Je te dis vous

Je te dis vous
Studio album by Patricia Kaas
Released April 6, 1993
Recorded London, UK
Genre Pop
Label Sony Musique, Columbia
Producer Robin Millar
Patricia Kaas chronology
Carnets de scène
(1991)		 Je te dis vous
(1993)		 Tour de charme
(1995)
Singles from Je te dis vous
  1. "Entrer dans la lumière"
    Released: March 1993
  2. "Il me dit que je suis belle"
    Released: July 1993

Je te dis vous is the name of an album recorded by the French singer Patricia Kaas. It was released in 1993 and achieved a huge success in many countries.

Contents

Background and writing

The name of the album is ironic in the French language because it uses both the familiar (te) and formal (vous) second-person pronouns. By using both the familiar and formal in the same short declaration, it shows a tension in the speaker's voice between the admiration of one that she respects formally, and someone that she dearly loves on a familiar level.

The album was produced in Pete Townshend's Eel Pie Studio in London, England by Robin Millar, who had already worked for Sade and the Fine Young Cannibals. In the U.S. and United Kingdom it appeared under the name of Tour de charme (not to be confused with the live album of the same name).

The songs "Je te dis vous", "Je retiens mon souffle" and "Fatiguée d'attendre" were not written by Kaas, but were based on an idea of her, as indicated in the album's booklet.

On the album Kaas sang her first song in German: the song "Ganz und gar" (Eng: "Absolutely") came from the pen of the German singer and songwriter Marius Müller-Westernhagen. The album also featured three tracks in English, including a cover of the James Brown number "It's a Man's World". The British rock musician Chris Rea accompanied Kaas on the tracks "Out of the Rain" and "Ceux qui n'ont rien" (Eng: "Those who have nothing") on guitar.

The album was supported by a tour in 1994 and recorded in a live version on the 1995 album Tour de charme.

In France, there were two successful singles from this album : "Entrer dans la lumière" (Eng: "Come into the light"), written by Didier Barbelivien, and "Il me dit que je suis belle" (Eng: "He tells me I'm beautiful"), composed by Jean-Jacques Goldman under the pseudonym of Sam Brewski. With the latter, Kaas achieved her second top five single in France. A remix of "Reste sur moi" (Eng: "Stay on me"), a song composed by Marc Lavoine, reached the top 20 of the U.S. dance charts.

Critical reception and chart performances

This album marked the definitive breakthrough of the singer in the international music scene, selling three million copies in 47 countries. Currently Je te dis vous is considered one of the best albums of modern chanson,[1] displaying the key qualities of the genre.

Je te dis vous is currently Kaas' most successful album in the German-speaking world, only just missing out on the German top 10 (it spent two weeks at 11th place), but spending 36 weeks in the top 100.

In Switzerland, Kaas's album featured on the chart (Top 40) for 25 weeks, from April 18 to October 3, 1993. It debuted at #10 and climber to #2 two weeks later. It remained for two consecutive weeks at this position, but was unable to disloge Aerosmith's album Get A Grip. It appeared for 14 weeks in the top ten, then dropped slowly on the chart[2] and finally achieved double platinum status.[3] It was the ninth best-selling album of 1993.[4]

In France, the album was charted for many months, from April 15, 1993, to January 8, 1995. It went straight to #1 and stayed there for five weeks. It totaled about 40 weeks in the top ten.[5] It was her third album to go Diamond,[6] 11 months after its appearance.

The album had moderate success in the Netherlands. It featured for five weeks on the albums chart and went to #98 on July 24, 1993, reaching its peak position, #83, two weeks later.[7]

Track listing

# Title[8] Length
1. "Y'avait tant d'étoiles"
(J.Kopf / M.Amsellem)
1:54
2. "Hôtel Normandy"
(D.Barbelivien / F.Bernheim)
5:34
3. "Je retiens mon souffle"
(M.Lavoine - P.Grillet / F.Aboulker)
4:37
4. "Ceux qui n'ont rien"
(D.Barbelivien - F.Bernheim / D.Barbelivien)
5:16
5. "Il me dit que je suis belle" (album version)
(S.Brewski)
5:21
6. "Space in My Heart"
(D.Austin / M.Elliot)
4:51
7. "La Liberté"
(M.Lavoine / F.Aboulker)
4:04
8. "Fatiguée d'attendre"
(J.Kopf / M.Amsellem)
4:31
9. "Jojo"
(D.Barbelivien / F.Bernheim)
3:20
10. "Je te dis vous"
(J.Kopf / M.Amsellem)
3:43
11. "Reste sur moi"
(M.Lavoine / F.Aboulker)
4:34
12. "Ganz und gar"
(M.M.Westernhagen)
4:47
13. "Out of the Rain"
(T.J.White)
4:34
14. "It's a Man World"
(J.Brown / B.Newsome)
5:45
15. "Entrer dans la lumière"
(D.Barbelivien / F.Bernheim)
4:05
16. "Juste une chanson" [9](Bonus track for Japanese edition)
(J.Kopf / M. Nakajima)
6:01

Credits

Editions

Musicians

Recording

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified
Canada[10] Gold June 14, 1994 50,000
France[6] Diamond 1994 1,000,000
Switzerland[3] 2 x Platinum 1994 100,000
Finland Platinum 1997 45,000[11]

Charts

Chart (1993–1994) Peak
position
Dutch Albums Chart[7] 83
French Albums Chart[5] 1
German Albums Chart 11
Swiss Albums Chart[2] 2
Year-end chart (1993) Position
Swiss Albums Chart[4] 9
Year-end chart (1994) Position
French Albums Chart[12] 29

References

  1. ^ Musicline.de (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
  2. ^ a b Je te dis vous, in Swiss Albums Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
  3. ^ a b 1994 certifications in Switzerland Swisscharts.com (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
  4. ^ a b 1993 Swiss Albums Chart Swisscharts.com (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
  5. ^ a b Kaas' albums charts trjectories in French Albums Chart Infodisc.fr (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
  6. ^ a b Kaas's certifications in France Chartsinfrance.net (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
  7. ^ a b Je te dis vous, in Dutch Albums Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
  8. ^ Je te dis vous, track listing allmusic.com (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
  9. ^ Je te dis vous (JP edition), track listing miyuki-lab.jp (Retrieved September 14, 2008)
  10. ^ Certifications in Canada cria.ca (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
  11. ^ http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/artistit/patricia+kaas
  12. ^ 1994 French Albums Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved June 2, 2008)
Patricia Kaas
Studio albums
Mademoiselle chante... (1988) · Scène de vie (1990) · Je te dis vous (1993) · Dans ma chair (1997) · Le Mot de passe (1999) · Piano Bar (2002) · Sexe fort (2003) · Kabaret (2008)
Live albums
Carnets de scène (1991) · Tour de charme (1995) · Rendez-vous (1998) · Ce sera nous (2000) · Toute la musique... (2005)
Compilations and other albums
Singles
Associated artists
Discography and labels