Papaoutai

"Papaoutai"
Single by Stromae
from the album Racine Carrée
Released 13 May 2013
Format Digital download
Recorded 2012
Genre
Length 3:53
Label Mosaert
Writer(s) Stromae
Stromae singles chronology
"Je cours"
(2010)		 "Papaoutai"
(2013)		 "Formidable"
(2013)

"Papaoutai" (Papa où t'es, meaning "Dad, where are you?") is a song written and performed by Belgian musician Stromae. The song was released as a digital download in Belgium on 13 May 2013 as the lead single from his second studio album Racine Carrée (2013). The song peaked at number one in Belgium and France and became the best selling single of 2013 in Belgium. A remix of the song featuring Angel Haze also appears on the album.[1]

The song was performed live at the 2013 NRJ Music Awards, where it featured will.i.am.

Music video

The music video accompanying the release of "Papaoutai" was directed by Raf Reyntjens and released on YouTube on 6 June 2013 at a total length of three minutes and fifty-two seconds. The video shows a young boy trying to interact with his unresponsive father (played by Stromae), who sits motionless, his expression and body resembling that of a mannequin, while outside, other parents and children dance together. In the end, the son joins Stromae on the sofa, assuming a rigid, lifeless position identical to his father's. It refers to the absence of Stromae's father, who was killed in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.[2] The video has received over 340 million views on YouTube.[3]
In the video, the boy's father is represented as a lifeless mannequin, so he is present physically, but not emotionally. As the boy looks outside, he sees that the other parents always do something together with their children, while his remains motionless. The boy reproaches his father with the words of the song about how a parent should raise their son, and the boy then works to involve his father in dancing, like the parent-child couples he had seen before. First, the boy dances at home in front of the father; then, both of them are seen dancing in the square, but that vision is actually just an imagination of the boy, who in reality is dancing alone while his father stays motionless in the car. In the end, the boy surrenders and also becomes an empty mannequin like his father, as that is the only thing his father has taught him. Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis, one of the creators of Krumping, appears in the music video as a parent dancing together with his son.

Covers and parody

A translated English language cover by CUT_ titled "Papaoutai (Stromae Cover)"[4] was released in April 2014 charting in SNEP French Singles Chart.[5]

A cappella group Pentatonix and violinist Lindsey Stirling covered the song on Pentatonix's album PTX Vol. 3, released on 23 September 2014.[6]

Lamaoutai (Llama, where are you?) is a spoof created in November 2013 about the kidnapping of Serge the Llama from a circus in Bordeaux.[7]

Track listing

Digital download
No. Title Length
1. "Papaoutai"   3:51
2. "Papaoutai (Extended)"   6:18
3. "Papaoutai (Mystique Remix)"   5:01
4. "Papaoutai (Nicolaz Remix)"   5:52
5. "Papaoutai (Liam Summers Remix)"   4:04

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2013–14) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 3
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders Dance)[9] 7
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders Urban)[9] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10] 1
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia Dance)[10] 1
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 70
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[12] 10
Europe (Euro Digital Songs)[13] 12
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 4
France (SNEP)[15] 1
Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 6
Israel (Media Forest)[17] 8
Italy (FIMI)[18] 10
Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[19] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 2
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[22] 83
Russia (NFPP)[23] 3
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[24] 36
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 4
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[26] 25

Year-end charts

Chart (2013) Position
Dutch Singles Chart[27] 6
Germany (Media Control AG)[28] 43
Chart (2014) Position
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] 34
Italy (FIMI)[30] 36

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Austria (IFPI Austria)[31] Gold 15,000
Belgium (BEA)[32] 3× Platinum 60,000
France (SNEP)[33] Diamond 976,000
Italy (FIMI)[34] 2× Platinum 60,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[35] Platinum 20,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36] 2× Platinum 60,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Belgium 13 May 2013[37] Digital download Mosaert

References

  1. ↑ "Racine Carrée by Stromae". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. July 26, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  2. ↑ [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/arts/15iht-stromae15.html New York Times, October 15, 2013
  3. ↑ Stromae - Papaoutai. YouTube
  4. ↑ Music video of the CUT_ cover
  5. ↑ Lescharts.com: CUT_ "Papaoutai" page
  6. ↑ Papadatos, Markos (13 August 2014). "Pentatonix to release first single and video from 'PTX Vol. 3'". Digital Journal. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  7. ↑ Pour tourner le clip de "Lamaoutai", Serge le lama est amené en boîte de nuit à Cannes, Le Huffington Post, 23 November 2013
  8. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Stromae – Papaoutai" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 "Ultratop.be – Stromae – Papaoutai" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Stromae – Papaoutai" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  11. ↑ "Stromae – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Stromae.
  12. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201343 into search.
  13. ↑ "Stromae – Chart history" Billboard Euro Digital Songs for Stromae.
  14. ↑ "Stromae: Papaoutai" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  15. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Stromae – Papaoutai" (in French). Les classement single.
  16. ↑ "Musicline.de – Stromae Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  17. ↑ "{{{artist}}} – Papaoutai Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  18. ↑ "Top Digital Download - Classifica settimanale WK 27 (dal 30-06-2014 al 06-07-2014)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "Luxembourg Digital Songs - August 31, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  20. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Stromae search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  21. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Stromae – Papaoutai" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ↑ "Airplay 100" (in Romanian). Kiss FM (Romania).
  23. ↑ "Проект Земфиры возглавил чарт iTunes". Lenta.ru. November 25, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Stromae – Papaoutai" Canciones Top 50.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Stromae – Papaoutai". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ↑ "Stromae – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for Stromae. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  27. ↑ http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=2013&cat=s
  28. ↑ "Top 100 Singles Jahrescharts 2013" (in German). VIVA. Viacom International Media Networks. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  29. ↑ http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2014&cat=a
  30. ↑ "FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  31. ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Stromae – Papaoutai" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 9 January 2015. Enter Stromae in the field Interpret. Enter Papaoutai in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
  32. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2013". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  33. ↑ "French single certifications – Stromae – Papaoutai" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  34. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Stromae – Papaoutai" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 9 January 2015. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Stromae in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
  35. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – Stromae – Papaoutai" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  36. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Stromae; 'Papaoutai')". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  37. ↑ iTunes - Music - Papaoutai - Single by Stromae

External links

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