C'est la Vie (B*Witched song)

"C'est la Vie" is a song by Irish girl group B*Witched. It served as their debut single and the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album (1998). Written by band members Edele Lynch, Keavy Lynch, Lindsay Armaou, and Sinéad O'Carroll, Ray "Madman" Hedges, Martin Brannigan and Tracy Ackerman, it was released by Epic and Glowworm Records on 25 May 1998.

"C'est la Vie"
Image shows B*Witched dancing around a lush green field on a beautiful sunny day. The words "B*Witched" and "C'est La Vie" are written on the picture. There is also an orange and yellow gradient border around the photo with green, red, yellow and orange stars at the bottom of the image.
Single by B*Witched
from the album B*Witched
B-side"We Four Girls"
Released25 May 1998 (1998-05-25)
GenrePop
Length2:52
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ray "Madman" Hedges
B*Witched singles chronology
"C'est la Vie"
(1998)		 "Rollercoaster"
(1998)
Music video
"C'est la Vie" on YouTube

Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the song was a huge success for the band after it reached number one on the charts in various countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand. In the process, B*Witched became the youngest girl group ever to have a UK number one. In the United States, "C'est la Vie" reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1999, it was nominated for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically" in the Ivor Novello Awards. The accompanying music video for the song features the four girls dancing around a lush green field full of bright flowers with a puppy as they playfully tease a teenage boy.

Background and release

"C'est la Vie" was written by B*Witched, Ray "Madman" Hedges, Martin Brannigan, and Tracy Ackerman. The song features many cheeky double entendres; the band commented in 2013 that "it went over children's heads, but the parents got the innuendos. It was perfect for everyone."[1]

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor of Billboard wrote, "This European creamsicle has already tickled the top of the European pop charts, and with good reason. It's catchy as all get-out, has a chorus that lingers like poison ivy, and adds unlimited spoonfuls of zip spin after spin. In a perfect world, this dancey helping of youth-oriented pop would have no problem conquering the States with its giddy melody and squeaky-clean teenage vocals, but sadly, top 40 has again entered one of those periods during which it shuns most any uptempo track that might be considered plain and simple fun. That's a shame, given the growing profile of this personable Dublin-based female quartet and its fine self-titled debut album. In any case, open-minded programmers who have had success with Britney Spears or Cleopatra should certainly give this a meaningful spin and let their audiences have a chance to catch on to the magic of this fearless track."[2] In 1999, the song was nominated for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically" at the Ivor Novello Awards.[3] Billboard named the song number 97 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[4]

Chart performance

"C'est la Vie" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 31 May 1998 and remained at the top the following week. It also went to number one in the group's home country of Ireland, as well as in New Zealand. The song went to number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 in the week of 17 April 1999[5][6] and number six on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. It went Platinum in Australia for sales of over 70,000 copies.[7] By September 2017, over 927,000 copies of the single had been sold in the UK.[8]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Alison Murray, who later also directed the UK video for "Rollercoaster". It begins with the four girls lying on the ground in a field of daisies on a sunny day. A dog is introduced into the clip next to one of the girls and the quartet then begin dancing and singing to a teenage boy in a treehouse. The girls then tie the boy to a tree and the dog chases toward him before he is bombarded with lipstick kiss marks all over his face. The boy is freed from the tree and the girls hose him with water and begin performing an Irish reel before lying back down in the field where they began.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the B*Witched album booklet.[17]

Studio

  • Produced in Ray "Madman" Hedges' Mothership

Personnel

  • B*Witched – writing
  • Ray "Madman" Hedges – writing, production, arrangement
  • Martin Brannigan – writing, arrangement
  • Tracy Ackerman – writing
  • Erwin Keiles – guitar
  • Daniel Collier – fiddle

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[7] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[48] Gold 25,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[49] Platinum 10,000*
Sweden (GLF)[50] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] Platinum 927,535[8]
United States (RIAA)[52] Gold 700,000[53]

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

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 25 May 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
[54]
Japan 26 August 1998 CD Epic [55]
United States 15 December 1998
  • Epic
  • Glowworm
 [56]
12 January 1999 Contemporary hit radio [57]

References
  1. "B*Witched 'Big Reunion' interview: 'We're the naughty girls now'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  2. Taylor, Chuck (12 December 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles – New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 50. p. 21. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3. "Cher up for Novello prize". BBC. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  4. "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  5. "B*Witched". Billboard.
  6. "The Week of April 17, 1999". Billboard. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  7. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  8. Copsey, Rob (19 September 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  9. C'est la Vie (UK CD1 liner notes). B*Witched. Epic Records, Glowworm Records. 1998. 666053 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. C'est la Vie (UK CD2 liner notes). B*Witched. Epic Records, Glowworm Records. 1998. 666053 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. C'est la Vie (Australian CD Single liner notes). B*Witched. Epic Records, Glowworm Records. 1998. 666078 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. C'est la Vie (UK cassette single sleeve). B*Witched. Epic Records, Glowworm Records. 1998. 666053 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. C'est la Vie (European CD single liner notes). B*Witched. Epic Records, Glowworm Records. 1998. EPC 665934 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. C'est la Vie (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). B*Witched. Epic Records, Glowworm Records. 1998. 34 79084.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. C'est la Vie (US maxi-CD single liner notes). B*Witched. Epic Records, Glowworm Records. 1998. 49K 79085.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. C'est la Vie (Japanese CD single liner notes). B*Witched. Epic Records. 1998. ESCA 7345.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. B*Witched (UK CD album booklet). B*Witched. Epic Records, Glowworm Records. 1998. 491704 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  25. "B*Witched – C'est la Vie" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  26. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 39. 29 September 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  27. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (09.7.–16.7. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 10 July 1998. p. 11. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
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  34. "B*Witched – C'est la Vie". Singles Top 100.
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  37. "BWitched Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
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  52. "American single certifications – B*Witched – C'est la Vie". Recording Industry Association of America.
  53. Jeffrey, Don (22 January 2000). "Best-selling Records of 1999". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 4. p. 63. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  54. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 23 May 1998. p. 29. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  55. "セ・ラ・ビ | B★Witched" [C'est la Vie | B★Witched] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  56. "C'est la Vie / Get Happy". Amazon. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  57. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1281. 8 January 1999. p. 39.
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