Un Enfant de toi
Encyclopedia
"Un Enfant de toi" is a 1987
pop
song recorded by the French
singer Phil Barney
. It was released as a single
twice : first in 1987 from the album Recto-verseau, then as a duet with Marlène Duval in 2002. Both versions were hits reaching the top 3 on the French Singles Chart, but the cover version was even more successful than the original.
This song has a romantic melody. It tells the story of a man who is soon going to become father, his wife being pregnant. However, the delivery
takes place badly and the woman dies by giving birth to a boy, named Jason. The father, who addresses directly his deceased wife in the song, tells ten years later how he brought up their son.
In 2002, Marlène Duval, a young contestant of the French TV reality show Loft Story 2, didn't stop singing "Un Enfant de toi" when she participated in the show. Therefore, when she came out the loft, Phil Barney proposed to the young woman re-recording the song in a duet version. She accepted and the song was released as a single. The two singers started a tour to promote it.
, the original version was charted for 23 weeks (Top 50), from September 5, 1987, to February 6, 1988. It debuted at the bottom of the chart and gained a few places every week, until reaching #3, its highest position, in its 10th and 15th week. It remained in the top ten for ten consecutive weeks. Finally, the single achieved Gold
status awarded by the SNEP. According to Infodisc website, this version is the 669th best-selling single of all time in France, with about 467,000 copies sold.
The version with Marlène Duval entered the French Singles Chart at #70, on June 1, 2002, although it was officially released three days later (several stores sold it before the official date). It climbed to #2 the following week, and then topped the chart for three consecutive weeks. After that, it didn't stop to drop on the chart, and totaled seven weeks in the top ten, 16 weeks in the top 50 and 21 weeks on the chart (Top 100). About one month after its release, it was certified Platinum
disc and was ranked #12 on the End of the Year Chart of 2002. Its sales are estimated about 439,000 sales, being the 727th biggest hit in France.
In Belgium
(Wallonia), the single started at #20 on the Ultratop 40
, on June 29, 2002, and jumped straight to #1 the next week. It stayed there for four weeks, then kept on dropping and fell of the chart after 14 weeks. It is the 13th best-selling single of 2002.
2002 version
1 1987 version
2 2002 version
1987 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song recorded by the 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...
singer Phil Barney
Phil Barney
Phil Barney is a French singer-songwriter. He was particularly successful with his 1987 song "Un Enfant de toi".-Biography:...
. It was released as a 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...
twice : first in 1987 from the album Recto-verseau, then as a duet with Marlène Duval in 2002. Both versions were hits reaching the top 3 on the French Singles Chart, but the cover version was even more successful than the original.
Background
"Un Enfant de toi" was written and the music composed by Pierre Zito and Phil Barney.This song has a romantic melody. It tells the story of a man who is soon going to become father, his wife being pregnant. However, the delivery
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
takes place badly and the woman dies by giving birth to a boy, named Jason. The father, who addresses directly his deceased wife in the song, tells ten years later how he brought up their son.
In 2002, Marlène Duval, a young contestant of the French TV reality show Loft Story 2, didn't stop singing "Un Enfant de toi" when she participated in the show. Therefore, when she came out the loft, Phil Barney proposed to the young woman re-recording the song in a duet version. She accepted and the song was released as a single. The two singers started a tour to promote it.
Chart performances
In FranceFrance
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...
, the original version was charted for 23 weeks (Top 50), from September 5, 1987, to February 6, 1988. It debuted at the bottom of the chart and gained a few places every week, until reaching #3, its highest position, in its 10th and 15th week. It remained in the top ten for ten consecutive weeks. Finally, the single achieved Gold
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 awarded by the SNEP. According to Infodisc website, this version is the 669th best-selling single of all time in France, with about 467,000 copies sold.
The version with Marlène Duval entered the French Singles Chart at #70, on June 1, 2002, although it was officially released three days later (several stores sold it before the official date). It climbed to #2 the following week, and then topped the chart for three consecutive weeks. After that, it didn't stop to drop on the chart, and totaled seven weeks in the top ten, 16 weeks in the top 50 and 21 weeks on the chart (Top 100). About one month after its release, it was certified Platinum
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 and was ranked #12 on the End of the Year Chart of 2002. Its sales are estimated about 439,000 sales, being the 727th biggest hit in France.
In Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(Wallonia), the single started at #20 on the Ultratop 40
Ultratop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts...
, on June 29, 2002, and jumped straight to #1 the next week. It stayed there for four weeks, then kept on dropping and fell of the chart after 14 weeks. It is the 13th best-selling single of 2002.
Track listings
1987 version- 7" single
- "Un Enfant de toi" — 3
- 46
- "Ma Vie c'est la musique" — 4:12
NEWLIN
2002 version
- CD single
- "Un Enfant de toi" by Phil Barney and Marlène Duval — 4
- 05
- "Un Enfant de toi (instrumental) — 4:05
NEWLIN
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| France1 | Gold | 1987 | 500,000 |
| France2 | Platinum | June 26, 2002 | 500,000 |
1 1987 version
2 2002 version
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 28 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 3 |
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 1 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 1 |
| End of year chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 13 |
| French Singles Chart | 12 |