Papaoutai Explained

Papaoutai
Cover:Stromae-Papaoutai.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Stromae
Album:Racine carrée
Released:13 May 2013
Recorded:2012
Genre:
Length:3:53
Producer:Stromae, Dizzy Mandjeku, Aron Ottignon

"Papaoutai" (French: Papa, où t'es?, in French pronounced as /papa u tɛ/, French for "Dad, where are you?") is a song written and performed by Belgian singer 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.[3]

The song was performed live at the 2013 NRJ Music Awards, where it featured American rapper will.i.am. The song is also featured on the 2014 dancing game Just Dance 2015 for PAL regions and is available as DLC for NTSC regions.

The song was the most viewed French-speaking song on YouTube[4] until 2023, when it was passed by Indila's song "Dernière danse" (English: "Last dance").[5] [6]

It became the second French-language video to pass 1 billion views on 27 August 2023.

Music video

The music video accompanying the release of "Papaoutai" was directed by Adam Nael 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 (played by Karl Ruben Noel[7]) trying to interact with his father (played by Stromae), who sits motionless, his expression and body resembling that of a mannequin. Father and son are dressed in identical outfits consisting of garishly patterned aqua shirts and shorts, knee socks, and orange bowtie. The video has the ambiance and decor of the 1950s. The boy looks longingly through the window at other parents and children who likewise wear matching outfits that identify them as pairs: a mother and daughter dressed similarly to Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz do a dance while walking their identical dogs; a garbageman and his son collect rubbish together while doing another dance; while still another father (played by Ceasare "Tight Eyez" Willis, one of the creators of Krumping) does an aggressive, threatening dance at his reluctant son before the boy finally begins to imitate him.

Frustrated, the son does various dances in front of his own father until one of his efforts provokes the father to smile. Outside, father and son do their own dance together, but it is soon revealed that the boy is dancing alone and his father is still stiff and unresponsive. In frustration, the son joins Stromae on the sofa, assuming a rigid, lifeless position identical to his father's.

The song and video refer to the absence of Stromae's father—who had little presence in Stromae's life even before being killed in the 1994 Rwandan genocide—and to Stromae's fear of being unable to be an effective father with no memory of ever having a father of his own.[8] As of August 2023, the video has received over 1 billion views on YouTube.[9]

Lyrics and meaning

The title of the song is an intentionally misspelled form of the phrase French: Papa, où t'es?, which translates as "Dad, where are you?" French: Empapaouter also means "to trick someone" in old slang.

The lyrics of the song are about a boy living with his mother who suspects something is wrong when he no longer sees his father. The mother makes up excuses to try to prevent the narrator from discovering the truth about the whereabouts of his father of which even the mother is unaware.

Covers and parody

American a cappella group Pentatonix and violinist Lindsey Stirling covered the song on Pentatonix's album PTX Vol. 3, released on 23 September 2014.[10]

Erza Muqoli performed this song with self-accompaniment on piano for her audition for the ninth season (2014–2015) of the French television show La France a un incroyable talent.[11]

Lamaoutai (Llama, where are you?) is a spoof created in November 2013 about the kidnapping of Serge the Llama from a circus in Bordeaux.[12]

Letícia Carvalho covered the song on The Voice Portugal on 11 October 2015.

Alexandre Heitz performed the song on The Voice of Germany on 2 October 2018.

Kenza Blanka covered the song on series 8 of The Voice UK on 9 February 2019, singing it in English and Arabic and French.

Dutch singer Froukje Veenstra covered the song with a Dutch addition on 10th of June 2020, for the '3FM Live Box' showcase on YouTube, rapping about the needs of those with or without a father, meanwhile giving personal thanks for her own father.[13]

Other uses

Dutch rapper Joost Klein namedrops Papaoutai in his song "Europapa", which was sent to represent the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, before being disqualified.[14] Much like Stromae himself, Klein's father also passed away when he was a child.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013–2022)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders Dance)7
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders Urban)1
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia Dance)1
Italy (FIMI)[15] 10
Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[16] 2
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[17] 83
Slovenia (SloTop50)[18] 26

Year-end charts

Chart (2013)! scope="col"
Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[19] 44
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 9
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 1
France (SNEP)[22] 3
Germany (Media Control AG)[23] 43
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] 11
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[25] 6
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[26] 56
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 22
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[28] 83
Chart (2014)! scope="col"
Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[29] 57
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[30] 34
France (SNEP)[31] 36
Italy (FIMI)[32] 36
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[33] 72
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[34] 121
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 36
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[36] 150
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[37] 87
Chart (2015)! scope="col"
Position
France (SNEP)[38] 156

Certifications

<--Post by François Delétraz a Figaro Magazine journalist-->

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stromae, griot sarcastique malgré lui . Jeune Afrique.
  2. Web site: "Racine Carrée", le deuxième album de l'artiste belgo-rwandais, sort le 19 août prochain. Après le buzz de la vidéo de "Formidable", en mai, ce second clip révèle une facette plus intime de Stromae. Attention, les pères en prennent ici pour leur grade . Tf1info.fr. 16 August 2013.
  3. Web site: Racine Carrée by Stromae. iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc.. July 26, 2013. July 28, 2013.
  4. Web site: Stromae - papaoutai (Official Video). .
  5. Web site: Indila - Dernière Danse (Clip Officiel). .
  6. Web site: «Dernière danse» d'Indila dépasse le milliard de vues sur YouTube, une première pour une chanson en français. 22 May 2023 .
  7. Web site: Karl Ruben Noel. IMDb.
  8. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/arts/15iht-stromae15.html Stromae: Disillusion, With a Dance Beat
  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiKj0Z_Xnjc Stromae – papaoutai (Official Video)
  10. Web site: Papadatos. Markos. Pentatonix to release first single and video from 'PTX Vol. 3'. Digital Journal. 18 August 2014. 13 August 2014.
  11. Web site: Erza a un incroyable talent. Le Républicain Lorrain. 24 September 2014. 5 November 2019.
  12. http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2013/11/23/clip-lamaoutai-serge-le-lama-boite-nuit-cannes_n_4329170.html Pour tourner le clip de "Lamaoutai", Serge le lama est amené en boîte de nuit à Cannes
  13. Web site: Froukje covert 'Papaoutai' van Stromae in het Nederlands | 3FM Live Box | NPO 3FM . .
  14. https://www.avrotros.nl/article/this-is-europapa-by-joost-klein-for-eurovision-2024~411/ This is Europapa by Joost Klein for Eurovision 2024
  15. Web site: Top Digital Download - Classifica settimanale WK 27 (dal 30-06-2014 al 06-07-2014). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. it. 10 July 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714113241/http://www.fimi.it/main/chart_id/1842. 14 July 2014.
  16. Luxembourg Digital Songs - August 31, 2013 . Billboard. 13 June 2013.
  17. Web site: Airplay 100. Kiss FM (Romania). ro.
  18. Web site: SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart. SloTop50. sl. 10 November 2013.
  19. Web site: Das österreichische Hitparaden- und Musik-Portal. austriancharts.at.
  20. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2013. Ultratop. 25 October 2019.
  21. Web site: ultratop.be – ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS. ultratop.be.
  22. Web site: Top de l'année Top Singles 2013. SNEP. fr. 30 December 2020.
  23. Web site: Top 100 Singles Jahrescharts 2013 . de . . 12 January 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140120000533/http://www.viva.tv/musikvideo/1756-top-100-single-jahrescharts-2013/playlist . 20 January 2014 . dead .
  24. Web site: Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2013. Dutch Top 40. 1 May 2020.
  25. Web site: Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl. dutchcharts.nl.
  26. Web site: Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart 2013. TopHit. ru. 28 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230328141748/https://tophit.com/ru/chart/top/radio/hits/russia/annual/2013-01-01. 28 March 2023.
  27. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2013 – hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. 1 May 2020.
  28. Web site: Top Radio Hits Ukraine Annual Chart 2013. TopHit. ru. 31 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230329163735/https://tophit.com/ru/chart/top/radio/hits/ukraine/annual/2013-01-01. 29 March 2023.
  29. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2014. Ultratop. 25 October 2019.
  30. Web site: ultratop.be – ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS. ultratop.be.
  31. Web site: Top de l'année Top Singles 2014. SNEP. fr. 30 December 2020.
  32. Web site: FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana. Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. it. 19 January 2015.
  33. Web site: Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl. dutchcharts.nl.
  34. Web site: Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart 2014. TopHit. ru. 4 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230401100816/https://tophit.com/ru/chart/top/radio/hits/russia/annual/2014-01-01. 1 April 2023.
  35. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2014 – hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. 1 May 2020.
  36. Web site: Ukrainian Top Year-End Radio Hits (2014). . 10 August 2019.
  37. Hot Dance/Electronic Songs – Year-End 2014. Billboard. 22 August 2019.
  38. Web site: Top de l'année Top Singles 2015. SNEP. fr. 30 December 2020.
  39. Web site: Papaoutai - Single by Stromae. music.apple.com.