"J'ai demandé à la lune" () is a song by the French new wave band Indochine, from their 2002 album Paradize. Written by Mickaël Furnon, the singer of Mickey 3D, the song was released as the second single from the album in March 2002 and quickly became a national success, topping the French Singles Chart and selling over 750,000 units in France alone.
Background and music video During the recording of the album, Indochine's singer Nicola Sirkis asked Pauline, the eight-year-old 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 performance The song debuted on the French SNEP Singles Chart at number 14 on 13 April 2002 and reached number one for one week on 20 July. The single remained in the top 10 for 20 weeks, in the top 50 for 27 weeks, and on the chart for 31 weeks."J'ai demandé à la lune", in French Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 19, 2008) It achieved diamond status on 6 November 20022002 French certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved April 19, 2008) and was the fifth best-selling single of the year.2001 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved April 19, 2008) As of August 2014, the song was the 25th-best-selling single of the 21st century in France.
In Wallonia, the single charted for 36 weeks. It entered the top 10 during its 12th week on the Ultratop chart and stayed there for 17 consecutive weeks, peaking at number one for five weeks."J'ai demandé à la lune", in Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 19, 2008) The single was ranked fifth on Wallonia's 2002 year-end chart.2002 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved April 19, 2008) In Switzerland, "J'ai demandé à la lune" debuted at its peak of number four on 21 July 2002"J'ai demandé à la lune", in Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 19, 2008) and became the 39th-best-selling hit of the year.2002 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
Track listing CD single "J'ai demandé à la lune" – 3:29 "Punker" – 2:50 "Glory Hole" – 3:27
Charts
Weekly charts +Chart (2002) PeakpositionBelgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart1French Singles Chart 1Swiss Singles Chart4
Year-end charts +Chart (2002)PositionBelgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart5Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)22French Airplay Chart2002 French Airplay and Video Charts Yacast.fr (Retrieved May 17, 2008)5French TV Music Videos Chart17French Singles Chart5Swiss Singles Chart39
Certifications + CountryCertificationDateSales certifiedBelgiumBelgian certifications Ultratop.be (Retrieved August 1, 2008)Platinum21 September 200240,000FranceDiamond6 November 2002750,000
Cover versions 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.Vox Angelis, track listings and charts Leschart.com (Retrieved April 19, 2008)
In 2011, the single was partly re-written by Mickaël Furnon under the title "On demande pas la lune" for the annual Les Enfoirés charity concert. This version peaked at number 30 on the French Singles Chart, and at number nine on the Belgian (Wallonia) Ultratop 40.
In 2021, Québecois singer-songwriter Ghostly Kisses (real name Margaux Sauvé) released her version of the song in partnership with composer pianist Louis-Étienne Santais.
References
External links "J'ai demandé à la lune", lyrics "J'ai demandé à la lune", music video