"1er Gaou" is a song by Ivorian

Côte d'Ivoire

The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...

 Zouglou

Zouglou

Zouglou is a dance oriented style of music from the Côte d'Ivoire that first evolved in the 1990s out of the university crisis at the time. It started with students from the University of Abidjan...

 artists Magic System

Magic System

A magic system is a set of rules that magical effects in a fictional setting follow. Magic systems are most elaborate in video games and role-playing games, due to the need to balance the game. A common feature to many magic systems is a way to limit the number of spells a magic user can cast.-...

, taken from the album of the same name

Premier Gaou (album)

Premier Gaou is an album by Ivorian Zouglou artists Magic System. It contains the eponymous hit single Premier Gaou, which sold 300,000 copies in France. The album was a hit in that country, achieving Gold status and signifying the breakthrough of indie group Magic System....

. The title literally means "First Fool" in Ivorian slang. The song contains an autobiographical account of lead singer Salif "A'Salfo" Traoré about his ex-girlfriend who tried to hook up with him again when he became famous. Originally recorded in 1999, it became smash indie hit in France three years later. The song meant the breakthrough of little-known Magic System.

Background

"1er Gaou" is based on autobiographical experiences of lead singer Salif "A'Salfo" Traoré. When he was an aspiring, poor artist, his girlfriend left him, but when he became a celebrity with Magic System, she tried to win him back, but Traoré turned her down. The song was first released in 1999 in their native Abidjan

Abidjan

Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...

 and was at first a hit in Ivory Coast and other African countries only. But when it was remixed in 2002 and released 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...

 for Mélina Forthin, Magic System's song became a major indie hit.

Lyrics

The lyrics tell the story of an aspiring musician whose girlfriend leaves him because of his poverty. After he becomes rich and she sees him on TV, she tries to win him back. He turns her down, saying her leaving him does not really matter; only if he took her back he would become a "fool once more".

The lyrics feature a colorful patois

Patois

Patois is any language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. It can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects, and other forms of native or local speech, but not commonly to jargon or slang, which are vocabulary-based forms of cant...

 of French-Ivorian slang. This is especially evident in the refrain of "Et on dit premier gaou n'est pas gaou oh / C'est deuxième gaou qui est niata oh ah" ("They say that the first fool is not a fool / It is the second fool who is a fool"), which expresses that his first folly (her leaving him) is not really a folly at all, only accepting her back would be.

Music videos

There are two "1er Gaou" videoclips. The first one shows Magic System in their native Abidjan, with Traoré being left by his girlfriend at first before she comes back. This main plot line is interspersed by many scenes of daily life in Abidjan. In the second version, Magic System are in an expensive nightclub, again with Traoré left and then pursued by his girlfriend. This second version has a more posh look-and-feel than the first version.

Chart performances

The single topped at number four on the French charts and remained in the top 100 for 28 weeks, ten of them in the top ten and sold as many as 300,000 copies in France. "It was the number which opened the way for us. Even if we have hit after hit, I don't think there's a hit which can replace Premier Gaou because Premier Gaou came with a novice magic," A'Salfo said later.

The single was also a top ten hit in Belgium (Wallonia), peaked at number ten in it ninth week, and appared in the top 40 for 15 weeks. In Switzerland, the single had a moderate success, peaking at number 30 and staying in the top 100 for nine weeks.

Track listings

• CD single

1. "1er Gaou" (Bob Sinclar
   Bob Sinclar
   Bob Sinclar, originally spelled "Sinclair" - , is a French record producer, House music DJ, remixer and owner of the label Yellow Productions.- Career history :...
   
   le bisou edit) — 3:04
2. "1er Gaou" (original mix radio edit) — 3:26

Peak positions

Chart (2002/03)	Peak position
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart	10
French SNEP Singles Chart	4
Swiss Singles Chart	30

Year-end charts

Chart (2002)	Position
French Singles Chart	25
End of year chart (2003)	Position
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart	49