Dominique
| "Dominique" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Soeur Sourire | |
| Released | 1963 |
| Genre | Folk |
| Label | Philips Records |
| Writer(s) | Jeanine Deckers |
"Dominique" is a popular song, performed in French, by a nun called "Sœur Sourire" ("Sister Smile"), born Jeanine Deckers, of Belgium, who was also known as The Singing Nun. It is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-born priest and founder of the Dominican Order, of which she was a member (as Sister Luc-Gabrielle).[1] The English-version lyrics of the song were written by Noël Regney.[2] In addition to French and English, Deckers recorded versions in Dutch, German, Hebrew, Japanese and Portuguese.
"Dominique" reached the top ten in eleven countries in late 1963 and early 1964, topping the hit lists in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. It reached the Top 5 in Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Australia and South Africa, with the song making it into the lower reaches of the Top 10 in the Netherlands, West Germany and the United Kingdom. The song reached and stayed at #1 on WLS for the last three weeks of November, then both the U.S. pop chart and "easy listening chart" (since renamed the Adult Contemporary chart) for the four weeks in December, of 1963. It was the second foreign language song to hit #1 on the Hot 100 in 1963, the first being "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto.[3] For the next ten years or so, although there were a number of hits mostly in a foreign language (e.g., The Sandpipers' "Guantanamera," Rene & Rene's "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero," etc.), no other purely foreign language song reached the Hot 100's top 40 until the Spanish language hit "Eres tú (Touch The Wind)," which entered the top 40 on 16 February 1974 and peaked at #9 on 23-30 March 1974.[4]
Deckers never again reached the same success and continued to lead a colourful, but tragic life. She and her companion of ten years, Annie Pescher, both committed suicide in 1985, as a result of financial and tax problems stemming from the recording of the song.[5]
"Dominique" outsold Elvis during its stay on the Hot 100 and was the second #1 hit in the post-Kennedy assassination era and the second to last #1 hit before the British Invasion.
Contents |
The song [edit]
"Dominique" became a worldwide hit in 1963 and was the first Belgian number one hit single in the American Billboard charts. It is remembered chiefly for its refrain, which went:
- Dominique -inique -inique s'en allait tout simplement,
- Routier, pauvre et chantant.
- En tous chemins, en tous lieux,
- Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu,
- Il ne parle que du Bon Dieu.
In English:
- Dominique -inique -inique went about simply,
- a poor singing traveller.
- On every road, in every place,
- he talks only of the Good Lord,
- he talks only of the Good Lord.
In German:
- Dominique -inique -inique, der zog fröhlich in die Welt
- zu Fuß und ohne Geld.
- Und er sang an jedem Ort
- immer wieder Gottes Wort,
- immer wieder Gottes Wort.
In Italian:
- Dominique -inique -inique, con la sua semplicità,
- lavora in povertà.
- Va dovunque col suo amor,
- per parlare del Signor,
- per parlare del Signor.
Charts [edit]
| Chart (1963/1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart[7] | 1 |
| Danish Singles Chart[8] | 4 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[9] | 6 |
| German Singles Chart[10] | 7 |
| Irish Singles Chart[11] | 4 |
| New Zealand Hit Parade[12] | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart[13] | 2 |
| South African Singles Chart[14] | 5 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[15] | 12 |
| UK Singles Chart[16] | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] | 1 |
Cover versions and other appearances [edit]
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2009) |
- Mary Ford recorded an English language version that was released in November 1963 by Calendar Records.
- The selection was sampled by Australian band TISM in their 1998 track "I Might Be A Cunt, But I'm Not A Fucking Cunt," which they recorded for their album www.tism.wanker.com.
- It was used in the 1990 film Mermaids with Cher.
- It was used in Lionel Soukaz's short film Ixe.
- The Cuban artist La Lupe and Mexican artist Angélica María recorded Spanish language versions of this song.
- The Brazilian singer Giane recorded a Brazilian Portuguese version of this song.
- Spike Jones recorded a version in which he first gave it a jazz-like interpretation, with trumpet and banjo; then he melded it with "When the Saints Go Marching In", giving the song an entirely different sound.
- Sandler and Young revived the song in late 1966,[17] a version that appeared on the Billboard easy listening chart. The performance was a medley including other religious-themed songs including "Deep River" and "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen".
- The song was referenced in The Simpsons episode "Bart's Friend Falls in Love" (1992), where Milhouse van Houten visits his girlfriend in an all-girls convent school. A nun playing guitar and singing "Dominique" passes along, followed by several equally happy little girls. The nun's character voice was provided by cast member Maggie Roswell, who knew none of the song's actual French lyrics and instead made up her own.[18]
- The musician Poe used a sample of the song in her album Haunted, on the track "House of Leaves."
- In the 1987 Married With Children episode, "Thinnergy," "Dominique" is one of several songs Peg (Katey Sagal) sings in an attempt to annoy Al(Ed O'Neill).
- Also, Debbie Reynolds starred in The Singing Nun movie,[19] which has an English version of this song.
- In 2009, the song was used in the third series premiere of British teen drama Skins.
- In 2009, it was also used in Mad Men in the episode "The Color Blue," when Don Draper walks into Suzanne Farell's apartment for the second time.
- In 2012, the song is featured prominently in US anthology series American Horror Story: Asylum, the events of which take place in 1964. The original Belgian French version of the song is playing over-and-over in the common room of the insane asylum, and the inmates are punished if they disrupt or stop the song from playing.
References [edit]
- ^ Dominique, by the "Singing Nun" Lyrics and Music. National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved on January 25, 2009
- ^ Noel Regney, 80; Wrote Favorite Christmas Tune, Hit Song for Singing Nun By Dennis Mclellan. November 30, 2002 for The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on January 25, 2009.
- ^ a b Famous Belgians, Jeanne Deckers. Retrieved on January 25, 2009.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1990). The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Seventies (12 January 1974 through 4 May 1974). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-076-8.
- ^ The Singing Nun's Story Entertainment Weekly, EW.com. Retrieved on January 25, 2009.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ http://dutchcharts.nl
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ [8]
- ^ [9]
- ^ [10]
- ^ Sandler & Young CD Collection. Retrieved on January 25, 2009
- ^ Jean, Al. (2003). The Simpsons season 3 DVD commentary for the episode "Bart's Friend Falls in Love." [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ The Singing Nun at the Internet Movie Database
External links [edit]
- "Dominique" lyrics in English and French Allthelyrics.com
- The lyrics in full (French)
| Preceded by "I'm Leaving It Up to You" by Dale & Grace |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single December 7, 1963 (four weeks) |
Succeeded by "There! I've Said It Again" by Bobby Vinton |
| Preceded by "I'm Leaving It Up to You" by Dale & Grace |
"Billboard" Easy Listening number-one single by The Singing Nun December 7, 1963 (four weeks) |
Succeeded by "There! I've Said It Again" by Bobby Vinton |
