| "Marcia Baïla" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Rita Mitsouko | ||||
| from the album Rita Mitsouko | ||||
| B-side | "Jalousie" | |||
| Released | April 1985 | |||
| Format | 7" single, 12" maxi | |||
| Recorded | France, 1984 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 5:34 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Writer(s) | Catherine Ringer Frédéric Chichin |
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| Producer | Conny Plank Rita Mitsouko |
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| Rita Mitsouko singles chronology | ||||
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"Marcia Baïla" is a 1985 song recorded by the French duet Rita Mitsouko. It was the third single off their first album, the eponymous Rita Mitsouko, and was released in April of that year. Dedicated to a dancer with the band who died in 1981, this song was a big hit both in France and abroad and can be considered as being the band's signature song.
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The song was composed by both members of the group, Catherine Ringer and Fred Chichin. It is a tribute to Argentine dancer and choreographer Marcia Moretto, who participated in the band's tours before her death from breast cancer in 1981 at the age of 32. With this song, the group enjoyed extensive media coverage; indeed, "the music video for the single [was] a success which result[ed] in repeated and enthusiastic broadcastings on the television, the extravagance of the group express[ing] itself as well in concerts as during its cathodic performances."[1] Philippe Gautier directed the vibrant and widely-viewed music video that accompanies the song. Despite its Spanish title, the lyrics are in French.
In France, the song had a long chart trajectory, remaining on the Top 50 charts for 29 weeks. It debuted at #33 on April 27, 1985, and climbed regularly until it peaked at #2 for three consecutive weeks. In all, it spent 17 weeks in the Top Ten.[2]
"Marcia Baïla" is currently the 187th best-selling single of all time in France, with about 800,000 units sold.[3] The song was Rita Mitsouko's first big hit and propelled them to considerable fame.
The song can be heard in several fims, including The Witnesses (produced by André Téchiné, 2007), La Tête de maman (Carine Tardieu, 2007), Le Pornographe (Bertrand Bonello, 2001), Belle Maman (Gabriel Aghion, 1999) and Sans toit ni loi (Agnès Varda, 1985).
In 1997, the song was covered in Spanish by Los Del Sol. Gloria Lasso covered the song under the title "Baïlando con Marcia". In 1998, Ricky Martin covered the song on his album Vuelve, on which it features as the 11th track.[4] Christer Björkman also made a version of the song, released as a single in 2002.
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified | Physical sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Gold | 1985 | 500,000 | 799,000[8] |
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 13 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart[2] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[9] | 27 |
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