"Capitaine abandonné" is a 1985 song recorded by 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...

 band Gold

Gold (band)

Gold is a French music band from Toulouse which enjoyed considerable success in the Francophone world in the 1980s.-History:Gold was originally composed of five musicians : Lucien Crémadès , Alain Llorca , Bernard Mazauric , Etienne Salvador and lead singer/guitarist Emile Wandelmer.The group...

. It was the lead single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from band's second studio album Capitaine abandonné on which it features in an extended version as first track. The song was also available in its main version on the next album Calicoba, released in late 1986. "Capitaine abandonné" was released as Gold's second single overall in January 1986, and achieved a huge success in France where it was a number-one hit.

Song information

This song is a tribute to celebrities of sports, adventure and singing such as Arnaud de Rosnay or Philippe de Dieuleveult. The music video shows the group performing the song in a bar

Bar (establishment)

A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

 where men are playing cards. These images alternate with scenes of navigation

Navigation

Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...

, during the refrains.

"Capitaine abandonné" was recorded in a live version on the live album L'Olympia (1997), Le Palais des Sports (1999) and Live 2004 (2004) and was included on Gold's compilations La Compil' en Or (1990) and Les Plus Grands Succès (1995). The song is included on many French compilations, such as Les années tubes spécial 80, Nostalgie Classiques 80 and Tubes d'un jour tubes de toujours spécial années 80.

In 2002, the song was covered by Axel Bauer

Axel Bauer

Axel Bauer is a French singer.In 2001, his duet with French singer Zazie, "À ma place", reached number four on the French charts.-Biography:...

, Patrick Fiori

Patrick Fiori

Patrick Fiori is a French singer.-Biography:Fiori was born to an Armenian father and a Corsican mother in Marseille, France. When he was only 12 years old, he was offered his first role in the musical La légende des santonniers...

 and Gérald De Palmas

Gérald De Palmas

Gérald De Palmas is a French singer.-Early life:His father was a land surveyor from Britanny, France and his mother was a French teacher from Réunion. At the age of 10, De Palmas' family left Réunion, to live in Aix-en-Provence, France...

. This 3:09 version is the ninth track on Les Enfoirés

Les Enfoirés

Les Enfoirés , is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur .-History:...

' album Tous dans le même bateau.

Chart performances

In France, the single entered the SNEP singles chart at #35 on February 8, 1986, and climbed regularly until reaching the top ten in its sixth week. It finally topped the chart for four weeks, then almost kept on dropping, totalling 13 weeks in the top ten and 24 weeks in the top 50.

Although the song was the most successful one of the band in terms of peak position, it does not remain the most popular in comparison with "Plus près des étoiles" (even if this single was only a number two hit in France).

The song is to date the 318th best-selling single of all time in France.

Track listings

7" single

1. "Capitaine abandonné" — 3:54
2. "Josy-Ann" — 3:34

7" maxi

1. "Capitaine abandonné" (extended version) — 6:26
2. "Josy-Ann" — 3:34

12" maxi - Remixes

1. "Capitaine abandonné" (remix) — 6:37
2. "Sail Away" (English version) — 3:54

Certifications and sales

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified	Physical sales
France	Silver	1986	200,000	657,000

Charts

Chart (1986)	Peak position
Eurochart Hot 100	26
French SNEP Singles Chart	1