La Zoubida

"La Zoubida" is a 1991 novelty song recorded by the French TV presenter and humorist Lagaf'. It was the second single from his album Le Lavabo. It became the summer hit of 1991, staying at the top of the French Singles Chart for three months.

"La Zoubida"
Single by Lagaf'
from the album Le Lavabo
Released1991
Recorded1991
GenreEuro House
Length3:55
Songwriter(s)Lagaf'
Producer(s)Dimitri Yerasimos
Lagaf' singles chronology
"Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)"
(1990)		 "La Zoubida"
(1991)		 "Je veux des vacances"
(1993)

The song formed the basis for a side-scrolling platform game, Lagaf': Les Aventures de Moktar — Vol 1: La Zoubida, developed by Titus Interactive. The game would later be altered and released as Titus the Fox internationally.

Lyrics and music

In a humorous style, the song tells the story of a young North African girl called Zoubida, who lives in Barbès, whose parents have forbidden her to go dancing. However, the girl was saved by her friend Moktar. But as he is a robber of "golden" scooters, the two youths eventually end the night at the police station. These dubious clichés have earned to the song some criticism.[1]

As for the music, the melody is repetitive and every sentence is echoed in the vocals.[1] The music is taken from the traditional French song "Sur le pont du Nord", the lyrics and the overall structure being a parody of this folk song.

The song was parodied by Les Inconnus. In the video, Didier Bourdon performs the song in the bed of Lullaby clip, on the music of "Close to Me" by The Cure.[2]

Chart performance

The single debuted at number 24 on 1 June 1991 on the French Top 50 Singles Chart. It climbed quickly and eventually reached number one on 20 July. It remained for eleven non consecutive weeks at the top of the chart, blocking Paul Young and Zucchero's hit "Senza una donna" at number two. It remained in the top ten for a total of 24 weeks and fell off the top 50 on 25 January 1992, after 34 weeks, which was the longest chart trajectory for a single in 1991.[3] The single was certified Platinum disc by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique for over 500,000 units sold.[4]

According to the Infodisc website, 625,000 copies of "La Zoubida" were sold,[4] and the single is the 351st best-selling single of all time in France.[5]

Track listings
  • CD single
  1. "La Zoubida" — 3:55
  2. "La Zoubida" (Aziz house version) — 8:02
  • 12" maxi
  1. "La Zoubida" — 3:55
  2. "La Zoubida" (instrumental) — 3:55
  3. "La Zoubida" (Aziz house version) — 8:02

Charts and sales

Certifications
Country Certification Date Sales certified Physical sales
France[4] Platinum 1991 500,000 625,000
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References
  1. Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit.tubes (in French). Alinéa Bis. p. 214. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.
  2. Lemonier, Marc (2008). Nos années Top, clips et 45 tours : 1984-1991 (in French). p. 103. ISBN 2-258-07648-X.
  3. "Lagaf' — "La Zoubida", French Singles Chart" (in French). Lescharts. Retrieved 8 February 2008.
  4. "Les Certifications depuis 1973, database" (in French). Infodisc. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
  5. "Best-selling singles of all time in France" (in French). Infodisc. Archived from the original on 13 November 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2007.
  6. "Eurochart Hot 100 1991" (PDF). Music & Media. 8 (51–52): 21. December 21, 1991. Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via American Radio History.
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