. 8 February 2020.
  5. Web site: Rapports Annuels 2012. Ultratop. 8 February 2020.
  6. Web site: Top de l'année Top Singles 2012. SNEP. fr. 6 September 2020.
  7. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2013. Ultratop. 8 February 2020.
  8. Web site: Marc Anthony to Launch First Single. Indiatimes. The Times of India Group. 2013-04-23.
  9. Web site: Univision estrena en exclusiva 'Vivir Mi Vida', el nuevo tema de Marc Anthony. es. Univision. Univision Communication. 2013-04-26. 2013-04-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20130430050416/http://musica.univision.com/estrenos-musicales/resenas/article/2013-04-24/marc-anthony-cancion-vivir-mi-vida-escuchar-estreno-exclusivo-univision. 2013-04-30. dead.
  10. News: Marc Anthony presentará el sencillo "Vivir mi vida". es. El Informador. 2013-04-21. 2013-04-26.
  11. Web site: El día en imágenes. 5 June 2013 . es. Yahoo!.
  12. Marc Anthony . September 10, 2013 . Marc Anthony - Vivir Mi Vida (Official Video) . YouTube . es . October 22, 2020. .
  13. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20130702104625/http://national-report.com/forms/init100s.php . National Report - Top Nacional . es . 2013-08-18 . 2013-07-02 . National Report . dead .
  14. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=marc anthony|chart=Mexico Airplay}} Marc Anthony - Chart history ]. Billboard . January 7, 2014.
  15. Web site: Top 50 Canciones Anual 2013 . Promuiscae.es . 2014-02-03.
  16. Hot Latin Songs – Year-End 2013. Billboard. May 27, 2021.
  17. Tropical Airplay Songs Year-End Charts (2013) . . August 13, 2020.
  18. Web site: Top 50 Songs Annual 2014 . elportaldemusica.es . . December 26, 2020.
  19. Hot Latin Songs – Year-End 2014. Billboard. May 27, 2021.
  20. Decade-End Charts: Hot Latin Songs. Billboard. September 16, 2021.
  21. The 20 Top Tropical Songs of All Time: Don Omar, Romeo Santos, Daddy Yankee & More. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 4 October 2018. 4 October 2018. Navas-Cantor, Judy.
  22. Greatest Of All Time Hot Latin Songs Chart . Billboard . September 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210923052753/https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-hot-latin-songs . September 23, 2021 . 2021. subscription.
  23. News: Musical Cultural Diffusion And Halacha - Yeshiva World News. 2017-04-06. Yeshiva World News. 2017-11-21. en-US.
  24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9mxV2KXclE Gad Elbaz & Beni Elbaz - "Hashem Melech" - in Hebrew and French
  25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9mxV2KXclE Gad Elbaz & Beni Elbaz - "Hashem Melech" - in Hebrew only
  26. http://dixieyid.blogspot.com/2013/11/awesome-hashem-melech-song-from-uman.html Dixie Yid: Awesome "Hashem Melech" Song - From Uman this Year - Gad Elbaz Video
  27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUftNXBIENM Gad Elbaz & Yosef Chaim - "Hashem Melech" - in Hebrew and French
  28. News: The Rap on Jewish Rap: Israeli Singer Gad Elbaz Has Teamed up With Rapper Nissim Black. Tablet Magazine. 2017-11-21. en.
  29. Web site: Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2017. Dutch Top 40. 17 May 2021.
  30. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Single 2017. dutchcharts.nl. 17 May 2021.
  31. Web site: - YouTube . .
  32. News: Netralnews.com - Heboh, Diduga Lagu Kampanye Anies-Sandi Jiplak Lagu Yahudi. Netralnews.Com. netralnews.com. 2017-11-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032456/http://www.netralnews.com/news/megapolitan/read/67304/heboh..diduga.lagu.kampanye.anies.sandi.jiplak.lagu.yahudi. 2017-12-01. dead. id. Heboh, Suspected Campaign Songs Anies-Sandi Jiplak Lagu Juda.