Aline (song)

"Aline" is a single by French singer Christophe. The song became one of the two big hits in France during the summer of 1965 along with "Capri c'est fini" of Hervé Vilard. It sold one million records.[1] The song was produced by the Disc'AZ label.[2] The song is about a man begging his woman to come back and has been described as a "slow, romantic ballad".[2] On 25 September 1965 it reached number one in Belgium's top 10, surpassing "Capri c'est fini" which came in second place,[3] becoming a "substantial hit" in that country according to Billboard magazine.[4] In October 1966 it became the number one hit in Israel.[5] The song was composed by Christophe and arranged by Jacques Dejean.[6] "Aline" is Christophe's favourite song.[7]

"Aline"
Single by Christophe
Released1965
Recorded1965
GenrePop
Length2:47
LabelDisc'AZ, Motors
Songwriter(s)Christophe
Music video
"Aline" (official live) on YouTube

Background

Christophe composed the song while visiting his grandmother for lunch. He did not immediately have a name for the song.[8] However, on a visit to the dentist, he asked the assistant what her name was, to which she replied Aline. He so liked the sound that he decided to use it as the name for the new song.[1] "Aline" is the second record of Christophe and his first great success. His first record "Elle s'appelait Sophie" had sold only 27 records.[1] In an interview with Le Point, Christophe chose "Aline" "without hesitation" as his favourite song and "he still sings [it] with the same pleasure for 50 years".[7]

Lawsuit

The song became the target of a lawsuit when a singer by the name of Jacky Moulière sued Christophe alleging plagiarism. Christophe won the lawsuit on appeal in 1970.[1]

Re-release

In 1979, Christophe's career was not going well when his wife Véronique came up with the idea of re-issuing the song.[2] Christophe followed her advice and reissued the song without modifications from the original. The new release became a big hit and just like the original it reached a million records.[1] It then went on to sell a total of 3.5 million records.[2]

Literature

In the novel Lost Luggage which takes place during the student protests in Paris, a man listening to the song on the radio, after learning that his companion is pregnant, suggests to her that if the baby is a girl, she should be given the name "Aline". When the woman asks him what would happen if the baby is a boy, he replied that he would name him "Christophe".[9]

The song is also mentioned in Response: A Contemporary Jewish Review.[10]

Test song

In 1965, due to the great success of the song, it was chosen by Seeburg, a jukebox company, as a test song. The company bought one hundred records and sent them to the United States where they were added to the selection of an equal number of jukeboxes in strategic locations across the country to test consumer demand for French songs of that era. If successful, an additional 50,000 records would be ordered with plans to purchase additional French hits.[11]

Use in television commercial

In October 2017, Volkswagen used the song as the main sound and music background in a television commercial selling cars airing in Toronto, Canada.

References
  1. Daniel Ichbiah. 50 ans de chansons françaises. Daniel Ichbiah. p. 2. ISBN 979-10-91410-16-8. Christophe se trouve chez le dentiste lorsqu'il demande à la jolie assistante quel est son prénom. Elle lui répond "Aline" ! Ce prénom lui inspire alors une bien jolie chanson. Translation: Christophe is located at the dentist when he asks a pretty assistant what is her first name. She responds to him "Aline"! This name then inspires a very pretty song.
  2. "Christophe". rfi. Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
  3. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 25 September 1965. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 24 November 1979. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1 October 1966. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. "Aline (song story)". zicabloc.
  7. ANNE-SOPHIE JAHN (12 April 2014). "VIDÉOS. Christophe : "Avec Aline, j'ai pas mal emballé" Pour Le Point Live, Christophe interprète une version inédite d'"Aline" à la guitare". Le Point.
  8. Christophe:Avec Aline, j'ai pas mal emballé, Le Point, 12 avril 2014
  9. Jordi Punti (15 October 2013). Lost Luggage: A Novel. Simon and Schuster. p. 199. ISBN 978-1-4767-3031-8.
  10. Response: A Contemporary Jewish Review. Response. 2002. p. 17. After the Jitterbug, Yehoyada played a slow French song by Christophe called "Aline." "Et J'ai crié, crié, Aline! pour qu'elle revienne! Et J'ai pleuré, pleuré, car J'avais trop de peine!"
  11. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 11 December 1965. p. 26. ISSN 0006-2510.
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