Un Monde parfait

"Un Monde parfait" ("A Perfect World" in English) is a 2005 song recorded by French young artist Ilona Mitrecey. Based on a traditional Neapolitan song,[1] it was the first single from her debut album Un Monde parfait and was released on 28 February 2005. It was immediately a very big hit in France and Belgium (Wallonia), where it remained for several months atop of the chart, thus becoming one of the biggest-selling singles there. It was also released in many other European countries and achieved success, in Switzerland, Austria, Portugal and Germany where it was a top three hit. It was the best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 1.5 million copies sold. Ilona was only 10 years old when she sang the song.

"Un monde parfait"
Single by Ilona
from the album Un Monde parfait
ReleasedFebruary 28, 2005 (2005-02-28)
Recorded
GenreEurodance
Length3:43
LabelSony BMG Music
Songwriter(s)
  • Laurent Jeanne
  • M. Pirolla
  • Domydee
  • R. Castagnola
Producer(s)
  • Ivan Russo
  • Rosario Castagnola
Ilona singles chronology
"Un monde parfait"
(2005)		 "C'est les vacances"
(2005)

Background and writing

In 2004, one year after its recording in France, the single had already been released in Italy, under the name 'Très Bien featuring Ilona'. Originally, it was intended for the Italian dancefloors.

During an interview, Ilona explained that, before "Un Monde parfait", she sang just for fun with her friends. She confided that she recorded "Un Monde parfait" completely by chance and she did that only for play. Her father's society had asked whether she could sing this song from Italy. As she had already sung for some advertisements, she accepted, saying to herself that it could be funny to try.[2]

Music and video
The little girl representing Ilona and the other characters, in the multicoloured music video for "Un Monde parfait".

The French charts specialist Elia Habib explains that this song "mixes an involving sonority resembling Daddy DJ with a text in the spirit of a nursery rhyme". It created "the major surprise of the beginning of spring 2005".[3]

The music video is computer-animated and shows a little girl who will feature in all the other videoclips of the singles from the album Un Monde parfait. Ilona features only in the first seconds. She explained that the producers had decided to make most of the video a cartoon because it tallied well with the lyrics and that would preserve her anonymity.[2]

Ilona says in this song that when she starts to draw, she imagines a perfect world populated of technicolor flowers and animals. Six of these animals also appear in Ilona's all other music videos and on every cover of the singles from Un Monde parfait.

Chart performance

In France, "Un Monde parfait" entered the chart to number two on 27 February 2005 and climbed to number one the following week, a position it hold for 15 weeks. It remained on the top ten for 28 weeks and on the top 100 for 41 weeks, becoming the single's longest chart run in France in 2005. It was the best selling single that year and was certified Diamond disc by Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique,[4] and eventually became the best best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 1,500,000 units sold.[5] According to author and expert of French charts Elia Habib, Ilona, who was 11 years old in 2005, remains "the first native of the Nineties to reach number one of the [French Singles Chart]. Through her age, she now appears in Record books, [because she is] the second youngest artist to peak at the top position, behind Jordy (four years old)".[3] "Un Monde parfait" was also cited as the most lucrative song of 2006 at the time of a conference given by the SACEM.[6]

In Belgium (Wallonia), the single remained on the Ultratop 40 Singles Chart for 32 weeks and topped the chart for 12 weeks. It was certified Silver disc and ranked second on the 2005 year-end chart, behind Crazy Frog's "Axel F". On the Swiss Singles Chart, the single went to number 16 on 3 April 2005, reached a peak of number three on 1 May and fell off the chart after 34 weeks. It appeared on the Austrian Top 75 Singles Chart for 22 weeks and reached number three twice. One year later, in July 2006, the single made a short appearance of two weeks on the Dutch Mega Top 100, peaking at number 92.

TV performances and cover versions

Le 6/9, a French team, recorded a parody of this song, under the title "Un Casting parfait". This version peaked at number six on the French SNEP Singles Chart and at number 78 in Switzerland.[7]

The song was covered by Les Enfoirés on their album 2011: Dans l'œil des Enfoirés, and included in the medley "Un monde Parfait". The song was performed by Alizée & Claire Keim, with additional vocals from Grégoire, Christophe Maé & Pascal Obispo.[8]

Formats and track listings

Credits and personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[24] Platinum 50,000*
France (SNEP)[25] Diamond 1,494,129+[26]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Jason Ankeny. "Ilona Mitrecey, biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  2. "Le monde parfait d'Ilona en interview vidéo" (in French). Musique.ados. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
  3. Habib, Elia (March 2005). "Chartoscopie: Mylène et Ilona mènent la danse" (in French). Muz hit.tubes. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. "2005 singles certifications in France" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
  5. "Top 100 des singles les plus vendus du millénaire en France, le top 10 final!". Chartsinfrance, PureCharts. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
  6. "The most lucrative artists of 2006" (in French). Musique.evous. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
  7. "Le 6/9 — "Un Casting parfait", French and Swiss Singles Charts" (in French). Lescharts. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  8. "2011: Dans l'œil des Enfoirés, track listing and charts" (in French). lescharts. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  9. "Ilona Mitrecey – Un monde parfait" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  10. "Ilona Mitrecey – Un monde parfait" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  11. "Ilona Mitrecey – Un monde parfait" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  12. "Hits of the World: Eurocharts". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 32. 6 August 2005. p. 55.
  13. "Ilona Mitrecey – Un monde parfait" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  14. "French Digital Chart" (in French). Ifop. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
  15. "Ilona Mitrecey – Un monde parfait" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  16. "Ilona Mitrecey – Un monde parfait" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  17. "Ilona Mitrecey – Un monde parfait". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  18. "Jahreshitparade Singles 2005" (in German). Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  19. "Rapports annuels 2005" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
  20. "2005 Year in Review – The Top Singles" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 52. 24 December 2005. p. 42. Retrieved 18 October 2021 – via World Radio History.
  21. "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 2005" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  22. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 2005" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  23. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2005" (in German). Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  24. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2005". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  25. "French single certifications – Ilona – Un monde parfait" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  26. "2005 singles sales in France" (in French). Fanofmusic. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
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