Les Bêtises

For the novel, see Les Bêtises (novel). For the French film, see Les Bêtises (film).
"Les Bêtises"
Single by Sabine Paturel
from the album Cœur Bébé
B-side"J'crois que j't'aime"
ReleasedMarch 1986
Recorded1985, France
GenrePop
Length3:00
LabelCareere
Songwriter(s)Sylvain Lebel
Dominique Pankratoff
Producer(s)Bernard Ricci
Sabine Paturel singles chronology
"Les Bêtises"
(1986) 		"P'tit Bouchon"
(1986)

"Les Bêtises" (French translation for "Stupid Things") is a 1985 song recorded by French artist Sabine Paturel. Released in March 1986 as her debut single from her album Cœur Bébé, released two years later, on which it is the sixth track. The song was a smash hit in France, though it failed to top the chart. It was covered by several artists throughout the years and became a popular song.

Lyrics and music

Written and composed by Sylvain Lebel and Dominique Pankratoff, "Les Bêtises" is a song recorded as a nursery rhyme. Elia Habib, an expert of French charts, stated it is full of mischievousness and could be subtitled "the rhyme of a calamity" as, in the lyrics, "the performer tells the disasters which she carried out to punish her boyfriend for having left her".[1] Paturel performs the song with a childlike voice.

Chart performance

In France, "Les Bêtises" debuted at number 50 on the chart edition of 22 March 1986, entered the top ten in its sixth week where it remained for 19 weeks, with a peak at number two for five consecutive weeks, but was unable to dislodge Princess Stéphanie of Monaco's hit "Ouragan" which topped the chart then; it fell off the top 50 after 30 weeks of presence.[2] On the 1986 year-end chart, the song ranked number three, behind "Les Démons de minuit" and "Ouragan".

Track listings

  • 7" single
  • "Les Bêtises" — 3:00
  • "J'crois que j't'aime" — 3:15

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Les Bêtises"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[5] Silver 125,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

"Les Bêtises"
Single by Bébé Lilly
from the album Mon Monde à moi
B-side"Le Coupe du monde"
ReleasedJune 2006
Recorded2006, France
GenrePop
Length3:02
LabelHeben Music
Songwriter(s)Sylvain Lebel
Dominique Pankratoff
Producer(s)Teetoff
Bébé Lilly singles chronology
"Allô Papy"
(2006) 		"Les Bêtises"
(2006) 		"La Jungle des animaux"
(2006)

"Les Bêtises" was covered in 2006 by Bébé Lilly. Produced by Teetoff, the song was the second single from the album Mon monde à moi and was released on 2 June 2006. It achieved success in France where it reached number eight and remained in the top 100 for twenty weeks. It also charted for two weeks in Switzerland and peaked at number 90.[6] "Les Bêtises" was also covered by Leslie on her cover album 80 Souvenirs. In 2010, Les Enfoirés recorded a cover of the song for their album La Crise de nerfs!; the singers on this version are Jean-Louis Aubert, Zazie, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Jean-Baptiste Maunier and Jenifer Bartoli.[7]

References

  1. ^ Habib, Elia (2002). Muz hit.tubes (in French). Alinea Bis. p. 75. ISBN 2-9518832-0-X.
  2. ^ a b "Sabine Paturel – Les Bêtises" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 22. 7 June 1986. p. 12-13. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 12 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51–52. 27 December 1986. p. 28-29. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 4 October 2021 – via American Radio History.
  5. ^ "French single certifications – Sabine Paturel – Les Bêtises" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved November 24, 2021. Select SABINE PATUREL and click OK. 
  6. ^ "Les Bêtises", by Bébé Lilly, in French and Swiss Singles Charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved November 18, 2008)
  7. ^ "Les Enfoirés, La Crise de nerfs!, track listings and charts" (in French). Lescharts. Retrieved 19 March 2010.