Alane (song)

"Alane"
French CD single
Single by Wes
from the album Welenga
Released13 May 1997
GenreWorld music
Length3:40
Label
Songwriter(s)Wes Madiko
Producer(s)Michel Sanchez
Wes singles chronology
"Alane"
(1997) 		"Awa Awa"
(1997)
Music video
"Alane" on YouTube
Alternative cover
Remixes

"Alane" is a song by Cameroonian musician Wes. It was released in May 1997 via various labels as the debut single from his first album, Welenga (1996). The song became a hit across Europe, topping the charts in Austria, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. It is sung in the Duala language of Cameroon[1] though the Tony Moran remix includes English lyrics ("Alane flows like a fountain, running gently to your heart. Alane dances inside me, like a flame in to your arms").

Critical reception

[edit]

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "African chants meet state-of-the-art dance beats on this sizzling hot dance track, which has already been firmly entrenched atop the French charts for a couple of weeks."[2] Alan Jones from Music Week declared it a "haunting" single[3] and "likely to be the next Afro-European hit to make the grade here. Wes's expressive but slightly weak vocals are bolstered considerably by a pop/dance arrangement that fits like a glove, while some ethnic-sounding support bolsters the chorus."[4] Chris Finan from Record Mirror Dance Update gave "Alane" five out of five, stating, "With over 2m copies already sold in France, this is certain to cause more than a stir here [in the UK]".[5] A reviewer from Sunday Mirror gave it seven out of ten, adding, "This Euro-stomper with lots of wailing and chanting Afro-vocals is sure to be a huge hit in the nightclubs - and on the Terry Wogan show."[6]

Chart performance

[edit]

In France, the song was sponsored by TF1,[7] Fun Radio, RTL and the Malongo Coffees. The single spent ten weeks at number-one and remained in the top 50 for 25 weeks, ten of them at the top (and a further 9 weeks in the Top 10.[8])

The song also reached number-one in Belgium (9 weeks at number-one and a further 8 weeks in the top 10[9]), Austria (8 weeks at number-one and a further 9 weeks in the top 10[10]) and The Netherlands (8 weeks at number-one and a further 8 weeks in the top 10[11]) as well as reaching the top 10 in Germany (where it spent 18 weeks in the Top 10[12]), Hungary, Ireland, Israel and Switzerland (10 weeks in the top 10[13]) and number 11 in the UK.

Music video

[edit]

The accompanying music video for "Alane" was directed by Philippe Gautier. The choreography was created by American-French singer Mia Frye, who had previously created the choreography for Los del Rio's "Macarena". Frye appears in both videos.

Track listings

[edit]

Credits

[edit]
  • Written by Wes
  • Composed, arranged and produced by Michel Sanchez
  • Artwork by Design, Bronx (Paris)
  • Photography (photo remix) by Laurent Edeline
  • Photography (photo) by Yan Leuvrey
  • Trouser enthusiasts orgasmic apparition mix: programmed by Torsten Gascoigne, produced by Trouser Enthusiasts
  • Trouser enthusiasts spectrophiliac mix: remixed and produced by Trouser Enthusiasts
  • Todd Terry's club remix: remixed by Todd Terry
  • Tony Moran's club mix: remixed by Tony Moran

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[44] Platinum 50,000*
Belgium (BEA)[45] 3× Platinum 150,000*
France (SNEP)[47] Diamond 1,400,000[46]
Germany (BVMI)[48] 3× Gold 750,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[49] 2× Platinum 150,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[50] Gold 25,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Robin Schulz and Wes version

[edit]
"Alane"
Single by Robin Schulz and Wes
from the album IIII
Released19 June 2020
Recorded2020
GenreFuture house, deep house
Length2:55
LabelWarner Music Central Europe
Songwriter(s)Wes Madiko
Producer(s)
  • Michel Sanchez
  • Robin Schulz
Robin Schulz singles chronology
"Oxygen"
(2020) 		"Alane"
(2020) 		"All We Got"
(2020)

German DJ and record producer Robin Schulz released a remake of the song on 19 June 2020 which is included on the album IIII (2021). Schulz had been a fan of the original 1997 song since he was 10 years old and got in touch with Wes via Warner Music. The two musicians met in Paris and then re-recorded the track in a studio in Germany.[51] Its music video was directed by Robert Wunsch and features appearances by Schulz and Wes, along with footage of 30 dancers in 12 countries across the world, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, Tunisia, Vietnam, and the United States.[52][53][54]

Track listings

[edit]
Digital download[55]
No.TitleLength
1."Alane"2:55
Digital download – Don Diablo remix[56]
No.TitleLength
1."Alane" (Don Diablo remix)3:20
Digital download – Yves V remix[57]
No.TitleLength
1."Alane" (Yves V remix)2:26

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[83] Platinum 30,000‡
Belgium (BEA)[84] Gold 20,000‡
France (SNEP)[85] Gold 100,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[86] Gold 200,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[87] Gold 25,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ ""Cameroun: L'artiste Wes Madiko est à Douala", Journal du Cameroun, 31 March 2010". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  2. ^ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. 19 July 1997. p. 17. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  3. ^ Jones, Alan (24 January 1998). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 27. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  4. ^ Jones, Alan (17 January 1998). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 25. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  5. ^ Finan, Chris (31 January 1998). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 4. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Best singles". Sunday Mirror. 11 January 1998.
  7. ^ Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 386 (ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  8. ^ Lescharts.com [1] (Retrieved 30 December 2017)
  9. ^ Ultratop [2] (Retrieved 30 December 2017)
  10. ^ Austrian Charts [3] (Retrieved 30 December 2017)
  11. ^ Dutchcharts.nl [4] (Retrieved 30 December 2017)
  12. ^ Musicline.de [5] Archived 31 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 30 December 2017)
  13. ^ Hitparade.ch [6] (Retrieved 30 December 2107)
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  18. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 27. 5 July 1997. p. 13.
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  46. ^ Pure Charts, ed. (13 November 2024). "Zoom sur les tubes de l'été des années 90 : "Macarena", "Alane", "Yakalelo"... (VIDEOS)" (in French). Charts in France. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
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  54. ^ "[Video] Watch Saigon Shine in New MV 'Alane' by German DJ Robin Schulz". Saigoneer. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
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  83. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Robin Schulz & Wes – Alane" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  84. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2020". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  85. ^ "French single certifications" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  86. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Robin Schulz & Wes; 'Alane')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  87. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 January 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Alane in the search box.
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