Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Voyage, voyage

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Released
  
December 1986

Recorded
  
1986

Length
  
4:12

Format
  
7" single 12" single

Genre
  
Synthpop

Label
  
CBS

"Voyage, voyage" ([vwa.jaʒ vwa.jaʒ]) is a song co-written by Dominique Albert Dubois and Jean-Michel Rivat and recorded by the French singer Desireless. It was the first single from her debut album François released at the end of 1986. Despite being sung entirely in French, the song circumvented the language barrier on the music charts and became a huge international hit between 1986 and 1988, reaching the top position in more than ten countries around Europe.

Contents

Chart performances

Since "Voyage, voyage" is sung exclusively in French, its chart success came as a surprise as it managed the rare feat of becoming a hit in several nations usually closed to francophone songs and artists such as the UK and Ireland. In Germany, the song topped the chart and has the longest chart trajectory of 1987 in the Top 20. It also reached number one in Norway and Spain. Ironically, the song missed the top spot in France, peaking at no. 2 for four weeks, behind Elsa Lunghini with her first hit "T'en vas pas".

The song initially hit no. 53 in the UK in November 1987. After being remixed by Pete Hammond and Pete Waterman of PWL, the song was re-released in the UK in the spring of 1988 and climbed to no. 5 in June of that year. The song's success continued in Ireland where it amazingly reached no. 4 twice, the original version in November 1987 followed by the PWL remix version in June 1988.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Bettina Rheims and premiered in France in December 1986.

Track listings

7" single
  1. "Voyage, voyage" (4:12)
  2. "Destin fragile" (instrumental) (3:31)
12" maxi
  1. "Voyage, voyage" (extended remix) (6:45)
  2. "Voyage, voyage" (4:12)

Kate Ryan cover version

The Belgian singer Kate Ryan released the song from her 2008 album Free. "Voyage Voyage" came out as a double single, featuring "We all belong" which is the anthem of the event "Eurogames 2007" that occurred in Belgium in 2007. "We All Belong" is not only an anthem but also a supportive song for gay and lesbians. However, "Voyage Voyage" was the only song to have a music video. Since it was released on 11 July, it peaked at number 2 in Belgium, number 10 in the Netherlands, number 26 in Sweden, number 20 in Greece, 13 in Germany, 4 in Spain, 12 in Poland, 27 in Austria and 10 in Finland. This is the first single of Kate Ryan being released under ARS Entertainment, after her departure from EMI Belgium.

Track listings

CD single
  1. "Voyage Voyage"
  2. "Voyage Voyage" (Extended Version)
  3. "We All Belong"
  4. "We All Belong" (Extended Version)

Other covers

  • It was also covered by the Mexican band Magneto in 1991 with a Spanish version entitled "Vuela Vuela". Mikel Herzog was credited with the translation. This version peaked at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.
  • J-pop duo Wink also covered it on 1993 by the name "Eien no Lady Doll ~Voyage Voyage~".
  • The song was also covered by the band Gregorian, featuring Sarah Brightman.
  • Bananarama also covered the song and it has been performed live during 2008. It appears as a B-side on their single "Love Comes" which is included on their 2009 album, Viva.
  • A Vietnamese version was released in 2010, and performed by Thủy Tiên.
  • The Spanish band Los Gandules released a version of the song, Bayas Bayas (Berries Berries), on their album Sillonbol Stars. It features different lyrics in which a small bear switches to eating berries after a bad experience with the bees in a hive.
  • Austrian artist Soap&Skin covered the song on her 2012 album Narrow.

    • References

    Voyage, voyage Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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