Dominique
Encyclopedia
"Dominique" is a popular song in French
by Sœur Sourire (Sister Smile, born Jeanine Deckers), of Belgium, also known as The Singing Nun
. It is about Saint Dominic
, a Spanish-born priest and founder of the Dominican Order
, of which she was a member (as Sister Luc-Gabrielle). The English version of the song was written by Noël Regney
. In addition to French and English, Deckers recorded versions in Dutch, German, Hebrew and Japanese.
"Dominique" reached the top ten in eleven countries in late 1963 and early 1964, topping the hit lists in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. It reached the Top 5 in Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Australia and South Africa, with the song making it into the lower reaches of the Top 10 in the Netherlands, West Germany and the United Kingdom. The song reached and stayed at #1 on both the U.S. pop chart
and "easy listening chart
" (since renamed the Adult Contemporary chart) for four weeks in December of 1963
. It was the second foreign language song to hit #1 on the Hot 100 in 1963, the other being "Sukiyaki
" by Kyu Sakamoto
. No other foreign language song reached the US Top 40 Billboard charts until the Spanish language hit Eres tú
hit the US charts in 1973.
Jeanine Deckers never again reached the same success and continued to lead a colourful, but tragic life. She and her long-time friend, Annie Pescher, both committed suicide in 1985, as a result of financial and tax problems stemming from the recording of the song.
"Dominique" outsold Elvis during its stay on the Billboard Pop Charts in 1963. It was the second #1 hit in the post-Kennedy assassination era and the second to last #1 hit before the advent of Beatlemania.
charts. (Technotronic
's "Pump Up The Jam
" reached number two in 1989).
It is remembered chiefly for its refrain
, which went:
In English:
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by Sœur Sourire (Sister Smile, born Jeanine Deckers), of Belgium, also known as The Singing Nun
The Singing Nun
Jeanine Deckers , known in English as The Singing Nun, was a Belgian nun, and a member of the Dominican Fichermont Convent in Belgium. She became internationally famous in 1963 as Sœur Sourire when she scored a hit with the song "Dominique"...
. It is about Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
, a Spanish-born priest and founder of the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, of which she was a member (as Sister Luc-Gabrielle). The English version of the song was written by Noël Regney
Noel Regney
Noël Regney , World War II veteran and French songwriter, composed the Christmas standard "Do You Hear What I Hear?" with his then-wife Gloria Shayne Baker in 1962. Originally from Alsace, France, he moved to New York City and then eventually Connecticut, where he lived out the remainder of his life...
. In addition to French and English, Deckers recorded versions in Dutch, German, Hebrew and Japanese.
"Dominique" reached the top ten in eleven countries in late 1963 and early 1964, topping the hit lists in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. It reached the Top 5 in Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Australia and South Africa, with the song making it into the lower reaches of the Top 10 in the Netherlands, West Germany and the United Kingdom. The song reached and stayed at #1 on both the U.S. pop chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and "easy listening chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
" (since renamed the Adult Contemporary chart) for four weeks in December of 1963
1963 in music
-Events:*January 1 – The Beatles start a 5-day tour in Scotland to support the release of their new single, "Love Me Do".*January 4 – At Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, Dalida receives a Juke Box Global Oscar for the year's most-played artist on juke boxes....
. It was the second foreign language song to hit #1 on the Hot 100 in 1963, the other being "Sukiyaki
Sukiyaki (song)
The cover version by A Taste of Honey reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also went to number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and Soul chart)....
" by Kyu Sakamoto
Kyu Sakamoto
was a Japanese singer and actor, best known outside of Japan for his international hit song "Sukiyaki", which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies...
. No other foreign language song reached the US Top 40 Billboard charts until the Spanish language hit Eres tú
Eres tú (Mocedades song)
"Eres tú" is a popular Spanish language song written in 1973 by Juan Carlos Calderón and performed by the Spanish band Mocedades, with Amaya Uranga on lead.This song was chosen as Spain's entry in the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest...
hit the US charts in 1973.
Jeanine Deckers never again reached the same success and continued to lead a colourful, but tragic life. She and her long-time friend, Annie Pescher, both committed suicide in 1985, as a result of financial and tax problems stemming from the recording of the song.
"Dominique" outsold Elvis during its stay on the Billboard Pop Charts in 1963. It was the second #1 hit in the post-Kennedy assassination era and the second to last #1 hit before the advent of Beatlemania.
The song
"Dominique" became a worldwide hit in 1963 and as of 2009 is still the only Belgian number one hit single in the American BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts. (Technotronic
Technotronic
Technotronic is a Belgian studio-based music project formed in 1988 by Jo Bogaert , who had already made his musical mark in the beginning of the 1980s as a part of a cover band and as a solo artist under various New Beat projects, including The Acts of Madmen and Nux Nemo...
's "Pump Up The Jam
Pump Up the Jam
"Pump Up the Jam" is the opening track on Technotronic's album Pump Up the Jam: The Album. The song was a worldwide hit, reaching number two in the United Kingdom in 1989. The song was also a landmark release for the Belgian EBM – and New Beat – influenced house music. It was able to tackle the...
" reached number two in 1989).
It is remembered chiefly for its refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, which went:
- Dominique -nique -nique s'en allait tout simplement,
- Routier, pauvre et chantant.
- En tous chemins, en tous lieux,'
- Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu,
- Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu
In English:
- Dominique went about simply,
- a poor singing traveller.
- On every road, in every place,
- he talks only of the Good Lord,
- he talks only of the Good Lord.
Charts
| Chart (1963/1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
4 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
6 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
7 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
4 |
| New Zealand Hit Parade | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
2 |
| South African Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 12 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
Cover versions and other appearances
- It was used in the 1990 film MermaidsMermaids (film)Mermaids is a 1990 comedy-drama film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder , and Christina Ricci in her first film role...
with CherCherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
. - It was used in Lionel Soukaz's short film Ixe
- The Cuban artist La LupeLa LupeLa Lupe , was a Cuban-American singer of several musical genres: boleros, guarachas and Latin soul in particular...
and Mexican artist Angélica MaríaAngélica MaríaAngélica María Hartman Ortiz is an Mexican-American actress and a Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter. She is a legendary entertainer and is known as La Novia de Mexico .-Early life:...
recorded Spanish languageSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
versions of this song. - The Brazilian singer Giane recorded a Brazilian PortugueseBrazilian PortugueseBrazilian Portuguese is a group of Portuguese dialects written and spoken by most of the 190 million inhabitants of Brazil and by a few million Brazilian emigrants, mainly in the United States, United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Japan and Paraguay....
version of this song. - Spike JonesSpike JonesMel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
recorded a version in which he first gave it a jazz-like interpretation, with trumpet and banjo; then he melded it with "When the Saints Go Marching InWhen the Saints Go Marching In"When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as "The Saints", is an American gospel hymn that has taken on certain aspects of folk music. The precise origins of the song are not known. Though it originated as a spiritual, today people are more likely to hear it played by a jazz band...
", giving the song an entirely different sound. - Sandler and YoungSandler and YoungSandler and Young were a popular singing team from the 1960s through the 1980s, composed of Belgian-born Tony Sandler and native New Yorker Ralph Young....
revived the song in late 1966, a version that appeared on the Billboard easy listening chart. The performance was a medley including other religious-themed songs including "Deep River" and "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've SeenNobody Knows the Trouble I've SeenNobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen is a spiritual. The song is well known and many cover versions of it have been produced, although the rendition by Louis Armstrong is the best known. Marian Anderson had her first successful recording with a version of this song on the Victor label in 1925. Lena...
". - The song was referenced in The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Bart's Friend Falls in LoveBart's Friend Falls in Love"Bart's Friend Falls in Love" is the twenty-third episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 7, 1992. In the episode, Bart's best friend Milhouse falls in love with the new girl in school, Samantha Stankey. Milhouse and Samantha spend...
" (1992), where Milhouse van HoutenMilhouse Van HoutenMilhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
visits his girlfriend in an all-girls convent school. A nunNunA nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
playing guitar and singing "Dominique" passes along, followed by several equally happy little girls. The nun was voiced by cast member Maggie RoswellMaggie RoswellMaggie Roswell is an American film and television actress and voice artist from Los Angeles, California. She is well known for her voice work on the Fox network's animated television series The Simpsons, in which she has played recurring characters such as Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy, Miss...
, who didn't know any of the song's French lyrics and instead made up her own. - The song is sampled in TISMTISMTISM was a seven piece anonymous alternative rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The group was formed in 1982 and enjoyed a large underground/independent following. Their third album Machiavelli and the Four Seasons reached the Australian national top 10 in 1995...
's "I Might Be a Cunt, but I'm Not a Fucking CuntI Might Be A Cunt, But I'm Not A Fucking Cunt"I Might Be A Cunt, But I'm Not A Fucking Cunt" is a song by TISM, released as the second single from their album www.tism.wanker.com in 1998....
". - The musician Poe used a sample of the song in her album Haunted, on the track "House of Leaves".
- In the 1987 Married With Children episode, "Thinnergy", "Dominique" is one of several songs Peg sings in an attempt to annoy Al.
- Also, Debbie ReynoldsDebbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
starred in The Singing NunThe Singing Nun (film)The Singing Nun is a 1966 American semi-biographical film about the life of Jeanine Deckers, a nun who recorded the chart-topping hit song "Dominique". It starred Debbie Reynolds in the title role. It was Henry Koster's final directing job....
movie, which has an English version of this song. - In 2009, the song was used in the third series premiere of British teen drama SkinsSkins (TV series)Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
.
External links
- "Dominique" lyrics in English and French Allthelyrics.com
- The lyrics in full