Un enfant de toi

"Un Enfant de toi"
Single by Phil Barney
from the album Recto-verseau
B-side "Ma Vie c'est la musique" (original version)
Instrumental (duet version)
Released 1987
June 4, 2002 (duet version)
Format 7" single (original version)
CD single (duet version)
Recorded France
Genre Pop
Length 3:46 (original version)
4:05 (duet version)
Label Zone (original version)
M6 (duet version)
Writer(s) Pierre Zito
Phil Barney
Producer Pierre Zito
Phil Barney
J.P. Daine
Certification Gold France, 1987
Platinum France, 2002
Phil Barney singles chronology
"Un Enfant de toi"
(1987)
"Avec qui tu vis"
(1988)

"Loin de tes bras"
(1992)

"Un Enfant de toi"
(2002)

Alternative cover
2002 release, with Marlène Duval

"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.

Contents

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 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.[1]

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.[2] The two singers started a tour to promote it.[3]

Chart performances

In 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.[4] Finally, the single achieved Gold status awarded by the SNEP.[5] According to Infodisc website, this version is the 669th best-selling single of all time in France, with about 467,000 copies sold.[6]

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).[7] About one month after its release, it was certified Platinum disc[8] and was ranked #12 on the End of the Year Chart of 2002.[9] Its sales are estimated about 439,000 sales, being the 727th biggest hit in France.[10]

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.[11] It is the 13th best-selling single of 2002.[12]

Track listings

1987 version
7" single
  1. "Un Enfant de toi" — 3:46
  2. "Ma Vie c'est la musique" — 4:12
2002 version
CD single
  1. "Un Enfant de toi" by Phil Barney and Marlène Duval — 4:05
  2. "Un Enfant de toi (instrumental) — 4:05

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified
France1 [5] Gold 1987 500,000
France2 [8] 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[4] 3
Chart (2002) Peak
position
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[11] 1
French SNEP Singles Chart[7] 1
End of year chart (2002) Position
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[12] 13
French Singles Chart[9] 12
Preceded by
"Stach Stach" by Bratisla Boys
French SNEP number-one single
June 15, 2002 - June 29, 2002 (3 weeks)
Succeeded by
"Stach Stach" by Bratisla Boys
Preceded by
"Without Me" by Eminem
Belgian (Wallonia) number-one single
July 6, 2002 - July 27, 2002 (4 weeks)
Succeeded by
"J'ai demandé à la lune" by Indochine

References

  1. ^ Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 115 (ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  2. ^ Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 558 (ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  3. ^ "Marlène la cruncheuse ne déplace pas les foules !", Lyon People, July 1, 2002 Lyon People (Retrieved April 25, 2008)
  4. ^ a b "Un Enfant de toi" by Phil Barney, in French Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 25, 2008)
  5. ^ a b French certifications Chartsinfrance.net (Retrieved April 24, 2008)
  6. ^ Best-selling singles of all time in France (original version) Infodisc.fr (Retrieved April 25, 2008)
  7. ^ a b "Un Enfant de toi" by Phil Barney and Marlène Duval, in French Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 25, 2008)
  8. ^ a b French certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved April 24, 2008)
  9. ^ a b 2002 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved April 25, 2008)
  10. ^ Best-selling singles of all time in France (duet version) Infodisc.fr (Retrieved April 25, 2008)
  11. ^ a b "Un Enfant de toi" by Phil Barney and Marlène Duval, in Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 25, 2008)
  12. ^ a b 2002 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 25, 2008)

External links