C'est la Vie (B*Witched song)

"C'est la Vie"
Image shows B*Witched dancing around a lush green field on a beautiful sunny day. The words "B*Witched" and "C'est La Vie" are written on the picture. There is also an orange and yellow gradient border around the photo with green, red, yellow and orange stars at the bottom of the image.
Single by B*Witched
from the album B*Witched
B-side "We Four Girls" "Get Happy" "B*Witched Quiz Show" "Snippets"
Released 25 May 1998 (1998-05-25)
Format CD single, maxi single
Recorded 1997
Genre Pop
Length 2:52
Label Epic, Glow Worm
Songwriter(s) B*Witched, Ray "Madman" Hedges, Martin Brannigan, Tracy Ackerman
Producer(s) Ray "Madman" Hedges
B*Witched singles chronology
"C'est la Vie"
(1998)		 "Rollercoaster"
(1998)

"C'est la Vie"
(1998)		 "Rollercoaster"
(1998)
Music video
"C'est la Vie" on YouTube

"C'est la Vie" is a song by Irish girl group B*Witched. It served as their debut single and the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album (1998). Written by band members Edele Lynch, Keavy Lynch, Lindsay Armaou, and Sinéad O'Carroll, Ray "Madman" Hedges, Martin Brannigan and Tracey Ackerman, it was released by Epic Records on 25 May 1998.

Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the song was a huge success for the band after it reached number one on the charts in various countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand. In the process, B*Witched became the youngest girl group ever to have a UK number one. In the United States, "C'est la Vie" reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1999, it was nominated for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically" in the Ivor Novello Awards. The accompanying music video for the song features the four girls dancing around a lush green field full of bright flowers with a puppy as they playfully tease a teenage boy.

"C'est la Vie" has been featured in numerous films and television shows since its release in 1998, including Smart House (1999), Daria (1999), What Women Want (2000), and Life-Size (2000).

Background and release

"C'est la Vie" was written by B*Witched members Edele Lynch, Keavy Lynch, Lindsay Armaou, and Sinead O'Carroll, Ray "Madman" Hedges, Martin Brannigan, and Tracy Ackerman. Initially seen as a cheesy nonsensical pop song with plenty of double entendres, the band finally revealed in 2013 that the song was actually about sex.[1]

Critical reception

In 1999, the song was nominated for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically" at the Ivor Novello Awards.[2] Billboard named the song #97 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[3]

Chart performance

"C'est la Vie" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 31 May 1998 and remained at the top the following week. It also went to number one in the group's home country of Ireland, as well as in New Zealand. The song went to number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 in the week of 17 April 1999[4] and number six on the Australian ARIA Charts. It went Platinum in Australia for sales of over 70,000 copies.[5] By June 2013, almost 900,000 copies of the single had been sold in the UK.[6]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Alison Murray, who later also directed the UK video for "Rollercoaster". It begins with the four girls lying on the ground in a field of daisies on a sunny day. A dog is introduced into the clip next to one of the girls and the quartet then begin dancing and singing to a teenage boy in a treehouse. The girls then tie the boy to a tree and the dog chases toward him before he is magically bombarded with lipstick kiss marks all over his face. The boy is freed from the tree and the girls hose him with water and begin performing an Irish reel before lying back down in the field where they began.

In 2013, the group revealed that the song was really about sex. Keavy Lynch also revealed that Murray initially wanted Sinéad O'Carroll to look down her own jeans as she sang the line "I'll show you mine if you show me yours", but that this request was stopped rather quickly by the group's management.

Cover versions

In 2003, Brazilian pop group Rouge released a cover of "C'est la Vie" on their second studio album, also titled C'est la Vie.

Credits and personnel

Formats and track listings

UK CD 1[8]
  1. "C'est la Vie" - 2:52
  2. "We Four Girls" - 1:52
  3. "B*Witched Quiz Show" - 2:26
UK CD 2 / Australia CD single[9][10]
  1. "C'est la Vie" - 2:52
  2. "C'est la Vie" (K-Klass Epic Klub Remix) - 7:25
  3. "C'est la Vie" (Skynet Glass Palace Vocal Mix) - 8:02
  4. "C'est la Vie" (Dog In The River Mix) - 6:45
UK CD promo[11]
  1. "C'est la Vie" (Radio Edit) - 2:52
US CD maxi-single[12]
  1. "C'est la Vie" - 2:52
  2. "Get Happy" - 3:04
  3. "C'est la Vie" (K-Klass Epic Klub Remix) - 7:25
  4. "C'est la Vie" (Skynet Glass Palace Vocal Mix) - 8:02
  5. "C'est la Vie" (Dog In The River Mix) - 6:45
  6. "B*Witched Quiz Show" - 2:26
  7. "Snippets" ("We Four Girls", "Rollercoaster", "To You I Belong") - 1:35

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1998–99) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 6
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] 23
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] 2
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[16] 13
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] 50
France (SNEP)[18] 48
Germany (Official German Charts)[19] 64
Ireland (IRMA)[20] 1
Italy (FIMI)[21] 13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 11
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[24] 9
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 11
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[26] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[27] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 9

Year-end charts

Chart (1998) Position
Australia (ARIA)[29] 26
Belgium (Ultratop 100 Flanders)[30] 42
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)[6] 5
Chart (1999) Position
Belgium (Ultratop 100 Wallonia)[31] 70

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[32] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[33] Gold 25,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[34] Platinum 0*
Sweden (GLF)[35] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Platinum 925,000[6]
United States (RIAA)[37] Gold 700,000[38]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Ireland 22 May 1998 CD, vinyl, cassette Epic Records
United Kingdom 25 May 1998

References

  1. ↑ "B*Witched 'Big Reunion' interview: 'We're the naughty girls now'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Cher up for Novello prize". BBC. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  4. ↑ "The Week of April 17, 1999". The Hot 100. Billboard. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 1998 Singles". ARIA. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 Myers, Justin (17 March 2017). "The Official Top 40 biggest selling singles by Irish acts of the last 20 years". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkkSxQk4jGM
  8. ↑ C'est La Vie (UK CD 1 Single liner notes). B*Witched. Epic. 1998. 666053 2.
  9. ↑ C'est La Vie (UK CD 2 Single liner notes). B*Witched. Epic. 1998. 666053 5.
  10. ↑ C'est La Vie (Australia CD Single liner notes). B*Witched. Epic. 1998. 666078 2.
  11. ↑ C'est La Vie (UK CD Promo Single liner notes). B*Witched. Epic Records. 1998. XPCD2240.
  12. ↑ C'est La Vie (US CD Maxi-Single liner notes). B*Witched. Epic. 1998. 49K 79085.
  13. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – B*Witched – C'est la Vie". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  14. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – B*Witched – C'est la Vie" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  15. ↑ "Ultratop.be – B*Witched – C'est la Vie" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – B*Witched – C'est la Vie" (in French). Ultratip.
  17. ↑ Canadian Top Singles peak
  18. ↑ "Lescharts.com – B*Witched – C'est la Vie" (in French). Les classement single.
  19. ↑ "Musicline.de – B*Witched Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  20. ↑ "Irish Singles Chart - B*Witched - C'est la Vie". IRMA. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  21. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – B*Witched – C'est la Vie". Top Digital Download.
  22. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – B*Witched – C'est la Vie" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  23. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – B*Witched – C'est la Vie". Top 40 Singles.
  24. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – B*Witched – C'est la Vie". VG-lista.
  25. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – B*Witched – C'est la Vie". Singles Top 100.
  26. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1998-06-06". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  27. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1998-06-06" UK Singles Chart.
  28. ↑ "B*Witched – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for B*Witched.
  29. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 1998". ARIA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  30. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  32. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop 50 Albums Wallonie 1998". Ultratop. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
  34. ↑ "Top 50 Singles Chart, 30 May 1998". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
  35. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  36. ↑ "British single certifications – B*Witched – C'est la Vie". British Phonographic Industry. Enter C'est la Vie in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  37. ↑ "American single certifications – B*Witched – C'est la Vie". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  38. ↑ Jeffrey, Don (22 January 2000). Best-selling Records of 1999. Billboard. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
Preceded by
"Feel It" by The Tamperer featuring Maya		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
6 June 1998 (two weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Three Lions '98" by Baddiel, Skinner and The Lightning Seeds
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