"Modern Times" is the name of a 2004 song recorded by the california

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

n singer J-five

J-five

Jonathan Kovacs , known as J-five, is an American singer.-Biography:Jonathan was born in 1983 in Los Angeles. He started his singing career in early 2004 with the song "Modern Times", which was a tribute to Charlie Chaplin. The song had success in a few European countries, peaking at number one in...

. Released in 2004 as the first 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 his debut album Sweet Little Nothing on which it is the third track, "Modern Times" achieved a success in many European countries, topping the charts in France

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...

, traditionally a nation where Chaplin films are most popular.

Release

The song is a tribute to Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin

Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...

, and particularly his film Modern Times

Modern Times (film)

Modern Times is a 1936 comedy film by Charlie Chaplin that has his iconic Little Tramp character struggling to survive in the modern, industrialized world. The film is a comment on the desperate employment and fiscal conditions many people faced during the Great Depression, conditions created, in...

. The chorus of the song is the original recording of Chaplin's gibberish singing from the end of the film (the first time Chaplin's voice had been heard in any of his films, using a deliberately vague mixture of languages).

A music video was produced to illustrate this track, using the appropriate scene from the Chaplin film with the exclusive participation of Dolores Chaplin.

The song is included on the following compilations, released in 2004 in France : Best Of 2004, R&B 2004, NRJ Hit Music Only and Fan2.

Chart performances

In France, the single entered the chart at #15 on February 29, 2004, and gained a few places every week until topping the chart for one week, on March 21. The weeks after, the single almost didn't stop to drop on the chart and totaled nine weeks in the top ten, 17 weeks in the top 50 and 25 weeks on the chart. It was certified Silver

Music recording sales certification

Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

 disc by the SNEP and was ranked #33 on the End of the Year Chart.

Track listings

• CD single

1. "Modern Times" featuring Charlie Chaplin
   Charlie Chaplin
   Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
   
   — 3:16
2. "Flags" — 3:22

• CD maxi

1. "Modern Times" featuring Charlie Chaplin
   Charlie Chaplin
   Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
   
   — 3:16
2. "Flags" — 3:22
3. "Turn It up" — 2:06

• CD maxi

1. "Modern Times" (original version) featuring Charlie Chaplin
   Charlie Chaplin
   Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
   
   — 3:23
2. "Modern Times" (rove dogs remix) — 3:43
3. "Flags" — 2:06
4. "Modern Times" (video)

Personnel

• Recorded by Len Corey
• Produced by D&N Godsend and Mel Richd
• Artwork by Objectif Lune
• Photography by S. Girzard

"Modern Times"

• Written by J-Five / Daniderff / D&N Godsend / Mel Richd/Bertal & Maubon
• Engineered by Len Corey
• Performed by J-Five and Charles Chaplin
• Charles Chaplin appears courtesy of Roy Export Ltd.

"Flags"

• Written by J-Five / D&N Godsend / Mel Richd
• Engineered Len Corey

Rove dogs remix

• Vocals and keyboards by Franck Lascombes
• Engineered and mixed by Mr Clean

Peak positions

Chart (2004)	Peak position
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart	9
Dutch Singles Chart	36
French SNEP Singles Chart	1
Greek Singles Chart	10
Italian Singles Chart	12
Swiss Singles Chart	15

¹ Remix

Year-end charts

Chart (2004)	Position
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart	47
French Singles Chart	33
Swiss Singles Chart	74

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified	Physical sales
France	Silver	September 22, 2004	125,000	188,000