Savoir aimer
Encyclopedia
"Savoir aimer" is a 1997 song recorded by the French
singer Florent Pagny
. It was the first single from his album of the same name
, on which it features as first track, and his 14th single overall. Released in October 1997, it was a smash success in France and Belgium, topping the chart for several months, and remaining Pagny's most successful single.
, who also participated in other two songs on Pagny's album, and written by Lionel Florence, who had also worked for many French singers. In the music video, Pagny is in front of the camera and transcribed the song in the universal sign language.
The song has been performed on Pagny's concerts tours in 1998, 2004 and 2005, and is thus available on the singer's live albums En concert, Été 2003 à l'Olympia and Baryton - L'Intégrale du spectacle. It is part of Pagny's 2008 compilation Les 50 Plus Belles Chansons.
In 2001, the song has been covered by Pagny himself in a duet version with Souad Massi
on his album 2 (14th track), which contains songs originally performed by Pagny or other artists overdubbed as duets. As the song was a great success in France, it was included throughout the years on many famous compilations in France, such as Hit Express 5, Les Plus Grandes Chansons du Siècle, vol. 1 (released in 1999), Lionel Florence: des Rencontres et des Mots, Les Plus Belles Victoires de la Musique (2002), Les 100 Plus Belles Chansons (2006) and Hits de diamant (2007).
's huge hit "Barbie Girl
", but managed to reached again number one the week after, and remained at the top for a total of nine weeks. It then dropped first slowly, then more quickly and featured for 19 weeks in the top ten, 23 weeks in the top 50 and 24 weeks in the top 100. It achieved Diamond
status and was ranked sixth on the 1997 Annual Chart established only ten weeks after the single release. With over 1,2 million units, "Savoir aimer" is the 35th best-selling single of all time in France.
In Belgium (Wallonia), the song entered the chart at number 21 on 8 November, climbed to number two two weeks later and stayed at this place for five weeks, behind "Barbie Girl". Then it topped the chart for four weeks, then almost did not stop to drop. It totaled 14 weeks in the top ten, 19 weeks in the top 20 and 24 weeks in the top 40. It was the fifth best-selling single of 1997, with only nine weeks on the chart.
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...
singer Florent Pagny
Florent Pagny
Florent Pagny is a French musician. He has also acted in many French films. He records work in French, Italian, Spanish and English, and his greatest hits include "N'importe quoi", "Savoir aimer", "Ma Liberté de penser" and "Caruso" .As of 2008, he has sold 4,268,980 copies of singles,...
. It was the first single from his album of the same name
Savoir aimer (album)
Savoir aimer is a 1997 album recorded by French singer Florent Pagny. It was his fifth album oversall and was released on 1 November 1997. It achieved huge success in France and Belgium , where it remained charted respectively for 84 and 64 weeks, including two weeks atop. To date it is Pagny's...
, on which it features as first track, and his 14th single overall. Released in October 1997, it was a smash success in France and Belgium, topping the chart for several months, and remaining Pagny's most successful single.
Background and writing
The song was composed by Pascal ObispoPascal Obispo
Pascal Michel Obispo is a French singer/songwriter.Pascal Obispo started singing in 1980. He got his first record deal in 1990, Le long du fleuve. With his second album, Plus que tout au monde, selling over 2 million albums, his songs became a popular success...
, who also participated in other two songs on Pagny's album, and written by Lionel Florence, who had also worked for many French singers. In the music video, Pagny is in front of the camera and transcribed the song in the universal sign language.
The song has been performed on Pagny's concerts tours in 1998, 2004 and 2005, and is thus available on the singer's live albums En concert, Été 2003 à l'Olympia and Baryton - L'Intégrale du spectacle. It is part of Pagny's 2008 compilation Les 50 Plus Belles Chansons.
In 2001, the song has been covered by Pagny himself in a duet version with Souad Massi
Souad Massi
Souad Massi , born August 23, 1972, is an Algerian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She began her career performing in the Kabyle political rock band Atakor, before leaving the country following a series of death threats...
on his album 2 (14th track), which contains songs originally performed by Pagny or other artists overdubbed as duets. As the song was a great success in France, it was included throughout the years on many famous compilations in France, such as Hit Express 5, Les Plus Grandes Chansons du Siècle, vol. 1 (released in 1999), Lionel Florence: des Rencontres et des Mots, Les Plus Belles Victoires de la Musique (2002), Les 100 Plus Belles Chansons (2006) and Hits de diamant (2007).
Chart performances
In France, the single went straight to number one on the singles chart on 25 October 1997, which was very rare at the time (it wad the fifth). It was disloged the week after by AquaAqua (band)
Aqua is a Danish dance-pop group, best known for their 1997 breakthrough single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1989 and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group managed to top the UK Singles Chart with their first three singles. The group released two...
's huge hit "Barbie Girl
Barbie Girl
"Barbie Girl" is a song by the Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua, who released the song in 1997 as their third single overall, and the first United Kingdom release...
", but managed to reached again number one the week after, and remained at the top for a total of nine weeks. It then dropped first slowly, then more quickly and featured for 19 weeks in the top ten, 23 weeks in the top 50 and 24 weeks in the top 100. It achieved Diamond
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,...
status and was ranked sixth on the 1997 Annual Chart established only ten weeks after the single release. With over 1,2 million units, "Savoir aimer" is the 35th best-selling single of all time in France.
In Belgium (Wallonia), the song entered the chart at number 21 on 8 November, climbed to number two two weeks later and stayed at this place for five weeks, behind "Barbie Girl". Then it topped the chart for four weeks, then almost did not stop to drop. It totaled 14 weeks in the top ten, 19 weeks in the top 20 and 24 weeks in the top 40. It was the fifth best-selling single of 1997, with only nine weeks on the chart.
Track listings
- CD single
- "Savoir aimer" — 4:43
- "Combien ça va" — 3:40
- Digital download
- "Savoir aimer" — 4:40
- "Savoir aimer" (1998 live version) — 5:26
- "Savoir aimer" (2004 live version) — 7:22
- "Savoir aimer" (2005 live baryton version) — 4:18
- "Savoir aimer" (duet with Souad MassiSouad MassiSouad Massi , born August 23, 1972, is an Algerian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She began her career performing in the Kabyle political rock band Atakor, before leaving the country following a series of death threats...
) — 4:09
Peak positions
| Chart (1997/98) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 1 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 1 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 5 |
| French Singles Chart | 6 |
| End of year chart (1998) | Position |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 39 |
| French Singles Chart | 36 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Diamond | 1997 | 750,000 | 1,234,000 |