Belle (Patrick Fiori, Daniel Lavoie and Garou song)

Last updated
"Belle"
Belle (Patrick Fiori, Daniel Lavoie and Garou single - cover art).jpg
Single by Patrick Fiori, Daniel Lavoie and Garou
from the album Notre-Dame de Paris
B-side "Déchiré"
Released 1998
RecordedFrance, 1997
Genre musical
Length4:36
Label Sony Music
Songwriter(s) Luc Plamondon (text)
Richard Cocciante (music)
Producer(s) Richard Cocciante
Jannick Top
Serge Perathoner
Notre-Dame de Paris singles chronology
"Vivre"
(1998)
"Belle"
(1998)
"Le Temps des cathédrales"
(1998)

"Belle" is a 1997 song performed by the Francophone singers Patrick Fiori, Daniel Lavoie and Garou, from the musical Notre-Dame de Paris . Released as a single in 1998, it was a hit in France and Belgium, topping the charts for many months. To date, the song is one of the best-selling singles of all time in these countries.

Contents

Background and writing

As for the songs from the musical, the text was written by Luc Plamondon, who had also written the musical Starmania in 1978, and the music composed by Richard Cocciante. The musical arrangements were made by Richard Cocciante, Jannick Top and Serge Perathoner who also worked on the musical direction.

"Belle" is a romantic song in which the three singers, who respectively portrayed Quasimodo (Garou), Frollo (Daniel Lavoie) and Phoebus (Patrick Fiori), reveal in turn their love for Esmeralda, before singing together the last verse. [1]

The theme of the song is based in Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris . In chapter VI of the Eighth book "Trois coeurs d'homme faits différemment" (Three men's hearts made differently), Phoebus, Frollo and Quasimodo watch Esmeralda who is sentenced to death. Phoebus is with his fiancée and though he pales when seeing Esmeralda proving he has feelings for her, he stays with his Fleur-de-Lys. Frollo is trying once again to propose Esmeralda a salvation, but in return he wants her to become his woman. And finally Quasimodo selflessly saves Esmeralda from death, only because of his enormous love for her.

Other recording

Since its debut, it has been professionally played in Belgium, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States, and has been translated into seven languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Korean, Flemish and Polish). The song has thus been officially adapted in these six languages, but several covers have been made in various languages.

The English-language version of the song, recorded by Steve Balsamo, Garou and Daniel Lavoie, is available on Notre Dame de Paris - Version anglaise. [2]

All official versions of "Belle"
LanguageOriginal castTitleTranslation
QuasimodoFrolloPhœbus
English Garou Daniel Lavoie Steve Balsamo "Belle (is the only word)"
Flemish Gene Thomas  [ nl ]Wim Van Den Driescche Tim Driesen "Belle"/
French Garou Daniel Lavoie Patrick Fiori "Belle""Beautiful"
Italian Giò Di Tonno Vittorio Matteucci  [ it ] Graziano Galatone  [ it ]"Bella""Beautiful"
Korean 윤형렬 (Yun Hyeong-ryeol)  [ ko ] 서범석 (Seo Beom-seok)  [ ko ]김성민 (Kim Sung-min)"아름답다" ("Arŭmdapda")"Beautiful"
Polish Michał Grobelny  [ pl ]Artur GuzaPrzemysław Zubowicz"Belle"/
Russian Вячеслав Петкун (Viatcheslav Petkoun)  [ ru ] Александр Маракулин (Alexander Marakoulin)  [ ru ] Антон Макарский (Anton Makarsky)  [ ru ]"Belle"/
Spanish Albert MartínezEnrique Sequero Lisardo Guarinos "La palabra "belle"""The word "belle""

Chart performance and records

The song was charted on the French Singles Chart for 60 weeks, which is to date the second single with most total weeks in the Top 100 (the number one is "U-Turn (Lili)", by AaRON, with 61 weeks), and the first one in the top 50, with 49 weeks. It entered the chart at #96 on 9 May 1998, and climbed slowly, reaching number one in its 18th week, which is one of the slowest climbs to first place. It was also the first trio to reach #1 on this chart. It had huge weekly sales when the musical was performed, from 12 September 1998. [1] It stayed at the top for 18 consecutive weeks, which was at the time the record of the most weeks at #1 (this record was beaten in 2000 by Lou Bega's "Mambo no. 5 (a Little Bit of...)", with 20 weeks). After that, the song managed to drop slowly, totaling 31 weeks in the top ten. [3] Certified Diamond disc by the SNEP, [4] it was the best-selling single of 1998. [5]

In Belgium (Wallonia), the single debuted at #24 on the Ultratop 40 Singles Chart, on 6 June 1998. It topped the chart for only six weeks, from 19 September to 24 October, but remained in the top ten for 30 consecutive weeks. It fell off the chart (Top 40) after 44 weeks. [6] It is the best-selling single of the year [7] and the most successful song from 1995 in that country. [8]

In 1999, the song was awarded 'Song of the year' at the Victoires de la Musique.

Track listings

  1. "Belle" — 4:36
  2. "Déchiré" by Patrick Fiori — 3:18

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA) [9] 3× Platinum150,000*
France (SNEP) [4] Diamond750,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Dadju, Gims and Slimane version

"Belle"
Belle-by-Dadju-Gims-Slimane.jpg
Single by Dadju, Gims and Slimane
from the album Le Fléau
Released5 April 2021
Recorded2021
Genre Pop
Length4:26
Label Sony Music Entertainment / Play Two
Songwriter(s) Luc Plamondon (text)
Richard Cocciante (music)
Producer(s) Renaud Rebillaud
Music video
"Belle" by Dadju - Gims - Slimane on YouTube

On April 5, 2021, a cover version was released by trio Dadju, Gims and Slimane on Play Two and Sony Music Entertainment reaching number 36 on SNEP, the official French Singles Chart. A music video was also released [10] in which they play a scene from the musical Notre-Dame de Paris in a modern setting.

Chart (2021)Peak
position
France (SNEP) [11] 36

Related Research Articles

<i>The Hunchback of Notre-Dame</i> 1831 novel by Victor Hugo

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. The title refers to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which features prominently throughout the novel. It focuses on the unfortunate story of Quasimodo, the Roma street dancer Esmeralda and Quasimodo's guardian the Archdeacon Claude Frollo in 15th-century Paris. All its elements—the Renaissance setting, impossible love affairs and marginalized characters—make the work a model of the literary themes of Romanticism.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (1996 film) American animated musical drama film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the 1831 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay written by Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and the writing team of Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. Featuring the voices of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, and Kevin Kline, the film follows Quasimodo, the deformed and confined bell-ringer of Notre Dame, and his yearning to explore the outside world and be accepted by society, against the wishes of his cruel, puritanical foster father Claude Frollo, who also wants to exterminate Paris' Roma population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quasimodo</span> Character in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Quasimodo is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster, but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death.

Clopin Trouillefou is a fictional character first created in the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by French author Victor Hugo, and subsequently adapted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garou (singer)</span> Canadian musician

Pierre Garand, known by his stage name Garou, is a Canadian singer, actor, and entertainer from Sherbrooke, Québec. He sings in French and English, like his co-stars Daniel Lavoie and Bruno Pelletier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Frollo</span> Character of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Claude Frollo is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. He is an alchemist and intellectual, as well as a Catholic clergyman.

<i>Notre-Dame de Paris</i> (musical) Sung-through French-Canadian musical

Notre-Dame de Paris is a sung-through French musical which debuted on 16 September 1998 in Paris. It is based upon the novel Notre-Dame de Paris by the French novelist Victor Hugo. The music was composed by Riccardo Cocciante and the lyrics are by Luc Plamondon.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (1956 film) 1956 film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1956 French-Italian CinemaScope film version of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, directed by Jean Delannoy and produced by Raymond Hakim and Robert Hakim. It stars American actor Anthony Quinn and Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida. The film is the first version of the novel to be made in color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Fiori</span> French singer

Patrick Chouchayan, known by his stage name Patrick Fiori, is a French singer of Armenian descent.

La Esmeralda is a ballet in three acts and five scenes, inspired by the 1831 novel Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, originally choreographed by Jules Perrot to music by Cesare Pugni, with sets by William Grieve and costumes by Mme. Copère.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame)</span> Fictional character from Victor Hugos The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Esmeralda, born Agnès, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. She is a French Roma girl. She constantly attracts men with her seductive dances, and is rarely seen without her clever goat Djali. She is around 16 years old and has a kind and generous heart.

"Vivre" is a song written by Luc Plamondon and Riccardo Cocciante for the musical Notre-Dame de Paris. It was recorded in 1997 by Noa and included on the Notre-Dame de Paris album (1998). The song was also recorded by Hélène Ségara in 1998, who was selected to play Esméralda in the musical, following the withdrawal of Noa. Celine Dion recorded an English-language version titled "Live " with lyrics by Will Jennings and included it on her 1999 greatest hits compilation, All the Way... A Decade of Song. In 2000, Dion's version and another recording of "Live " by Tina Arena were included on the English-language version of Notre-Dame de Paris album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Phoebus</span> Fictional character

CapitainePhœbus de Châteaupers is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, Notre-Dame de Paris. He is the Captain of the King Louis XI's Archers. His name comes from Phoebus, the Greek god of the sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Frollo (Disney character)</span> Disney villain character

Judge Claude Frollo is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Disney's 34th animated film, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). He was based on Archdeacon Claude Frollo from Victor Hugo's 1831 novel.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (1911 film) 1911 French film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a 1911 French silent film directed by Albert Capellani and produced by Pathé Frères. It was released under the name Notre-Dame de Paris. It starred Henry Krauss and Stacia Napierkowska. The film was based on the 1831 Victor Hugo novel of the same name. Considering the film's brief running time, critic Christopher Workman considered it "remarkably faithful to its source material" but it "contains no discernible humor, unlike most other horror films of the period, and thus represents a bellwether of sorts for the genre....(Henry Krauss as Quasimodo) "looks remarkably like Charles Ogle in (Thomas) Edison's 1910 Frankenstein."

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a British feature length adaptation of the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo, produced for television by the BBC in 1976 and aired on December 30 the same year. Directed by Alan Cooke and written by Robert Muller, the film stars Kenneth Haigh as Claude Frollo, Warren Clarke as Quasimodo and Michelle Newell as Esmeralda, and features the visual effects by Ian Scoones and the original music by Wilfred Josephs.

<i>La Esmeralda</i> (opera) 1836 opera by Louise Bertin

La Esmeralda is a grand opera in four acts composed by Louise Bertin. The libretto was written by Victor Hugo, who had adapted it from his 1831 novel Notre-Dame de Paris. The opera premiered at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique in Paris on 14 November 1836 with Cornélie Falcon in the title role. Despite the lavish production, the premiere was a failure, and La Esmeralda proved to be the last opera composed by Bertin, although she lived for another 40 years.

<i>Esmeralda</i> (opera)

Esmeralda is an opera in four acts composed by Arthur Goring Thomas to an English-language libretto by Theo Marzials and Alberto Randegger based on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It premiered in London on 26 March 1883 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane with Georgina Burns in the title role and Barton McGuckin as her lover, Phoebus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendji Girac</span> French singer

Kendji "Girac" Jason Maillié, also known mononymously as Kendji is a French singer. He is best known for his winner of season 3 of the music competition The Voice: la plus belle voix as part of Team Mika. He has released five studio albums, Kendji,Ensemble, Amigo, Mi Vida, and L'école de la vie'luka', as well as a string of hit singles.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a Disney media franchise, commencing in 1996 with the release of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The franchise is based on the 1831 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.

References

  1. 1 2 Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit.tubes (in French). Alinéa Bis. pp. 434–35. ISBN   2-9518832-0-X.
  2. Notre Dame de Paris - Version anglaise, track listing and chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved 1 November 2008)
  3. 1 2 "Belle", in French Singles Chart Lescharts.com Archived July 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 26 April 2008)
  4. 1 2 "French single certifications – Garou – Belle" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique . Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  5. 1 2 1998 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com Archived 2009-04-16 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 26 April 2008)
  6. 1 2 "Belle", in Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived November 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 26 April 2008)
  7. 1 2 1998 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be Archived October 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 26 April 2008)
  8. Best-selling singles in Belgium from 1995 Ultratop.be (Retrieved 26 April 2008)
  9. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1999". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  10. "Gims, Dadju et Slimane reprennent le tube Belle de Notre-Dame de Paris" (in French). Le Figaro. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  11. "Dadju - Gims - Slimane – Belle" (in French). Les classement single.