J'ai demandé à la lune

"J'ai demandé à la lune" ("I asked the moon" in English) is the most popular song from the 2002 album Paradize which allowed Indochine to reconnect with the media that had abandoned the band a decade earlier. Indochine had gone through a vast amount of criticism before the release of the song. The song was a staple of the band's success and set the precedent for what French musicians can do. Written by Mickaël Furnon, the singer of Mickey 3D, the song was released as the second single from this album in March 2002, and quickly became a national success, selling over a million units. The album similarly achieved commercial success a few months later.

"J'ai demandé à la lune"
Single by Indochine
from the album Paradize
B-side"Punker", "Glory Hole"
ReleasedMarch 2002
GenreRock
Length3:29
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Mickaël Furnon
Producer(s)Oli de Sat, Phil Delire,
Indochine
Indochine singles chronology
"Punker"
(2002)		 "J'ai demandé à la lune"
(2002)		 "Mao Boy"
(2002)
Music video
"J'ai demandé à la lune" on YouTube

Background and music video

During the recording of the album, Indochine's singer Nicola Sirkis asked the daughter of his friend Rudy Léonet to perform the background vocals.

The music video shows Sirkis walking towards the camera with a baby, then a young child in his arms, and finally Pauline appears alongside him and sings a duet with Sirkis.

Chart performances

The song was listed on the French SNEP Singles Chart, and debuted at number 14 on 13 April 2002 and reached number one for one week on 20 July. The single remained in the top ten for 20 weeks, in the top 50 for 27 weeks and on the charts (top 100) for 31 weeks.[1] It finally achieved Diamond status on 6 November 2002[2] and was the fifth best-selling single of the year.[3] As of August 2014, the song was the 25th best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 515,000 units sold.[4]

In Belgium (Wallonia), the single charted for 36 weeks. It first stabilized in the low positions, then entered the top ten in its 12th week and stayed there for 17 consecutive weeks, peaking at number one for five weeks. After falling off the top five, it almost did not drop.[5] The single was ranked fifth on the 2002 End of the Year Chart.[6]

In Switzerland, "J'ai demandé à la lune" debuted at a peak of number four on 21 July 2002. It stayed for many weeks at the bottom of the chart (top 100)[7] and became the 39th hit of the year in the country.[8]

Cover versions

In 2004, the song was covered by Mickey 3D on the live album Live à Saint-Étienne.

There is also a longer version, which was available on a CD sold in December 2002 for the benefit of the association Médecins Sans Frontières.

The song is also covered by Vox Angeli, a choir composed of children, and features as the first track on the 2008 album of the same name.[9]

The song is also covered by Scala & Kolacny Brothers

In 2011, the single was partly re-written by Mickaël Furnon under the title "On demande pas la lune" for the annual Les Enfoires charity concert. This version peaked at number 30 on the French Singles Chart, and at number nine on the Belgian (Wallonia) Ultratop 40.

Track listings
  • CD single
  1. "J'ai demandé à la lune" — 3:29
  2. "Punker" — 2:50
  3. "Glory Hole" — 3:27

Charts and sales

Certifications
Country Certification Date Sales certified
Belgium[11] Platinum 21 September 2002 40,000
France[2] Diamond 6 November 2002 750,000
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gollark: Alerts? How¿
gollark: Just prizekins? How about a C🐝 prize? Or five hundred.
gollark: Doesn't everyone?
gollark: It has no rules, strongly enforced, and moderators being aaaargh.

References
  1. "J'ai demandé à la lune", in French Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
  2. 2002 French certifications Disqueenfrance.com Archived April 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
  3. 2001 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com Archived April 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
  4. "Top 100 des singles les plus vendus du millénaire en France, épisode 8 (30-21)". Chartsinfrance, PureCharts. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
  5. "J'ai demandé à la lune", in Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
  6. 2002 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles chart Ultratop.be Archived April 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
  7. "J'ai demandé à la lune", in Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
  8. 2002 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived December 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
  9. Vox Angelis, track listings and charts Leschart.com Archived March 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
  10. 2002 French Airplay and Video Charts Yacast.fr Archived January 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved May 17, 2008)
  11. Belgian certifications Ultratop.be (Retrieved August 1, 2008)
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